Hamza El Din
Hamza El Din حمزة علاء الدين | |
---|---|
Born | Vocalist | July 10, 1929
Instrument(s) | Oud, Tar (drum) |
Years active | 1960s – 2000) |
Labels | Vanguard Records, King Records, Sounds True, Water Lily Acoustics |
Website | www |
Hamza El Din (Arabic حمزة علاء الدين) (July 10, 1929 – May 22, 2006) was an Egyptian Nubian composer, oud player, tar player, and vocalist. He was born in southern Egypt and was an internationally known musician of his native region Nubia, situated on both sides of the Egypt–Sudan border. After musical studies in Cairo, he lived and studied in Italy, Japan and the United States. El Din collaborated with a wide variety of musical performers, including Sandy Bull, the Kronos Quartet and the Grateful Dead.
Early life
Born in the village of Toshka in Southern Egypt, in the
After working in
His performances attracted the attention of the Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan in the 1960s, which led to a recording contract and to his eventual emigration to the United States. In 1963, El Din shared an apartment in the San Francisco Bay Area with folk musician Sandy Bull.[2]
Career
Following his appearance at the
El Din held a number of teaching positions on
Death
El Din died on May 22, 2006, after complications following surgery for a gallbladder infection at a hospital in Berkeley, California.[3]
Discography
- Albums
- 1964 – Music of Nubia (Vanguard)
- 1965 – Al Oud (Vanguard)
- 1971 – Escalay: The Water Wheel (Nonesuch)
- 1978 – Eclipse
- 1982 – A Song of the Nile
- 1990 – Journey
- 1990 – Nubiana Suite: Live in Tokyo
- 1995 – Lily of the Nile
- 1996 – Available Sound: Darius
- 1996 – Muwashshah
- 1999 – A Wish
- Contributing artist
- 1965 – The Newport Folk Festival 1964 - Evening Concerts, Vol. 2 (Vanguard)
- 1987 - Robinson’s Garden, OST (1ℓ Records)
- 1997 - The Rough Guide to the Music of North Africa (World Music Network)
- 1998 - Passion in the Desert, OST (RCA Victor)
- 2006 - Babel, OST (Concord)
- As sideman or guest artist
- 1964 - Spellbound, Ahmed Abdul-Malik (Status)
- 1978 - The Grateful Dead, released 2008
- 1978 - Road Trips Volume 1 Number 4, The Grateful Dead, released 2008
- 1992 - The Kronos Quartet(Nonesuch)
- 1995 - Venus Square Mars (Music For The Deep Night), David Philipson & Mark Nauseef (MA Recordings)
References
External links
Obituaries
- Obituary from The New York Times, May 25, 2006
- Obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle, May 26, 2006
- Obituary from the Los Angeles Times, May 30, 2006
- Obituary from The Guardian, May 30, 2006
- Memoir by Joseph Rowe, a student and friend of Hamza El Din
- Washintunes - In Memoriam: Hamza El-Din, May 25, 2006
Video
- Hamza El Din videos from Robert Garfias site