Abd El Gadir Salim

Abdel Gadir Salim ( _ar. عبد القادر سالم ) is a folk singer and bandleader from Sudan.Biographical information on Salim is very scarce, at least in English. He was born in the village of Dilling, Kordofan province, amidst the Nuba Mountains in the west of Sudan approximately in the 1950s. He is one of the most well-known Sudanese singers in the West, having performed around the world and recorded in many nations including England.Salim trained in both European and Arabic music at the Institute of Music in Khartoum, beginning with Oud at the behest of a friend. By 1971 he changed from composing urban-styled music to country tunes. Seeking out traditional and colloquial songs to perform, he began in his native Kordofan and Darfur. Rarely writing his own lyrics, the songs he finds range from politically-aware, educational arguments to love ballads. Salim is noted for maintaining a neutral repertoire that keeps him from irritating the Islamic government of Sudan.

Style

Many of Salim's rhythms come from traditional, such as wedding, dances, often in strident 6/8 beats. Some of the beats, from desert areas, are modeled after the gait of camels. His sonorous voice, influenced by Egyptian styles, comes often in a long, steady croon. Often his music is called 'Egyptian Pop.'Salim's lyrics, and the English interpretations thereof, give valuable insight to Sudanese culture. One song, called "Al-Lemoni", compares a beautiful woman to a lemon. The record jacket explains that the Sudanese refer to their skin color as green as opposed to black or brown. Therefore to compare a woman to a lemon is poetic flattery."Jeenaki", or "The Return of Geese," describes how the sight of geese is a welcome indication of rain in the desert of river-scarce Sudan, where flocks of geese alight to drink from pools.

Band

Salim performs solo at times, though most often with his group, the All-Stars. Hamid Osman Abdalla, the saxophonist, comes from Dilling as well.

Career

Salim shared duties in his careers as international performer and as headmaster of a school in Chad between at least the mid-1980s and the mid-2000s. According to a statement on the back of his album "Nujum Al-Lail" (Stars in the Night) (1989, Globe Style, UK), the two careers harmonize without strain. In 2005 he recorded a collaborational album with Sudanese rapper, former child soldier and Christian convert Emmanuel Jal called "Ceasefire".

Sources

* http://www.gatewayofafrica.com/artists/biography/214.html
* http://www.sudanupdate.org/REPORTS/MUSIC/musicians/SALIM.HTM
* Salim, Abdel Gadir. Nujum Al-Lail. Vinyl Record. London: Globe Style Records, 1989.
* http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/18980-ceasefire?artist_title=18980-ceasefire
* http://www.pressbild.com/reorient/festival06/reorient06_bild.html