CD Review: Shake me Ya Gamal: Hot Tabla Solos

Artist: Gamal Goma
Title: Shake me Ya Gamal: Hot Tabla Solos
Label: Holywood Music Center
Available from: Amazon

I know this album is a few years old, and many of you already have it. But I just discovered it, and fell hopelessly in love, so I'm writing it up. I'm sure there are more people out there who love drum solos but have missed out on this album somehow.

I know I have seen some of these performed, but they are all 4-6 minutes long, so I don't think they have ever been as popular as shorter drum solo tracks. All 7 are very danceable, each one incorporates rhythm changes and a lot of variation in accents, so none of them sound repetitive. They are all also very different in feeling, so the album makes for a resource for a variety of drum solos that don't all sound alike. Especially since it includes some unusual touches like a solo incorporating Khaleeji rhythms, and two that include a little ayoub.

Plus, it has Fifi on the cover!

1. Sahra Saiidi - 4:45 The first half of this track is the 2 and a half minute "Sahra Saiidi" drum solo on the first Bellydance Superstars album. This version, however, continues on to a short interlude of heavy masmoudi, then an ending that matches the first part in sound.
2. Circle of Life - 4:37 - This solo is based primarily on the malfouf rhythm. Like the previous track, it breaks into a little interlude of a different rhythm, in this cas, fallahi (I think, it's a rhythm I don't know well, so I have to check)
3. Mouhammad Ali Street - 6:10 - This is my favorite track on the whole album, but I don't have the stamina to perform a 6 minute drum solo, and I certainly would not be able to keep it interesting even if I could! Though if I were to try, this would be the drum solo I would use, because the feeling of it and the nature of the accents change a lot, which helps prevent it from sounding repetitive. The best part is a wild bit of ayoub in the middle.
4. Zaar - 4:28 - Speaking of ayoub... Actually, even though this track is called "Zaar", there are other rhythms interspersed in this track, so it's not just 4 and a half minutes of doum-ka-doum-tek. It is, though, very grounded and heavy, and demands a lot of hair-tossing.
5. Khaliji Hafla - 5:13 - The first time I listened to this track I thought, "That sounds really different" - then I looked at the name of the track and it hit me. I have not come across many drum solos that incorporate khaleeji rhythms and sounds. It has that characteristic "rolling" sound to the beat that is characteristic of music from the Gulf, while still being very much a bellydance drum solo.
6. Harvest's End - 4:07 - A fun, bright, and zill-y maksoum. This is a pretty straightforward track structurally, so not too hard to choreograph, but it is quite fast.
7. Samaiyat - 4:43 - A little taste of chiftitelli. It's a little different, since it is slower than the other solos. It would be an excellent choice if you want to show off precision and isolation in your movements.