# CD review: Sun Ra Arkestra & Salah Ragab – Sun Ra Arkestra Meets Salah Ragab In Egypt 2022: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2022/06/10/cd-review-sun-ra-arkestra-salah-ragab-sun-ra-arkestra-meets-salah-ragab-in-egypt-2022-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2022-06-10T16:19:15+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Strut present the final instalment in their series of reissues of Sun Ra’s historic
recordings in Egypt with The Sun Ra Arkestra meets Salah Ragab in Egypt plus the
Cairo Jazz Band, originally released on Greek label Praxis in 1983.**

Salah Ragab first encountered the Arkestra at a concert at the house of Goethe Institut
ex-pat Hartmut Geerken during the Arkestra’s first visit to Cairo and Heliopolis
in December 1971 and, although Ra and Ragab did not meet in person on that occasion,
they did meet and bond together when Ra returned to Egypt in 1983, resulting in 
these recordings.

The Arkestra had been touring Europe in March 1983 and made their way to Cairo, 
playing a number of concerts during April at the Il Capo / Il Buco venue before 
recording the two superb studio versions of Ragab compositions, ‘Egypt Strut’ and‘
Dawn’, at El Nahar Studios in Heliopolis in May, featuring Salah Ragab on congas.

Kostas Yiannoulopoulos, organiser of the Praxis festival in Greece, released the
recordings as the A-side of this album, with three tracks by Salah Ragab and the
Cairo Jazz Orchestra on Side B. ‘Ramadan’ and ‘Oriental Mood’ were first heard on
the Cairo Jazz Orchestra album Egypt Strut released in 1973 while ‘A Farewell Theme’,
received its very first release on this record, written following the death of Gamal
Abdel Nasser in 1970; the piece was played at the much-loved President’s funeral.

This first ever official reissue of the album features previously unseen photos 
and memorabilia alongside brand new liner notes by Hartmut Geerken and Paul Griffiths.
The album is released in its original artwork and is fully remastered by Technology
Works.

1. Egypt Strut
 2. Dawn 3. Ramadan 4. Oriental Mood 5. A Farewell Theme

![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjm5OdAdVqJuVpQZFuUegWXTWJvtlKk8UTwFjyN0E-
6f9of-hglQw5Ly_xQx6uW7OvI7uUa_du0iNDgip0y0wmZ7_l-0pKvN16qHI9-NWG8WfrdpINZCNG26yXs-
QvTZ0hi2kHW_xKZRdJMde-hbNxSXDl87Ybc6KAif6TDamvx1ODDBPElLD-lSqZ8bQ=s16000)

### _Related_