Hadji Ali
Me I am a Camel Man, I'm a Syrian, an Ottoman
Came across to the Rio Grande Under orders from Buchanan
He said "Geronimo our Apache Foe, rides the range to Mexico
Further than our horses go, and we think you can change the show"
Chorus:
So call me Hi Jolly Hadji Ali
Man of War in the Camel Corps Riding the Mohave
Hey ho Geronimo What do you think of me?
Just Call me Hi Jolly, Hadji Ali
Fort Mojave to Camp Verde, El Paso to Albuquerque
We packed up our Dromedaries and showed the west our "camelry"
With bales of mail we hit the trail going where the mules failed
After years of that Travail We just couldn't make the sale
Chorus
So We told our camels to vamoose when the army decided to reduce
left Geronimo to his old papoose he and me we called a truce
now out there all around the west you'll find my camels dispossessed
even though I tried my best, I guess you know the rest
Pride of Man
Turn around go back down
Back the way you came
Can't you see that flash of fire
Ten times brighter than the day
And behold the mighty city
Broken in the dust again
Oh God, the pride of man
Broken in the dust again
Turn around go back down
Back the way you came
Babylon is laid to waste
Egypt's buried in her shame
Their mighty men are all beaten down
Their kings have fallen by the way
Oh God, the pride of man
Broken in the dust again
Turn around go back down
Back the way you came
Terror is on every side
Though our leaders are dismayed
But those who place their faith in fire
In fire their faith will be repaid
Oh God, pride of man
Broken in the dust again
Turn around go back down
Back the way you came
shout a warning to the nations
That the sword of God is raised
On Babylon that mighty city
Rich in treasure wide in fame
Oh God, the pride of man
Broken in the dust again
I met Essam El Haggar at a guitar store near my house just after moving to Cairo, Egypt in August of 2015. We became fast friends after talking about guitars and music. Essam was a student at an Arabic music academy in Giza, and a member of the famed El-Haggar music family of Egypt.
I was interested in buying an oud, something nicer than the average tourist souvenir found in the bazaar. Essam made some calls and found Kareem and Mohamed Azooz who have a shop near Fostat Park in Old Cairo. After a couple of trips to their shop I bought a nice oud (which was played on this record) and started to meet several Egyptian musicians.
Egypt is a musical and artistic country. The sounds of old songs and recordings of Umm Kulthum emerge from almost every cafe and taxi cab in the country. Many Egyptians seem to know every word and oudists play the familiar old songs all around Cairo. It was impossible not to become enamored of the music, and Essam was a great curator for me. He taught me several pieces of Egyptian music, and I taught him some American folk songs. Somehow we found a common ground.
In June of 2017, I was getting ready to leave Egypt and return to the USA, but I wanted to record some of the pieces Essam and I had worked out so I asked him about going in to the studio before I left. He suggested Eslam Elabaty play on the record rather than himself. Eslam, Essam and myself got together and worked out some music one evening after eating molikhaya at a local cafe. One rehearsal revealed, what I thought was, a unique sound.
We scheduled some time at Ali El-Haggar's studio in the Mokkatum neighborhood of Cairo. Ali El-Haggar is a well known singer in Egypt and is also Essam's uncle. It was Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, and it was June, so it was hot. So I scheduled recording to start at 9pm, well after the breaking of the daily fast (Iftar).
Eslam and I sat in the same room across form each other and recorded these six songs, intermittently taking a break to drink tea. we finished up around 1:30am and raced to go eat the morning meal of Ramadan (Sohor) before the sun came up.
This album includes both traditional Egyptian and American tunes. "Longa Yorro" is a traditional Turkish piece played in an Egyptian/Greek style. "Salley in the Garden" is a traditional American tune that lent itself particularly well to the oud.
I chose one of my favorite songs of social consciousness (that just happens to mention Egypt in the lyrics) "Pride of Man" written by the incomparable Hamilton Camp.
There are three original pieces on the record. "Bahariya" is an instrumental piece that brings to mind the beautiful oasis out in the western desert of Egypt. "Mokkatum" gets it's name from the cliffs bordering the eastern edge of the old Islamic area of Cairo. The cliffs loom over the great citadel of Salah El-Din (Saladin) and also provided stone for many of the ancient mosques and madrasa's of Cairo, as well as for the Great pyramids at Giza.
The song "Hadji Ali" was written about a legendary figure in the American west who was of Arabic origin. In the 1850s, the US Army purchased several camels from various Arab nations to use in the Mojave desert of the southwest United States. Along with those camels they hired camel drivers, and one of the most famous was Hadji Ali. Through either misunderstanding, mispronunciation or just plain humor, the soldiers started to call Hadji Ali, "Hi Jolly" and the name stuck. This is a song about him and his camels.
The soundscapes come from some of my most favorite places in Egypt. The record opens with a recording from the balcony of my home in the neighborhood of Maadi. The second from the site of the ancient lighthouse in Alexandria. The final one comes from a cafe (ahwa) in old Islamic Cairo, one of the most beautiful and dynamic neighborhoods I have ever been to.
Egypt is a beautiful and complicated place. It's deep history and culture are inspiring and overwhelming. It was a challenge to find our common ground to make this record. Eslam speaks very little English and I speak very very little Arabic, but we found our way. His playing brought new life to many of these tunes, and our collaboration was a wonderful adventure.
Essam El-Haggar and I once had a conversation about American Folk music and Arabic Folk music. We were talking about what the songs were about and found out that there were a lot of similarities between the two genres. They are songs of the people, and after all, that's what we all are.
Enjoy.
Martin
Thanks to: Ali El Haggar, Kareem and Mohamed Azooz, Patrick and Susan Scott, Tyler Sheldon, and Mohamed Sayed.
Special thanks to:
-Noha Eid, Thanks for putting up with all of my edits.
-Stacey Gilmore, Thanks for dragging me along on this adventure.
-Essam El-Haggar, Thanks for all your input, enthusiasm and friendship. This would not have happened without your help.
-Martin Gilmore is playing a Martin HD-28
-Eslam Elabaty is playing a Kenzy Oud built by Mohamed and Kareem Azooz.
credits
released January 12, 2018
Guitar and Vocals: Martin Gilmore
Oud: Eslam Elabaty
Produced by Martin Gilmore and Essam El-Haggar
Engineer: Ihab at El-Haggar Studios. (Cairo, Egypt.)
Artwork: Noha Eid
Mixing and Mastering: Aaron Youngberg at Swingfingers Studio. (Fort Collins, Colorado).
Martin Gilmore is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, mandolinist and recording artist from Denver, Colorado. He is an instructor of folk and bluegrass music at the University of Northern Colorado and at Swallow Hill Music Association.
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