Belly Dance! The Best of George Abdo and His Flames of Araby Orchestra
Singer George Abdo was a legend in Middle Eastern communities in the United States and abroad. For many years, he reigned at the now-defunct Averof supper club in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he presented an appealing, exciting mix of new material and old favorites, arranged in his inimitable style. Abdo was a fusion pioneer before "fusion" existed as a genre. An Egyptian American, he created a multi-ethnic environment in which one national identity bled into another. On any evening, his bandstand might have included Armenians, Syrians, Greeks, Lebanese, and Egyptians. He blended one group's musical loves with another's, as when he adapted tunes by such renowned Arab composers as Muhammad Abd al-Wahhab with new Greek lyrics, such as on "Ta Mavra Matia Sou (Your Black Eyes)." He switched between languages and styles flawlessly, often within a single tune, such as on "Raks Mustapha (Mustapha's Dance)," in which he alternates easily between French and Arabic. A song like "Allah, Ya Lubnan (God, My Beautiful Lebanon)" demanded an international platoon of electric violin,qanun(hammered dulcimer), congas, claves, and Chinese gong, among other instruments. But it was Abdo's warm, sensuous croon and the superb musicianship of his players that were prized above all else by professional dancers and enthusiastic audiences alike, and this best-of disc captures his talents in full bloom in both studio and live recordings.Sure, some of this music sounds a little dated now--it's hard to take the Spain-via-Hollywood-and-Cairo strums of the song "Sahirrnee (Bewitched)" as anything but camp. Even so, Abdo still exerts an electrifying hold, especially on tunes such as "Ya Gameel (Oh Gameel)," in which he lets go with thrilling improvisations, or in the dynamic whirl of "Hadouni, Hadouni." Smithsonian Folkways' typically exemplary liner notes with lengthy essays, bibliography, and discography complete this must-have package for Middle Eastern enthusiasts. But even if you don't know an'udfrom abouzouki, Abdo draws you into his happily multicultural world, and soon enough you'll be doing thedebkehright alongside his Averof dancers. Tragically, Abdo died a mere two weeks before this album was released in May 2002; he was killed in a car accident on the way to his 65th birthday party. This is a fitting tribute to a singular talent.--Anastasia Tsioulcas