1. •  
     CommentAuthormbertier
   • CommentTimeMar 19th 2019

    permalink

   https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/habibi-funk-009-jazz-jazz-jazz

   Habibi Funk 009: Jazz, Jazz, Jazz by The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr, released 09 November 2018

   1. Seira Music موسيقي السيرة
   2. Shaikan Music موسيقي شيكان
   3. Saat Alfarah ساعة الفرح
   4. Farrah Galbi Aljadeed فرح قلبي الجديد
   5. Kaif Halo كيف حالو
   6. Forssa Saeeda فرصة سعيدة
   7. Nile Waves
   8. Azzah Music موسيقي عزة
   9. Bride Of Africa feat (Osman Zeeto ) عروس افريقيا (غناء عثمان زيتو)
   10. Hilwa Ya Amoora حلوة يا أمورة

   I heard about Seif Abu Bakr and The Scorpions for the first time maybe 3-4 years ago. Their album “Jazz, Jazz Jazz” ended up on my radar because of an eBay auction; it might have been the first auction for this particular album on the platform. While the bids kept on rising daily up to a staggering 1000$, if I recall correctly, I was intrigued about the snippet preview bits of the music on this album as well as by the impressive artwork. This album happens to be my first conscious connection with Sudanese music. Habibi Funk must have already existed for a year or so but I had not yet come across any recording from Sudan that I felt fitting in the context we set for our self. I remember I did some quick research in the aftermath of the auction (which I obviously did not win) to gather some information about the band but apart from some vague bits and pieces I could not find anything. In most encyclopedic overviews of the Sudanese music scene of the 1970s the band appeared as a mere footnote. How come? I really do not know. To me the music is a unique combination of incredible horn arrangements powerfully performed, a vigorous drummer contributing a funky backbone and Seif's uniting those elements. The results range from instrumental tracks awaking memories of 1970s crime thriller soundtracks to more Sudanese-rooted tracks, a lot of them modernized versions of traditional tribal rhythms and even an excursion into Soukouss. While all of our reissues so far have been compilations in the sense that we put together our favorite selection of tracks by one artist, this album will be our first 1:1 re-release, simply because the quality of the albums does not fall off on a single track. With its eclectic influences it birthed a one-of-a-kind new mixture and serves as a blueprint for what we are looking for when we release music on Habibi Funk.

   Fast forward to 2017. We had signed a release by Sharhabeel Ahmed in order to finish the project (Yes, this one is still coming...soon.) I planned my first trip to Sudan. Two Austrian friends of mine had just returned from Khartoum and had met Ali Dokka at one of the few remaining live music venues of the city Baba Costa. Ali performs at this Cafe once a week to this day together with his band the Blue Stars. At some point in the 1970s though he used to be the guitar player for The Scorpions. Sure enough I went to see one of his gigs and he was more than surprised to hear questions concerning this particular band from his musical history but which he had nearly forgotten about. He told us to get in touch with Amir Sax. Amir is one of the bands founding members and was The Scorpions band leader from the early 1970s until they parted ways sometime in the 1980s. Unfortunately Amir was not be found or reached during the last couple days of my stay and again a little time passed before I could gather new knowledge about them.

   I went back to Sudan in December of the same year. In the meantime my local colleagues Larissa and Yassir had managed to reach Amir and he was happy to meet. We got together with him in a Cafe right at the Nile in Omdurman, the city right on the other side of the river from Khartoum. It was a happy occasion for everyone. He told us stories about him meeting Jimmy Cliff and Lewis Armstrong when they visited Sudan and how he and his band mates from The Scorpions played extensively in Kuwait, both in club residencies as well as for television. Amir brought tons of incredible photos illustrating not only the bands history but the vivid cultural live in the many music clubs in Khartoum of the 1970s. During this decade up until 1983 the capital was home to a...

   

♫