El Dor El Awal

Oriental Jazz | Egypt

When a group of seven young, talented, and highly inventive musicians get together to rehearse daily for six months on the first floor of a derelict building, the end result is ‘Qarar Izala’, the first album from Egyptian band Dor el Awal. Their name is a pun on the Egyptian expression for ‘the first floor’, as well as a reference to this promising band’s first musical foray.

Meshing their different musical backgrounds together, they have succeeded in creating an intensely personal tapestry of sounds, one that fuses oriental "Taqassim" on qanoun and flute, jazzy improvisations on saxophone and flute, as well as Spanish/flamenco meanderings on two tracks. Their concerts are great experiences where the saxophone, flute and violin intertwine with layers of bass and percussion, the build-up leading the audience into a trance-like state.