Egypt (album)
Encyclopedia
Egypt is a Grammy Award
-winning album by Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour
, on which he is accompanied by the Egypt
ian Fathy Salama Orchestra
. In the original Senegalese release, it was named Sant Allah (Thanks to God).
On the record Youssou combines both West Africa
n and North African musical influences. The record features instruments from both regions, such as the West-African kora
and the Arab oud
.
The lyrics on the album are in praise of the tolerance of the Senegalese version
of Islam
and more specifically his Muslim
brotherhood, the Mouridiya
. All tracks are sung in Wolof
and Arabic
and are mostly dedicated to great marabout
s of the Muslim brotherhoods of Senegal
.
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album was an honor presented to recording artists between 2004 and 2011 for quality contemporary world music albums...
-winning album by Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known in the Serer language as mbalax, a type of music...
, on which he is accompanied by the 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 Fathy Salama Orchestra
Fathy Salama
Fathy Salama is an Egyptian musician who was born in Cairo, Egypt. He grew up listening to the radio, which played artists who placed a deep influence upon him, his childhood influences were musicians Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Farid El Atrache....
. In the original Senegalese release, it was named Sant Allah (Thanks to God).
On the record Youssou combines both West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n and North African musical influences. The record features instruments from both regions, such as the West-African kora
Kora (instrument)
The kora is a 21-string bridge-harp used extensively in West Africa.-Description:A kora is built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge. It does not fit well into any one category of western instruments and would have to be...
and the Arab oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
.
The lyrics on the album are in praise of the tolerance of the Senegalese version
Islam in Senegal
Islam is the predominant religion in Senegal. Ninety-four percent of the country's population is estimated to be Muslim. Most Muslims in Senegal are members of one of the Sufi brotherhoods. Islam has existed in Senegal for more than a millennium...
of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and more specifically his Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
brotherhood, the Mouridiya
Mouride
The Mouride brotherhood is a large Islamic Sufi order most prominent in Senegal and The Gambia, with headquarters in the holy city of Touba, Senegal...
. All tracks are sung in Wolof
Wolof language
Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger–Congo language family...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and are mostly dedicated to great marabout
Marabout
A marabout is a Muslim religious leader and teacher in West Africa, and in the Maghreb. The marabout is often a scholar of the Qur'an, or religious teacher. Others may be wandering holy men who survive on alms, Sufi Murshids , or leaders of religious communities...
s of the Muslim brotherhoods of Senegal
Muslim brotherhoods of Senegal
This is a list of Muslim groups in Senegal . They are active Muslim organizations that can also be found in many other parts of Africa and the Islamic world.The three largest are:...
.
Track listing
All tracks by Youssou N'DourYoussou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known in the Serer language as mbalax, a type of music...
- "AllahAllahAllah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
" – 6:12 - "Shukran BambaAmadou BambaAhmadou Bamba, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké , was a Muslim Sufi religious leader in Senegal and the founder of the large Mouride Brotherhood Ahmadou Bamba, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké (1853-1927) (Aamadu Bamba Mbàkke in Wolof, Shaykh Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥabīb Allāh also known as Khadīmu...
" – 5:32 - "Mahdiyu LayeLayeneThe Layene are a politically autonomous religious community of the Lebou people, who live in fishing communities on the Cap-Vert peninsula, north of Dakar, Senegal. The Layene brotherhood is one of the smaller Muslim brotherhoods of Senegal and is ruled in religious and temporal matters by their...
" – 4:59 - "Tijaniyya" – 5:47
- "Baay NiasseIbrahim NiassIbrāhīm Niass —also written Ibrahima Niasse in French, Ibrayima Ñas in Wolof, Shaykh al-'Islām al-Ḥājj Ibrāhīm ibn al-Ḥājj ʿAbd Allāh at-Tijānī al-Kawlakhī in Arabic, شيخ الإسلام الحاج إبراهيم إبن الحاج عبد الله التجاني الكولخي in Arabic alphabet — was a major leader of the Tijānī Sufi order of...
" – 5:20 - "BambaAmadou BambaAhmadou Bamba, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké , was a Muslim Sufi religious leader in Senegal and the founder of the large Mouride Brotherhood Ahmadou Bamba, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Mbacké (1853-1927) (Aamadu Bamba Mbàkke in Wolof, Shaykh Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Ḥabīb Allāh also known as Khadīmu...
the Poet" – 3:53 - "Cheikh Ibra Fall" – 3:38
- "ToubaTouba, SenegalTouba is a city in central Senegal. It is the holy city of Mouridism and the burial place of its founder, Shaikh Aamadu Bàmba Mbàkke...
- Daru Salaam" – 5:49
Personnel
- Yaser Mal Allah – percussion
- Beugue Fallou Ensemble – percussion, backing vocals
- Philippe Brun – mixing
- Mamdou Dia – author
- Cheikh Amala Diallo – English translations, transcription
- Mostafa Abd El Azeez – arghoul
- Ahmed El Gazar – sagat
- Mamdouh el Gebaly – oud
- Nidhat Adb El Sameeh – violin
- Bisheer Ewees – violin
- Mbaye Dieye Faye – percussion
- Kabou Gueye – backing vocals
- Kabou Gueye – backing vocals
- Mama Gueye – backing vocals
- Souka Guèye – backing vocals
- Hasaneen Hindy – mizmar
- Yuri Kablotsky – violin
- Alaa el Kashief – engineer
- Babou Laye – kora
- Robert C. Ludwig – mastering
- Ramadan Mansoor – tabla
- Youssou N'Dour – vocals, producer, English translations, audio production
- Ndiaga Ndour – engineer
- Segui Niang – engineer
- Frank Olinsky – design
- Khalid Raaouf – engineer
- Veronique Rolland – photography
- Thomas Rome – English translations
- Fathy SalamaFathy SalamaFathy Salama is an Egyptian musician who was born in Cairo, Egypt. He grew up listening to the radio, which played artists who placed a deep influence upon him, his childhood influences were musicians Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Farid El Atrache....
– arranger, conductor, producer, audio production - Ayman Sedky – doholla
- Cheikh Thiam – English translations, transcription
External links
- "Youssou N'Dour: Egypt", Allaboutjazz.com.
- "Facing Mecca: Longstanding cosmopolitan Youssou N'Dour tells the world about his embattled faith", Robert ChristgauRobert ChristgauRobert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
, Village Voice, June 8, 2004