Before popular band Ressala ascended the stage last Saturday at the Cairo Opera House’s Open Air Theater, I noted a strong presence of percussions – a “regular drum kit, another percussion set, and two djembé drums.
Sure enough, Ressala started with a peppy number.
“Shaabi (popular) music, as band manager Aida Seoudy categorized it, dominated their set.
Only later did it become apparent that the djembé belonged to guest band Napalma. The presence of the Brazilian band, fronted by dreadlocked Mozambique singer Ivo Maia, raised the event to an above average performance, possibly even stealing thunder from the host band.
Ressala, one of the oldest and most established Egyptian indie bands, met Napalma in the Awesome Africa Festival held in South Africa last August.
They since launched Transproject, whose first phase was held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Cairo Opera House in April. This performance was part of Phase II, which will continue with performances in Alexandria within the next couple of weeks.
Napalma originated in 2004 when Brazilian drummers Cid Travaglia and Rafael Jabah decided to go on tour with Colombian singer Maia to Mozambique. Napalma was an instant success since its inception, Jabah told Daily News Egypt.
Meanwhile, Ressala, a band of five instrumentalists and two vocalists, claims to “use the Egyptian vocabulary of music’s universal tongue.
Yet the shaabi tongue sounded quite mixed. Vocals of Mostafa Saad and Saleeba Loza, albeit impressive, were all too often drowned out by the range and volume of instruments. Despite instrumental variety, songs generally had the same peppy formula.
The tempo slowed down and instruments faded into background, rising again into dramatic full-bodied solos, aimed at garnering audience applause.
While the first few times it caught one off-guard, by the end of the night, the one-trick pony was fully exhausted.
Judging by the front men’s nonstop dance moves, it seemed that Ressala had an overwhelming need to convey they were having fun onstage. The device worked better with Napalma, where Maia’s dreadlocks gradually loosened from their tie into a full-bodied jive as the night progressed, providing a credible and visual delight.
While Napalma percussionists were more or less rooted to their spot, providing the occasional backup singing, Ressala saxophonist, Nour Ashour, insisted on playing, singing and dancing – all at once. Ressala’s talented electric guitarist Mostafa Fathy performed a remarkable solo entry on one song.
In the otherwise unswerving range, two songs were particularly enjoyable – “Sabah Sabah and “Abou Galabia, which shot to fame as the soundtrack of the movie “Ehna Etabelna Abl Keda (Have We Met?). In both cases, the percussion went well with Ashour on the mizmar (a reed pipe) and saxophone, respectively.
There was no room to zone out; vocalist Maia extemporaneously inserted “Get up and “Wake up into lyrics, jumping around on stage, tooting his whistle to the music, and motioning the audience to clap and participate.
Enthusiasts drew closer to dance, while initially reluctant members were goaded into joining in his chant of “La ém casa (Feels Like Home), stepped to his samba, or merely nodded their head.
At one point, when the singer asked audience members to round up near the stage, security guards in pink ties came from the opposing side in a caricature of a clash of entertainment vs. establishment. Maia gave in to huffy security with sardonic bows.
Eventually, Ressala and Napalma reunited for a percussion encore. The night seemed endless as encore after encore piled up, with “but this time you dance provisions from Maia.
Napalma percussionist and DJ Jabah said that Portugal was the “bridge bringing percussion sounds and instruments from the Arab world to Brazil.
Together, the two bands rediscovered their common roots, taking music years back to when it was first ingrained in the thumping of one’s veins.
Carrying the musical connection from South America and Africa further, Phase III of the Transproject will see the bands cooperating once again in November, traveling with their music to South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland, whereas Phase IV will take place in Brazil. Catch Ressala next Thursday, July 30, at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. For more information on Ressala, visit www.ressalaband.com and for Napalma, visit www.napalma.com.br
