A Review Of

Eye On The World

by the Brothers of the Baladi

Summary

Out of eleven tracks, nine are either traditional Middle Eastern songs or improvised solos in the Middle Eastern style. They represent songs from a number of nationalities: Persian, Arabic, and Turkish. These are very well suited for belly dancers who are looking for music for either home practice or performing. The remaining two are appealing to listen to, but unless you enjoy incorporating non-Middle Eastern music into your Oriental dance, you probably won't want to use them for shows. The labeling makes it easy to learn song titles and which country each song is from, which will be very helpful to newcomers to Middle Eastern music.

Fact Sheet

Description

Most of the songs on this collection represent traditional songs from throughout the Middle East played on a mixture of traditional and modern-day instruments. Several of the songs seem to have an appealing New Age sort of flavor which would make them conducive to fusion dance styles.

There are also a number of improvised instrumental solos played on oud, bouzouki, and drum.

Songs Included

* Taqsim is the Arabic word for "solo". On this label, it refers to an improvised instrumental solo using the Middle Eastern style of improvisation. Oud is a stringed instrument which musicologists believe was the forerunner of the European lute. Bouzouki is a stringed instrument commonly used for Greek music.

Is It Right for You?

You Will Probably Enjoy This Music If...

• You enjoy using music from throughout the Middle East, not just one particular country.
• You prefer to work with traditional, well-known songs instead of modern-day pop hits.
• You like music that incorporates modern-day instruments such as saxophone, electric bass, and keyboard in addition to traditional instruments.
• You usually dance for mostly Western (American, European, Australian, etc.) audiences and you want music that will appeal to the Western ear.
• You want to become familiar with representative songs that live bands are likely to know and play for you.

This Music Probably Isn't Right for You If...

• You like to use only music from a particular country. This is not the right music for dancers who proclaim that they do only Egyptian style.
• The music you choose for your performances consists primarily of modern-day pop music.
• You prefer music played on traditional instruments with a strong folkloric sound to them.
• You prefer the urban Egyptian sound played by a 40-piece orchestra.

What I Liked, What I Didn't

What I Liked:

There's a lot to like about Eye On The World, including:

• It uses well-known traditional songs from throughout the Middle East, including several of my favorites.
• For each song, the label identifies the song title, which country it is from, and how long the track is. It's a great introduction for beginners who would like to learn something about the music they are using.
• The production quality is excellent.
• The musicians are skilled, so the songs are played well.

What I Didn't Like:

• Some of the cuts are longer than 4 minutes. Although long cuts are good for practice at home or social dancing, when preparing a performance or choreography for classroom use I prefer to use cuts that are 3 1/2 minutes or shorter.

Conclusion

This music best fits dancers who embrace the American Classic style of belly dance. It contains traditional songs that are well known to dancers who perform in this style, arranged with instrumentation that gives these songs a fresh sound.

Disclosures

I have enjoyed music by the Brothers Of The Baladi since 1985, long before I ever had a real conversation with any of the band members. I've liked the songs they have chosen to record, and when watching them play for other dancers in live shows, I've been impressed at how dancer-friendly they are. They genuinely try to play music that will please the dancer and make her look good.

I bought this album when it was released in 1994, and based my buying decision on two things: 1) I liked the music on earlier recordings released by the Brothers, and 2) I saw the titles of several songs I liked on the list of music included on this recording.
My first actual contact with the Brothers came in 1999, when we agreed to link to each other's web sites. Later, when they came to my city on tour, they invited me to perform with them. It was an enjoyable experience that reinforced my enthusiasm for their work.

To Buy It

Artist: Brothers of the Baladi Album Title: Eye on the World Brothers of the Baladi P.O. Box 14083 Portland, OR 97293-0083 U.S.A. Telephone: (+1) (503) 288-4684 Email: mbeachbaladi@earthling.net Web Site: www.baladi.com Amazon Store:

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