Eftekasat
Encyclopedia
Eftekasat is an Egypt
ian Oriental jazz
band
that was established in late 2001 and gave its debut performance in February 2002 at the Cairo Jazz Club. The band has received positive critique from critics, who have praised the band's melding of different music styles.
Eftekasat is one of very few Egyptian independent music groups to have managed to establish themselves on the scene in such a little time.
ian Oriental jazz
band
that was established in late 2001 and gave its debut performance in February 2002 at the Cairo Jazz Club. The band has received positive critique from critics, who have praised the band's melding of different music styles.
Eftekasat is one of very few Egyptian independent music groups to have managed to establish themselves on the scene in such a little time.
Eftekasat is an Egypt
ian Oriental jazz
band
that was established in late 2001 and gave its debut performance in February 2002 at the Cairo Jazz Club. The band has received positive critique from critics, who have praised the band's melding of different music styles.
Eftekasat is one of very few Egyptian independent music groups to have managed to establish themselves on the scene in such a little time.
After Cairo Jazz Club, the recording of the demo started joined by the percussionist Hany Bedair. The demo already helped the band when it was sent to Bansko International Jazz Festival in Bulgaria as they were invited to perform there{www.banskojazz.com} Later, the band started putting music together for Mo'taz El Demerdash's talk show with the vocalist Amr Yehia and performing in several international festivals in several Arab countries. The band noticed the way audiences interact with them and later decided to go instrumental and that's when the 6 members became the current Eftekasat band.
" which required an actual fund of $11000. Set in Media Production City Studios, the recording started April 2006 and ended July of the same year. Sound Mixing was made in "Sound Design", Amr Yehia's studio while the sound engineers were Amr Yehia himself and Alaa El Kashef. The American Multi Instrumentalist/composer Daryl Kennedy, who sometimes shared stage with the band produced the album. The album was distributed Worldwide and digitally through iTunes
Jazz Festival in Tunis performing with several other international artists like Gilberto Gil
from Brazil
, the Portuguese
Maria João
& Mário Laginha
, William Parker
from the USA, Dhafer Youssef
from Tunis, the Italian
Gino Paoli
, the French
Jacques Schwarz-Bart
and the English Murray Head
. Eftekasat are probably the first modern Egyptian band to become international.
, Jazz
, Pop
and Rock
. His mother had a great impact on his influences as she worked as a classic piano teacher and therefore he began playing influenced by Classic music!
As for the artists and bands that influenced him they include Omar Khairat, the Algerian Mohamed El Anka who influenced the track "La Belle Algerie", Chick Corea
, Herbie Hancock
, McCoy Tyner
, Lyle Mays
, Spyrogyra, Yellowjackets
, Ziad Rahbani
, Frank Zappa
and many other groups of the sixties era including The Beatles
who had a great impact on him before he walked on the Jazz route as he used to memorise, play, perform, and even sing the lyrics.
There are plans of future releases in a special order including a plan to release an original called "Moods" sometime soon. "Moods" was never performed in public!
, Bibliotheca Alexandrina
, Cairo Jazz Club, and "Sakia" (El Sawy Culturewheel) "ساقية الصاوى".
Eftekasat is a slang word that means innovations or spontaneous ideas.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Oriental jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
that was established in late 2001 and gave its debut performance in February 2002 at the Cairo Jazz Club. The band has received positive critique from critics, who have praised the band's melding of different music styles.
Eftekasat is one of very few Egyptian independent music groups to have managed to establish themselves on the scene in such a little time.
Origin and history
Eftekasat is an EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Oriental jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
that was established in late 2001 and gave its debut performance in February 2002 at the Cairo Jazz Club. The band has received positive critique from critics, who have praised the band's melding of different music styles.
Eftekasat is one of very few Egyptian independent music groups to have managed to establish themselves on the scene in such a little time.
Origin and history
Eftekasat is an Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Oriental jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
that was established in late 2001 and gave its debut performance in February 2002 at the Cairo Jazz Club. The band has received positive critique from critics, who have praised the band's melding of different music styles.
Eftekasat is one of very few Egyptian independent music groups to have managed to establish themselves on the scene in such a little time.
Origin and history
After Cairo Jazz Club, the recording of the demo started joined by the percussionist Hany Bedair. The demo already helped the band when it was sent to Bansko International Jazz Festival in Bulgaria as they were invited to perform there{www.banskojazz.com} Later, the band started putting music together for Mo'taz El Demerdash's talk show with the vocalist Amr Yehia and performing in several international festivals in several Arab countries. The band noticed the way audiences interact with them and later decided to go instrumental and that's when the 6 members became the current Eftekasat band.
Mouled Sidi El-Latini
In January 2006, Eftekasat was awarded a production grant of $3500 from The Culture Resource "Al-Mawred Al Thaqafi" and decided to start recording their first album "Mouled Sidi El-LatiniMouled Sidi El-Latini
Mouled Sidi El-Latini which means The Latin Dervish is Eftekasat's debut album. It's an instrumental album which fuses Jazz with oriental influences and a little progressive rock.-Track listing:All songs were written by Amro Salah, except where noted....
" which required an actual fund of $11000. Set in Media Production City Studios, the recording started April 2006 and ended July of the same year. Sound Mixing was made in "Sound Design", Amr Yehia's studio while the sound engineers were Amr Yehia himself and Alaa El Kashef. The American Multi Instrumentalist/composer Daryl Kennedy, who sometimes shared stage with the band produced the album. The album was distributed Worldwide and digitally through iTunes
Going international
Besides the fact that Mouled Sidi El-Latini was released on international basis, Eftekasat became officially international when they were invited to perform at the 2008 CarthageCarthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
Jazz Festival in Tunis performing with several other international artists like Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Maria João
Maria João
Maria João is a Portuguese jazz singer.She is known for her vocal flexibility and improvisational skills. While normally considered a jazz singer, her music incorporates a mix of folk/ethnic music, modern jazz, and the avant-garde...
& Mário Laginha
Mário Laginha
Mário João Laginha dos Santos, OIH , piano player and composer, is one of the most creative contemporary Portuguese jazz musicians. He is mostly recognized for his recurrent collaborations with fellow Portuguese jazz singer Maria João, with whom he recorded over a dozen discs and toured Portugal...
, William Parker
William Parker (musician)
William Parker is an American free jazz double bassist, poet and composer.-Biography:Parker was not formally trained as a classical player, though he did study with Jimmy Garrison, Richard Davis, and Wilbur Ware and learned the tradition. Parker is one of few jazz bassists who regularly plays arco...
from the USA, Dhafer Youssef
Dhafer Youssef
Dhafer Youssef is a composer, singer and oud player. He developed an interest in jazz at an early age and clandestinely listened to it during his education at a Qur'anic school. He later left Tunisia to start a jazz career and has lived in Europe since 1990, usually in Paris or Vienna. He also...
from Tunis, the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Gino Paoli
Gino Paoli
Gino Paoli is an Italian singer-songwriter. He wrote four masterpieces of Italian popular music: "Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cosa c'è", "Senza fine" and "Sapore di sale".- Biography :...
, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Jacques Schwarz-Bart
Jacques Schwarz-Bart
Jacques Schwarz-Bart is a New York based jazz saxophonist. His mother is the Guadeloupean novelist Simone Schwarz-Bart, author of The Bridge of Beyond. His father was French Jewish author André Schwarz-Bart. The two published a joint novel, Un plat de porc aux bananes vertes, in 1967...
and the English Murray Head
Murray Head
Murray Seafield Saint-George Head is a British actor and singer, most recognised for his international hit songs "Superstar" and "One Night in Bangkok" and his album Say It Ain't So...
. Eftekasat are probably the first modern Egyptian band to become international.
Artistic contributions and influences
Although Amro Salah is the soul composer of the group, Ousso, the guitarist has also contributed in the writing of some of the songs and already has his own material. Therefore their influences had a great impact on Eftekasat especially Amro's which included ClassicClassical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and Rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. His mother had a great impact on his influences as she worked as a classic piano teacher and therefore he began playing influenced by Classic music!
As for the artists and bands that influenced him they include Omar Khairat, the Algerian Mohamed El Anka who influenced the track "La Belle Algerie", Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
, Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
, Lyle Mays
Lyle Mays
Lyle Mays is an American jazz pianist and composer from Wausaukee, Wisconsin. He is best known for his work with guitarist Pat Metheny as a member of the Pat Metheny Group...
, Spyrogyra, Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets is an American jazz fusion/smooth jazz quartet.-History:The original group, called The Robben Ford Group, was formed in 1977, and consisted of Robben Ford, Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Ricky Lawson, all top-notch L.A. session musicians...
, Ziad Rahbani
Ziad Rahbani
Ziad Rahbani is a Lebanese composer, pianist, performer, playwright, and political commentator. His compositions are well-known throughout the Arab world...
, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and many other groups of the sixties era including The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
who had a great impact on him before he walked on the Jazz route as he used to memorise, play, perform, and even sing the lyrics.
Future projects and visions
Amro Salah's ambition and plans for the group has not yet ended as he is planning:"To be internationally recognised, to be one of the groups on the international scene, performing a number of concerts per year. As Chick Corea Electric Group or Spyrogyra, there would be a group by the name Eftekasat from Egypt."
There are plans of future releases in a special order including a plan to release an original called "Moods" sometime soon. "Moods" was never performed in public!
Local
Eftekasat is one of the busiest World Jazz fusion groups that are on top of the music scene in Egypt. The Group regularly performs at Cairo Opera HouseCairo Opera House
The Cairo Opera House , part of Cairo's National Cultural Center, is the main performing arts venue in the Egyptian capital. Home to most of Egypt's finest musical groups, it is located on the southern portion of Gezira Island in the Nile River, in the Zamalek district west of and near downtown...
, Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina or Maktabat al-Iskandarīyah is a major library and cultural center located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the Egyptian city of Alexandria...
, Cairo Jazz Club, and "Sakia" (El Sawy Culturewheel) "ساقية الصاوى".
International
Eftekasat made their debut international performance in 2004 at the 4th Bansko International Jazz Festival in Bansko, Bulgaria that was followed by a series of performances in major festivals and Cultural events Worldwide such as:- Carthage Jazz Festival - Tunis
- San Jose Jazz Festival - USA
- Nisville Jazz Festival - Serbia
- Jordan Jazz Festival
- Cairo Jazz Festival
- S.O.S Music Festival
- Modern Folk Musik Fest
Discography
- (2006) Mouled Sidi El-LatiniMouled Sidi El-LatiniMouled Sidi El-Latini which means The Latin Dervish is Eftekasat's debut album. It's an instrumental album which fuses Jazz with oriental influences and a little progressive rock.-Track listing:All songs were written by Amro Salah, except where noted....
(The Latin Dervish) "مولد سيدى اللاتينى" - (2010) Dandasha
Band members
- Amro Salah - piano, keys
- Samer George - bass
- Ahmad Hesham - drums
- Laith Soliman - nay
- Ousso - guitar
- Hany Bedair - percussion
- Mohamad Medhat - violin
Etymology
It is a well known term in the slang language used by the younger generation in Cairo. When an idea is created from nowhere this is ‘Eftekasat’. - Amro Salah on the meaning of the name!
Eftekasat is a slang word that means innovations or spontaneous ideas.