ALI HASSAN KUBAN HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 72

The pioneer of Nubian roots music is dead. Internationally renowned singer and composer Ali Hassan Kuban died at the age of 72 following a heart attack on Monday, June 25th in his hometown Cairo.

Having been born in the small village of Kuban belonging to the Nubian part of Upper Egypt Ali Hassan Kuban the teenager became part of the growing drift to the cities. As a young man Ali headed to Cairo where he enrolled in the Boy Scout's college. Having been taught clarinet and
bagpipes he entered a marching before he attended even Cairo Opera house with his clarinet playing.

A serious disease caused him to stop with that career but the man eagerly took the advantage step even further. In the 50's when Ali Hassan Kuban had discovered other musicians who used Western instruments like
accordion, drums or saxophone he started to develop his disctinctly new sound.

The 'Nubian style' successfully transformed the complicated rural rhythms and trance-like chants of ancient Nubia while blended them with elements of international pop into the faster speed of modern city life.
Still using the old pentatonic scales, simple but beautiful melodies and rhythms that trace back to Pharaonean times Ali Hassan Kuban created a lusty, emotive and danceable music that soon became well known in his whole native country.

Following his internationally debut at Berlin's 'Heimatklaenge'-festival in the summer of 1989 Ali Hassan Kuban with his Nubian band attended stages all around the world. His concert tours took him so far as Japan (WOMAD Japan, 1994) and Canada (Jazzfestival Montreal, 1994), as well as France (MIDEM, 1993) or the United States (Summerstage, NYC, 1995), not to mention the diverse European countries that he toured frequently.

Ali Hassan Kuban's death came shortly after the release of his fourth international album 'Real Nubian' by Berlin based Piranha label. The songs and dances on this album once again proved that Ali Hassan Kuban had
successfully managed to bring ancient Nubian wedding music to international concert audiences as well as always being the promoter for young talents
like the featured singers Salwa Abou Greisha and Shahin Allam.

The ancient homeland of many Nubians had been flooded by the Lake Nasser following the erection of the Aswan dam in the early 60's. But Nubian culture, believed to be a link between Black Africa, the Orient and the Mediterrean, has not vanished - thanks to the craftmanship of Ali Hassan Kuban and his fellows. Ali Hassan Kuban's umtimely death has left his
wife and three children alone - but this man is bemourned by music lovers all around the globe.

Martin W. Riedel
(Manager of Ali Hassan Kuban)

• article submitted by: United One Records