Hossam Ramzy

Hossam RAMZY, percussionist and arranger, died on 10 September 2019. Hossam Ramzy was Egypt’s most famous percussionist. He was also an arranger and composer. He was a versatile performer, composer, arranger, and entrepreneur who is well-known for his hard work. He worked with many international musicians looking to add a North African or Middle Eastern flavor to their music. He also wrote and performed on soundtracks for films, produced albums of Egyptian dance music, and managed a dance school. Although he may not have been a household star, his music was loved by millions. He was born in Heliopolis, Cairo’s fashionable suburb. His family was wealthy. His father, Abbas Ibrahim Hassan was an entomologist and his mother Omayma Ramzy, a pianist and player of the oud (precursor to the lute), was a great pianist. Hossam received his first instrument, an Egyptian tabla (or goblet-shaped, hand drum), at three years old. He was fascinated by percussion and continued to learn more about it. His mother encouraged him to learn to play the drums and to learn how to play the piano. His father, a Saudi Arabian businessman, moved Hossam to Riyadh as a teenager. There, Hossam learned new rhythms from Bedouin musicians and studied with local composers. He returned to Egypt in 1970 and worked as a drummer at the Cairo clubs. He moved to Britain in 1975 to play drums for rising jazz musicians like Andy Sheppard, despite his father’s wishes. He was also a member of the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra and ran his own jazz/funk band. He also worked in London as a chef (which he was a great one). He changed his musical direction in 1980. He was invited by a friend to a London Arabic club where an Egyptian band was playing. It was there that he was introduced to the music that he had heard growing up. He described it as “a night of transformation” for him. It was amazing to me that Egyptian drums could make such a wonderful sound. He returned to Cairo to buy tabla drums and then returned to London to practice, using the techniques he had been taught as a jazz musician. He was no longer using sticks and drum kits. Instead, he was drumming on a clay pot with fish skin heads. Ramzy quickly gained a reputation for his musical skills, performing in nightclubs and backing British and Egyptian dancers. He gave workshops to dancers who were interested in Egyptian styles and recorded his first album, Introduction To Egyptian Dance Rhythms. It was perfect timing. In the 80s, the “world music” movement was born. British pop stars were also taking an increasing interest in international sounds and rhythms. Gabriel saw Hossam’s album and invited him for a part on the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s film The Last Temptation of Christ. The album was released in 1989 as a Peter Gabriel album called Passion. Youssou N’Dour, Nusrat Fateh Al Khan and Ramzy are two of the many global stars that were part of it. Ramzy can be heard playing tabla, finger-cymbals, and other percussion on five tracks. He also appeared on Passion Sources in the same year, which was an album of music that inspired Gabriel. Gabriel continued to collaborate with him on several projects, including Us (1992). Gabriel described him as a “great musician, good friend…a soulful percussionist who served as a great champion to many musicians from his region of the globe”. Ramzy’s second breakthrough was in 1994, when he was invited to join the Led Zeppelin star Robert Plant and Jimmy Page and form a group of Arabian string players/percussionists for their live album No Quarter – Unleaded. Ramzy was invited by the Led Zeppelin stars Robert Plant and Jimmy Page to form a band of Arabian string players and percussionists for their live reunion album No Quarter – Unleaded. It was a huge success, which was certified triple platinum. Ramzy continued with them on their 1995-96 worldwide tour. He was interested in more than just western stars. He was the lead percussionist and director for the Egyptian orchestra that flew in in September 1998 to accompany three Algerian singers, Rachid Tha, Khaled, and Faudel, at the 1, 2, 3, Soleils concert at Paris’ Bercy stadium. It was the first North African rai music concert to receive serious French media coverage. Ramzy was a percussionist and arranger who worked with a wide range of musicians, including jazz players such as Chick Corea, Shakira, Natacha Atas, and Sting. His film soundtrack work included Stargate and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. One of his albums was the ambitious global fusion set Rock the Tabla (2011). It featured guests from all over the globe, including the composer and keyboard player for Bollywood, AR Rahman, as well as the jazz-fusion drummer Billy Cobham. The Songlines Award was presented to it the next year. His final projects included percussion work for the American blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa on his Live at Carnegie Hall acoustic album (released 2017) and for the Canadian composer and multi-instrumentalist Loreena McKennitt at the Albert Hall in London earlier this year. Hossam was a keen dancer and ran the Drumzy School of Music.

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