Thanks Alexia!!

That was a great read--thanks!

I thought I'd put this here where the dancers are. Many don't know, Ali was a dancer first. He showed me photos of him doing lifts with dancers. Ali, with a dancer held high above his head. His form was beautiful. I think that's why he could play so well for dancers, he knew what they were doing. He understood what was going on in the dancer's body.

The first time I heard Ali play was in Washington DC in 1966. I was in the dressing room of a club I was working at, and all of a sudden I heard an incredible drum playing. It was the best I've ever heard. My body couldn't stay still. His playing got into your body and took it places. He could get the most tones out of a darbuka I've ever heard, and his rhythm was amazing.

His playing was fantastic. We had an affinity due to the fact I was involved in Flamenco before getting into Raqs Sharqi, and Ali worked in Spain for a number of years before coming to the US. He was very much into the counter point type rhythm as heard in Flamenco. When he saw I was wearing Berber silver bracelets his eyes lite up.

We worked together a short time in New York, not enough.

When I got back from a visit to Morrocco in 1970, he invited me to visit and stay with his family next time I went. In 1972 I went back to Morocco and stayed with his family. He was from a very noble family. In Morrocco he would have been addressed as Mulay Ali.

Unfortunately, at the time he came to New York, there wasn't a lot of work for his type of drum playing. Most places didn't use darbuka. They had bass players instead. The music on the East Coast was more Turkish/Greek style, and drum is not as important in that music as it is in Arabic music. He played oud most of the time, but I never felt his oud playing was his forte. His way of phrasing was unparalelled.

After having heard and worked with Ali, I'm quite spoiled for any other drummer. I wish you could hear him play. He did set the stage for others, but what a loss! There are some people you meet in your life who are very special, Ali was one of those. It was a privilege to have known him.

I saw him shortly before his death. I was walking down Mac Dougal St, he was having an expresso. He smiled at me and invited me to sit and have an expresso with him. We sat quietly together, I'm sure he knew the end was near, but he went with an amazing graze and dignity. Dear Ali, rest in peace.