I have had a honor to get to know an amazing musician and person here in Toronto, Dr. George Sawa. Dr. Sawa was born in Alexandra, Egypt and is a master Qanun player. He has taught and written on various subjects in Arabic music at the University of Toronto and York University. He has also produced 2 CDs: The Art of the Early Egyptian Qanun Vol 1 & 2. Vol 1 was nominated for Juno award in 2009.
Recently, Dr. Sawa has published a book on music appreciation for Bellydancers that is the only book of it's kind and is an excellent resource for teachers and students of Middle Eastern Dance.
The book contains chapters on the essentials that every Middle Eastern dancer should know: Rhythms, Melodic Modes, Musical Instruments, Musical forms & Maqams. In addition, 2 cds are included containing approx 33 tracks each that compliment lessons in the book. The photography is stunning featuring bellydancer Bozenka and images of Arabic instruments (all from Dr. Sawa's collection!). I had the privilege to be a consultant (or rather guinea pig) on this project and highly recommend this excellent book.
It is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Taheya Carioca, Samia Gamal, and Naima Akef. aw :)
You can find the book here: www.georgedimitrisawa.com/buy_music.htm
The book is reviewed on the Gilded Serpant here.
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