How do such wonderful musicians get lost in the mists of time?  It boggles the mind, though I must say I’m happy to be living in an age of crate-divers and those who have the same passion of discovering music as I do.

This particular artist, Salah Ragab, a military man who also was a swinging jazz maestro, is well-known to Sun Ra aficionados, but only to a few outside this select group.  It’s a shame, as this particular album gathers songs which mix together big band music, cha-cha-chá, Raqş sharqī, and melodramatic music which would fit well in an epic Egyptian movie.

This is a diamond of a release.  Spend some time checking it out this weekend.

A special thanks goes to Peter Holslin who introduced so many to Salah’s work over at Bandcamp.com.