Hamza El Din Dies in Berkeley

Tuesday, May 23 2006 @ 11:25 PM EDT

Contributed by: WMC_News_Dept.

According to San Francisco radio producer Dore Stein, Egyptian musician Hamza El Din passed away yesterday, May 22nd. He died from complications after brain surgery at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California.

Hamza El Dinn was responsible for the re-introduction of the ‘ud (an ancient Arab instrument that is the precursor of the European lute) and other melodic instruments to the music of Nubia, a land that until recently had changed little since the time of the Pharaohs.

He was well known for several recordings, including Escalay: The Water Wheel and Eclipse, which was produced by Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart.

He appeared regularly with the Kronos Quartet, which commissioned him to arrange Escalay: The Water Wheel for its chart-topping Pieces of Africa album (Elektra/Nonesuch).

World Music Central
http://worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/2006052320253367