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Hamza's debut recording swept the music world off its feet, and it's still clear why: his distinctive oud style was unlike anything else that came before, the songs are works of astonishing beauty, and the spirituality that pervades his music is evident from the first note of the oud.

Hamza El Din, the celebrated Nubian musician whose rich fusion of Arabic and Nubian sounds entranced audiences worldwide and inspired colleagues like the Grateful Dead and Kronos Quartet, died Monday, May 22nd, at a Berkeley hospital from a gallbladder infection. He was 76. A longtime Oakland resident, Mr. El Din was a subtle master of the oud, the Arabic precursor of the lute, and the tar, the single-skinned drum that originated in Nubia, the ancient upper Nile land that was largely submerged after the Aswan Dam was built in the 1960s. Mr. El Din sought to preserve his native culture, singing Nubian songs and stories in a warm, reedy voice that merged with his instrumental overtones to create music of quiet intensity and beauty.

"It was mesmerizing. Hypnotic and trancelike,'' said Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. "Hamza taught me about the romancing of the drum. His music was very subtle and multilayered.

"He was a deep listener,'' added Hart, who practiced daily for six years to master the tar Mr. El Din gave him. Sometimes the music they played together was so soft "we could hardly hear ourselves. He'd just suck you into this vortex, and all of a sudden what was quiet seemed loud in its intensity. He suspended time."

Almost 4 decades have elapsed since Hamza El Din started his sacred mission of promoting, developing and presenting the Nubian Culture to the world. He was one of the many thousands suffering in the Nubian Diaspora resulting from the loss of hometowns and villages after inundation by the waters of the Aswan High Dam. His sentiments are deeply expressed through his songs, in which his longing is expressed by calling Nubia, the daughter of mother earth. His name remains synonymous with Nubia, Nubian Music and culture. His long and cumbersome journey was accompanied by his oud (lute) and tar (the traditional Nubian instrument). His style is simple and majestically powerful. With a charismatic voice, and only a few taps on the tar along with tender play on the oud he can make all Nubians hear themselves.

Hamza El Din - voice, oud, and tar
Ahmed Abdul Malik - acoustic bass
Sandy Bull - bongos

Song Titles:
1. Fegir Nedan (Call to Worship) - comp. Hamza El Din
2. Desse Barama (Peace) - comp. Hamza El Din, lyrics Mohi El Din Sherif
3. Aiga Denos Ailanga (Give Back My Heart) - comp. Hamza El Din, lyrics Mohi El Din Sherif
4. Hoi To Irkil Fagiu (The Message Bearer) - comp. Hamza El Din
5. Kuto Fa Pattaroni (Children's Songs) - comp. Hamza El Din, lyrics Mohi El Din Sherif
6. Shahadag Og (Believe) - comp. Hamza El Din
7. Nabra (Raw Gold) - comp. Hamza El Din, lyrics Mohi El Din Sherif
8. Nubala (Nubiana) - comp. Hamza El Din, lyrics Mohi El Din Sherif