Al Jeel, also known as Jeel, Geel (Egyptian Arabic), is an Egyptian alternative to foreign popular forms of music that developed in the 1970s. Modeled after foreign

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

, Al Jeel became oriented around dance/pop, and had a background similar to

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

. Al Jeel also included many distinctively Egyptian characteristics, somewhat related to past Egyptian musical influences. One of the most famous Al Jeel performers is

Hamid El Shaeri Hamid Al-Shaeri ( ar, حميد الشاعري; born Abdel-Hamid Ali Ahmed; 29 November 1961) is an Egyptian-Libyan singer, songwriter, and musician residing in Cairo. He is known as representative of Westernized synthesizer in ...

Overview

The style was called new wave by many, emphasizing the transition from the first form of Egyptian pop music to spring up in the 1960s, Sha'abi. Sha'abi had sprung up in the slums of Egypt as a type of

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...

music, but after a decade of popularity the educated youth of Egypt began to look for different styles of music. Internationally savvy, high-tech Al Jeel became the music of the educated, well-to-do youth. Sharing common roots with Algerian

Raï Raï (, ; ar, راي, Latn, ar, rāʾy, ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian traditional music, folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called ''cheb'' (Arabic: شاب) (or ''shabab,'' i.e. young) as opposed ...

and Pop-Raï, Al-Jeel incorporates Bedouin, Nubian, and Egyptian rhythms with bass and synthesizers.Middle East Report, No. 169, Crossing the Line, (Mar. – Apr., 1991), pp. 39–42
/ref> Although radio stations frowned upon the simple lyrics and music of the Al Jeel performers, the under-25 crowd embraced Al Jeel more than any other style of

Egyptian music Music has been an integral part of culture of Egypt, Egyptian culture since antiquity in Egypt. Egyptians, Egyptian music had a significant impact on the development of ancient Greek music, and via the Greeks it was important to early European m ...

. Jeel usually shares the same central themes with traditional and popular Egyptian music, yet it is usually about love and often about lament rather than joy. As for the sound of al Jeel music itself, just as rock and roll is perceived differently by different people, the same is true of al Jeel. The music style is simple, yet carries with it a beat that one is able to dance to, almost always produced by a

Roland TR-707 The Roland TR-707 Rhythm Composer is a drum machine released by the Roland Corporation in 1985. Features The TR-707 has fifteen digitally sampled sounds. The instrument is capable of 10-voice polyphony. The alternate bass drum, snare, and hi- ...

drum machine. With regard to belly dancers, al Jeel is quite often the genre of choice. Al Jeel, as well as other classical Arabic music ensemble in Egypt, often consists of instruments such as the 'oud, qānūn, rabab,

ney The ''ney'' ( fa, Ney/نی, ar, Al-Nāy/الناي), is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian music and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played continually ...

, and

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

References

External links

* JSTOR, Rai Tide Rising, Middle East Report, No. 169, Crossing the Line, (Mar. – Apr., 1991), pp. 39–42 * Afropop Worldwide, https://web.archive.org/web/20080516040645/http://www.afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/3/Al%20Jeel/ * Afropop Worldwide, https://web.archive.org/web/20020113110538/http://afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/6/shaabi/ * MySpace, Fathy Salama, http://www.myspace.com/fathysalama * Fathy Salama, http://fathysalama.free.fr/gb/gb-biographie.htm * Salome, http://www.orientaldancer.net/guest-stories/guide-arab-music.shtml {{Middle Eastern music 20th-century music genres Egyptian music Moroccan styles of music

Overview

See also

References

External links