Mohammed El-Bakkar and His Oriental Ensemble

Artist: Mohammed El-Bakkar and His Oriental Ensemble

LP: Music of the African Arab

Song: "Raksat Africa"

[ listen ]

After leaving Rooky Ricardo's, I wandered up Haight Street to Groove Merchant, which was rumored to have a great selection of old funk, soul, jazz and R&B:

The rumors were true, but the prices on the rarest records (many with amazing LP covers) made this at first seem more like a visit to a museum or an art gallery than to a record store. I had about two hours to rummage through Groove Merchant before I needed to return to my hotel to get spiffed up for my friend Erica's wedding...

...which was actually plenty of time for me to find lots of great records at decent prices, especially in the bargain bins, which were filled with all sorts of interesting stuff—including this 1958 LP by Lebanese tenor and musician Mohammed El-Bakkar with His Oriental Ensemble. Of course, I've always thought of Arabic music as just a bunch of "hoochie-koochie," but after reading the liner notes on the back of this LP (included below), I've gained a new appreciation for the throbbing rhythms of the Middle East. I'm especially captivated by the way Mohammed El-Bakkar's music conjures up scenes of lustful bearded men whose flashing eyes reflect a constant enticement to violate the mystery of the forbidden—not to mention the way El-Bakkar's singing titillates my emotions, since I, like the Arab, enjoy the thrill of dangerous living. Sadly, Mohammed El-Bakkar, who you can read about here, died from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 46 in September of 1959.
PS: Happy 88th birthday to Doris Day!

[ Mohammed El-Bakkar: 1913 — September 8, 1959 ]