Sami Rageb - Hyetti

                                          

Sami Rageb was born in Cairo , Egypt, where he began his musical career in 1960 as pianist at the Maxim 's nightclub in Cairo . From there, he played the nightclub circuit until 1965 when he established his famous American band ,"The Knights" which accompanied famous egyptian movie stars and singers and toured Egypt . In 1968 Sami accepted an offer to play organ and piano at several Egypt's top hotels in upper and lower Egypt, amongst which was the famous Nile Hilton Hotel. Before going abroad , he had appeared in all the media.

In 1972 he traveled to Paris where he played in the " Intercontinental Kahlawi-Tunisi band" followed by a solo Egyptian musical engagement at the Cafe Coue Jase located in the famous St Michelle "quartier".

In 1974, Mr. Rageb went to U.S.A. and playd the tabla, accordion,organ and piano professionaly in clubs throughout the country. His talent for improvvisation and sheer musical artistry make him one of the most sought after organists in the Midwest.
In the U.S.A.,in the 1978, he recorded his only album, entitled Hyetti ,for the label Mer .
One of the most successful songs of the album is "Alf leila," a free and minimalist reinterpretation of the song "Alf Laila wa Laila" of the Egyptian superstar Umm Kalthoum. Sami Ragheb (organ Farisfa) is accompanied by Jerusalem-born percussionist Jamil Shamma (Tabla) and Iraqi Arsham Zakarian (plates and tambourine).

01 Alf Leila
02 Bahia
03 Ramallah ( Dabke)
04 Naffoosah
05 Middle Eastern Medley - Dance Routine

HERE