Fathy Salama and Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Tuhami will join creative forces in a concert that will take place at the Cairo Opera House on Sunday, 25 February. Dubbed Sufism vs Modernism, the concert will fuse Salama's Oriental jazz with Al-Tuhami's Sufi chanting. Salama is the recipient of a 2004 Grammy Award for the album Sant Allah (Thanks to God) by the Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour. Salama was the album's arranger, conductor, producer and accompanied it with his ensemble Fathy Salama. The album's sound engineer, Alaa El-Kashef (Egypt), also received a Grammy for his contribution to the album. In 1988, Salama formed Sharkiat, which has performed over 2,000 concerts on tours at international jazz and music festivals. Salama received the BBC Music Award of 2004, and in 2000 he received the Cairo International Film Festival prize. His collaborations with renowned artists like Youssou N'Dour, Cesaria Evora and others produced nine albums, two of which feature the Sharkiat project. He composed and arranged songs for many Egyptian musicians and bands, including Mohamed Mounir, Amr Diab and Ali El-Hagar. Salama regularly offers workshops for young and promising musicians, and participants have included Dina El-Wedidi, Masar Egbary, Sharmofeers, CairoKee, and Mohamed Mohsen. Mahmoud Al-Tuhami, son of the renowned 'Munshid' (singer) Sheikh Yassin Al-Tuhami and grandson of the Imam at the Great Mosque, trained under by his father and Sheikh Al-Arif Billah. Following his father's footsteps, Mahmoud Al-Tuhami practices religious chanting where he braids together poetry and declamation, reflecting a long Sufi tradition. Al-Tuhami often performs at the Cairo Opera House and other venues in Egypt. He also participates in many festivals in the country and internationally. During the concert, Salama and Al-Tuhami will be accompanied by Ayman Sidky (percussion), Ramadan Mansour (tabla), Salih Elartist (accordion), Andre Segon (bass), Sherif Alaa (guitar), Mamdouh Sorour (nai), Simo (drums) and sound engineer Hameed. Programme: Sunday, 25 February, 8pm Cairo Opera House, Small Hall, Zamalek, Cairo For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
