Of all of the unlikely success stories, Abu Obaida Hassan may be one of the most miraculous. A break-out player in the nightlife of Khartoum (the capital city of Sudan) during the '70s and '80s, his career was cut short when the military dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir outlawed musicians and caused him to have to flee to Saudi Arabia for his safety, as well as to find work. Before governmental and religious censorship put an end to what was once a prosperous and diverse performance scene in 1989, Abu Obaida literally could not walk the streets during the day without getting mobbed. And at night, the festivities wouldn't begin until he arrived, sometimes performing at multiple parties and clubs per night- skipping from soirée to shindig- from dusk until dawn.
By the time he could return to Sudan without reprisal, he had been gone so long that many people presumed he was dead. A local newspaper had prematurely announced his death in the '00s. This fact, and the tremendous crackdown on secular music that had transpired over the past thirty years, had done the dirty work of dimming the spark of his former stardom. Or so it would seem.
In 2016, a chance encounter at a record store led a representative of New York's Ostinato Records to uncover Abu Obaida's whereabouts and persuaded him to release some music through the label. Today, Abu Obaida, while too frail to tour, gives regular concerts in his home, as the new government of Sudan makes efforts to preserve and promote the music and the culture of the region- a heritage that had been all but smothered during the preceding years of oppression. The country has a long way to go in order to rebuild what was tragically lost in those years, but Abu Obaida and his family are cautiously optimistic that things have finally taken a turn for the better. However, if you were to ask them, they'd probably tell you that they are still waiting for the government to properly acknowledge Abu Obaida's accomplishments and legacy. Recognition that should be forthcoming, especially following the global success of Ostinato Records's The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan.
You might be thinking that this is all well and good as far as backstories go, but what about the actual music of The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan? What makes Abu Obaida's record so special? Well, for starters, the eight-track EP is purported to be the first worldwide release and recording of Shaigiya folk tunes. Abu Obaida originally hails from Merowe, the central city of the Nubian culture. Shaigiya, the tribe he is a member of, have their own distinct, cultural and artistic legacy, separate from Nubians and others they share territory with. You can hear the traditional call and response chorus singing of Abu Obaida's folk music throughout The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan. Sometimes it is mixed with Arab and Nubian melodies, but it is always distinctive for its affable, smooth pitch and keeling, percussive welter. "Qamar Al Massa" stays surprisingly sturdy on a silty, panning beat, while "Fargooni" layers handclaps and drums into a hop-scotching polyrhythm, that slowly increases in tempo, interplay and intensity as the chorus of calls and responses rebounds between Abu Obaida and his back up singers, like an ember bursting from one hearth and landing in the mouth of another. Even for Sudanese music, this is unique and captivating to an unparalleled degree.
Ironically, one of the aspects of his performance that Abu Obaida was best known for so many decades prior, was his use of an electric, custom tambour or African lyre. But on his debut for Ostinato Records, he performs the instruments in its traditional, acoustic style- albeit, with his signature additional string. It's also somewhat unexpected that Abu Obaida, wiry tambour is not more prominent in the mix. If you didn't know to listen for it, you might miss it on some tracks as the accompanying drums keep the same rhythm and have a sharper timbre, which masks the sounds of the string instrument, sometimes all together. This is hardly a complaint, though. Even though Abu Obaida's name is on the cover, these are obviously intended to be group performances. While Abu Obaida is certainly in the driver's seat, they are meant to be understood as the sounds of a specific community, and are therefore performed communally. What could have been a solipsistic endeavor is realized only in collaboration and coordination with others. The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan is a testament, not only to Abu Obaida's musicianship and vision, but also the creativity and foresight he can inspire in others.
The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan is out via Ostinato Records