Dangerous liaisons

Fathi Salama and his band Sharkiat in fusion with the incredible rock of Screwdriver: Salonaz Sami spends a memorable night

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Fathi Salama

At the River Hall in the Sawy Cultural Wheel, Zamalek, Fathi Salama and his band Sharkiat, accompanied by the talented Algerian dancer and singer Karima Nyte, took on Screwdriver: jazz meets rock; and the space was overflowing, with dozens who, having failed to find a seat, were happy to stand around or sit on the floor by the banks of the Nile. Salama appeared in blue shirt and jeans, instantly extracting gasps from the crowd. According to one audience member, communications engineer Tarek Hamdi, 28, "Salama is by far the only true Egyptian artist, more than your average star. He is an idol because he is not in it for fame and fortune but only for the love of art." Accompanied by two guest drummers from Sweden and India, he started with some of his older pieces which blend traditional Arabic improvisations with contemporary beats in the framework of jazz.

Their unique flavour was engaging enough in itself, but it wasn't until Salama announced that Screwdriver would be joining him on stage that the crowd went crazy. For many young Egyptians Screwdriver is the Egyptian answer to the many questions posed by rock music in the land of the Pharaohs; and even Salama-natics like Hamdi appreciate their idol's Rock Project, through which he aims to supplement Western input in his Grammy award-winning East-West soup. (It was the music for Youssou N'Dour's album Allah that brought this honour to Salama.) The Rock Project goes back to 1998, when Salama collaborated with a rock band from Switzerland called the Maniacs, producing a joint album, Don't Climb the Pyramids: 1990s alternative rock with a Sharkiat flavour, or vice versa.

He did not revive the idea until 2006, when he pooled efforts with one of Cairo's best-known cover bands. According to Hamdi, it was but a further manifestation of Salama's genius: "While his work encompasses a variety of musical styles, a different blend is incorporated into each song, giving every track and concert a distinctive feel."

What is special about Salama, Hamdi added, is the fact that he knows what he is doing and is doing it well. "He has a passion for both music and discovery." Judging by the crowd's response to the first song he did with Screwdriver, indeed, this passion can be shared.

Song followed song, building enthusiasm: rock and jazz mingled happily with a touch of techno in a remarkable instrumental medley: three kinds of tabla and drums, qanoun, accordion, and saggat. The present writer was positively ravished by this, her first experience of Salama magic, with Don't Climb the Pyramids -- for one experience -- proving well worth its salt. The impression was no doubt due in part to Shehab, Screwdriver's vocalist, whose husky voice is as big as he is with an energy to match.

Karima Nyte, a rather more regular feature of Sharkiat in recent times, was the next highlight. Her voice is remarkable for its range, and the lightness of her performance -- inducing emotions that range from happiness to fear -- more than makes up for those moments during which the pitch is so high people turn to each other and say, "Is she going to give birth now?"

Algerian Arabic is next to impossible to understand, but though the lyrics were lost on the crowd they were no less keen on Nyte for it. When an Egyptian rapper named Sam, together with Shehab, joined her for a kind of rap-jazz- Algerian fusion session, however, the crowd seemed even more enthusiastic. This proved remarkably brief, however, and people were unhappy to bid Salama farewell.

Salama, as Hamdi later -- his information turned out to be remarkably accurate, too -- started playing the piano at age six; by 13 he was already giving performances in Cairo, soon in Europe and New York, where he studied and played with the likes of Sun Ra and Pat Patrick. Through the 1980s, he established himself as a composer, producing music for the National Theatre as well as such pop stars as Amr Diab, Ali El-Haggar and Anoushka. His first album was named Camel Dance. He started touring the world with Sharkiat, collecting music, as it were, as well as performing it. He also received Cairo International Film Festival for his film scores, but until Sultany, his latest, his albums were always released in the West.

As the concert established, happily, he seems to be garnering a reputation among the local young. People were filing out of the River Hall in a state of hypnosis. "There is nothing more interesting than forging new styles," Salama is known to have said, "and nothing more exciting. The biggest attraction is being mysterious."