For today, I wanted to share with you “Sobhi Al Jiz” (صبحي الجيز, in arabic), a dreamy mellow 70s Soul Jazz track from Lebanon driven with classy a piano, taken from the 1st LP of the Lebanese composer, singer & poet Khaled El Haber (خالد الهبر), who sings and plays the drums & guitar on that album.

Composed & arranged by the legendary Lebanese composer & musician Ziad Rahbani (“زياد الرحباني”), eldest son of the Diva Fairuz (فيروز), who plays the piano on it, this song is a tribute to Sobhi El Jeez, a sweeper who died during the Lebanese civil war (from 1975 to 1990) and, through him, to all the people who were killed only because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Fairuz also recorded a cover of this track in 2002 (but this one remains my favorite).

This album was released in 1978 on the mythical 70s Lebanese record label “Zida“, label co-founded by Ziad Rahbani and the Lebanese-Armenian producer Khatchik Mardirian, on which where released albums that have became mythical in the Lebanese musical history, such as Fairuz’s “Wahdon” or Ferkat Al Ard “Oghneya”.

Cherry on the cake : this really beautiful painted gatefold cover – Enjoy !

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦-𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳 & 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱.

Khaled El Haber – Sobhi Al Jiz (Lebanon, 1978, Zida) / خالد الهبر – صبحي الجيز

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/jLp6MzKO-9g

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau

 

For today, I wanted to share with you “المعمل” (“Al Ma3mal“, that can be translated by “The Workshop“), a beautiful deep bewitching Middle-Eastern Soul Jazz track with mesmerizing voices, taken from the album “هدوء نسبي” (“Houdou Nisbi“, that can be translated by “Relative Calm“) recorded in 1985 by the mythical Lebanese composer Ziad Rahbani (زياد الرحباني), and privately released on a now ultra hard to find tape the same year.

This album includes some of the finest musicians of that era, such :

Ziad Rahbani : Composition, Sound Engineer, Bouzouki, Electric Piano, Synth ;

Toufic Farroukh : Flute, Tenor Saxophone ;

Abboud Saadi : Bass, Acoustic Guitar ;

Michel Assaad : Trombone ;

Elie Menassa : Trumpet, Flugelhorn ;

Paul Dawani : Electric Guitar ;

Samir Rafraf : Congas, Drums ;

Walid Tawil : Drums ;

Samir Chabchab : Guitar ;

This tape was repressed again in K7 format again in 1991 and CD in 1995 (both with a different cover than this one), but without the track presented here, which is one my favorite of that legendary album, one of the Lebanese musical holy grails – Hope you’ll like it, enjoy !

Ziad Rahbani – Al Ma3mal (Lebanon, 1985, By-Pass Production) // زياد الرحباني – المعمل 

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/dC33gobkYfo

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Ouda” (“عوده”, or “return” in Arabic), a super sweet balearic Pop Soul track from Libya with catchy guitar parts, taken from an early album recorded in Egypt at “Studio M. Sound” & released on tape format in 1988 by the superstar composer  & singer Hamid El Shaeri (حميد الشاعري).

I found this tape in a grocery store in a small village in Lebanon a few years ago, and this one is one of my favorite from this very prolific artist, whose a compilation was released on the famous reissue label “Habibi Funk“, but without that track – Hope you’ll like it, enjoy !

Hamid El Shaeri – Ouda (Libya, 1988, El Sharq) / حميد الشاعري – عوده  

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/7qOHaPTw82k

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau

Following this previous article (https://africangrooves.fr/song/lala-tibki/), I wanted to share with you for today “Alech“, an instant catchy uptempo balearic Disco Soul Funk track with bewitching killer saxophone parts, taken from the sole single self-produced & released by Tunisian band “Dalton“, a quintet formed around 1968 when most of the members where still studying together at the University of Tunis. Very active on the local scene, they played one-of-a-kind music that merged American soul influences with regional traditional Tunisian music.

Leaded by Fawzi Chekili, the band included the following musicians :

Guitar, Piano, Vocals : Fawzi Chekili ;

Trumpet, Percussion, Vocals : Sadok Gharbi ;

Bass Guitar : Ridha Kouhen ;

Drums, Vocals : Skander Almi ;

Saxophone, Percussion : Mustapha Rehouma ;

In the early 70s, the band got a regular gig at a beach hotel called Sahara Beach Resort on the coastline of Tunisia. With the money they earned, they managed to travel to Rome and cut their only single,  “Alech/Soul Brother“, presented here – Enjoy !

Dalton – Alech (Tunisia, 1978, DA-01)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/wq07OS0Edx4

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you on next Wednesday for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau

Following this previous article, I wanted to share with you for today “Weqtach Tef’Hem“, a mesmerizing deep catchy Oriental Soul Jazz Funk track with beautiful psychedelic Fender Rhodes parts, taken from the second album recorded in 1977 by Younes & Mahmoud Megri from the band “Les Freres Megri“, a Moroccan rock band formed in Oujda (Morocco).

The band consisted of four members, popular session musicians, composers and producers : three brothers : Hassan, Mahmoud and Younes Megri, and their sister Jalila Megri.

The album presented here is the original moroccan “Boussiphone” press, label founded by the Moroccan producer Mohamed Boussif and that is way rarer than the French release on “Les Artistes Arabes Associés“.

Cherry on the cake : it’s dedicated by Mahmoud Megri himself – Enjoy !

Les Frères Mégri – Weqtach Tef’Hem (Morocco, 1977, Boussiphone)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/gksf74MT59k

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Wednesday, see you on next Sunday for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “I Notturni“, an incredible powerful psychedelic Rock Funk Soul instrumental with gorgeous flute & organ parts, taken from the one-and-only EP released by the Lebanese band “I Notturni” in the 70s (I think, any informations are welcomed…), leaded by the composer & musician Khaled Choughari, and that used to play in several night clubs of Lebanon (it was the resident band of “Casino Du Liban” for some times), Iran & Egypt.

The band was composed with :

Khaled Choughari : Music, Band leading ;

Ermanno Riccordi : Lyrics ;

Conductor : Tony Akkawi ;

Super obscure & hard to find record, one of the hardest to find Lebanese treasures, hope you’ll like it !

I Notturni – I Notturni (Lebanon, 1970s, I Notturni Self-Released)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/PWfEn-cJ_os

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you on next Wednesday for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau