Ali Hassan Kuban
Encyclopedia
Ali Hassan Kuban was a Nubian
singer and bandleader
. He was known as the "Captain" or (later) "Godfather" of Nubian Music.
Ali Hassan Kuban was born in Gotha, a village near Aswan
. After his family moved to Cairo
, he learned to play clarinet
, and in 1949 he performed with the Opera of Cairo. He also played girba (bagpipes
) with his own band during wedding celebrations. During the 1950s, Ali began adding Western instruments such as saxophone
, electric guitar
, bass guitar
, organ
, trumpet
and accordion
to his ensemble. By the 1990s, he was performing for international audiences at events such as Midem
(1993), WOMAD
(1994), the Montreal Jazz Festival (1994), and Central Park SummerStage (1995).
Nubians
The Nubians are an ethnic group originally from northern Sudan, and southern Egypt now inhabiting North Africa and some parts of East Africa....
singer and bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
. He was known as the "Captain" or (later) "Godfather" of Nubian Music.
Ali Hassan Kuban was born in Gotha, a village near Aswan
Aswan
Aswan , formerly spelled Assuan, is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate.It stands on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract and is a busy market and tourist centre...
. After his family moved to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, he learned to play clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, and in 1949 he performed with the Opera of Cairo. He also played girba (bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
) with his own band during wedding celebrations. During the 1950s, Ali began adding Western instruments such as saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, organ
Electronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
to his ensemble. By the 1990s, he was performing for international audiences at events such as Midem
Midem
-MIDEM:Short for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at and around the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967...
(1993), WOMAD
World of Music, Arts and Dance
WOMAD is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance.-History:...
(1994), the Montreal Jazz Festival (1994), and Central Park SummerStage (1995).
Discography
- From Nubia to Cairo (1980), ShanachieShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
- reissued 2001, Piranha - Walk Like a Nubian (1994), Piranha
- Nubian Magic (1995), Mercator - reissued 1999, Blue Flame
- Real Nubian: Cairo Wedding Classics (2001), Piranha
- The Rough Guide to Ali Hassan Kuban (2002), World Music NetworkRough GuidesRough Guides Ltd is a travel guidebook and reference publisher, owned by Pearson PLC. Their travel titles cover more than 200 destinations, and are distributed worldwide through the Penguin Group...
- compilation