Musicians of the Nile
Real World Records

"Originating from the furthest reaches of Upper-Egypt, The Musicians of the Nile have criss-crossed Europe over the last 20 years. Like the ancient bards of time past, the difference is that they move through space and cultures as comfortably on an airplane as on the back of a donkey.

Discovered in 1975 by Alain Weber, who has been their artistic director ever since, the Musicians of the Nile is a group whose talent has always included some of the greatest figures of the Upper Egyptian tradition - among them, Metqal Qenawi Metqal, Shamandi Tewfiq Metqal and Muhammed Murad Mejali, all three of them members of the famous Mataqil clan of musicians.

Well before the World Music wave, the Musicians of the Nile were the first so-called "Arab Music" group to attain widespread popularity. Frequently imitated and sometimes plagiarized, the Musicians of the Nile have kept up with the parallel currents in music ever since the Chateauvallon Festival in 1975, where they met some of the greatest jazz musicians of the time including Sun Ra and Keith Jarret.

They were a part of the first WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance) in 1983, which brought World music to international attention. Their recording for the music of the Last Temptation of Christ and the album Passion brought them to the attention of Peter Gabriel and Real World Records.
Listen the Charcoal Gypsies track list. 

In the film "Latcho Dre Nom"(read the post about the movie) directed by Tony Gatlif, which traces the great musical voyage of the Gypsies from India to Spain, has made even more listeners aware that the Musicians of the Nile are a part of the Gypsy tradition." Listen and watch videos of the Musicians of 
the Nile: Mawwal-Doha/Rais Al-Bahr, Festival Évora Clássica, Festival KairoBeirut, Zahrafat Al Sa'id, 
Forde Festival, The Garage and Track list (10 videos).