I wanted to use this post to do two things…
1. Introduce the sound of Ejyptsian Queen I just got hip to them today and man…
2. Also do a little checkup/check-in on how we are doing on the 2011 wishlist that I posted at the end of last year. If you want to read that first you can check it out here.
First the music… well actually it all relates because the way I found out about Ejyptsian Queen is in a very 2011. In fact this phenomenon has occurred man times this year where a colleague of mine will enthusiastically well encourage me to checkout some music and everytime it has been spot on something different and great for the ears.
I was so enthused by what I heard I posted the ladies cover of their grandfather’s arrangement of the Gershwin classic “Summertime” (how apropos given the season). Point blank there’s some music in there and a unique sound that is poised to be heard. These ladies are descended from musical royalty and it shows.
Check out this cover…
What ultimately excites this reviewer is the way in which the introduction to this wonderful group occurred. Organically. That’s the best way I can describe it. No hype. No twitter stream full of check out the best music since sliced bread. None of that, just a recommendation from someone you trust.
We often discuss here at GFM and in my other travels as well, how the barriers to entry are so incredibly low that anyone can make and distribute music. Unfortunately, we often only focus on the negative aspects of that phenomenon and not the positive. I feel what’s happening with music is the same as what happens in any transitional period: You have a lot of folks who are really just hobbyists jumping on the bandwagon and as soon as they get tired they’ll put the music away like every other fad they have involved themselves. But the true artists who have the talent and something to say like Ejyptsian Queen will soldier on because the music is their existence, it’s the lifeblood because if it wasn’t the end product would not sound like it does.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
