The perfect seduction CD, this collection of intensely romantic songs was inspired by an odd bit of history. In 1929, a Cuban poetess named Dulce María Loynaz wrote a florid love letter to the dead Egyptian king Tut-Ank-Amen. (Dulce's letter appears in translation in the CD notes.) His imagination fired by the idea of this, master Nubian percussionist Mahmoud Fadl, who also directs the Cairo roots pop band Salamat, decided to create a letter in response, in the form of ten instrumental lovers' classics from Cairo.

From the opener, "Khai" by celebrated 20th century composer Mohamed Abd el-Wahaab, softly brooding strings and restless percussion set the stage for the warm, sensuous trumpet lines of Samy El Bably, "Grandmaster of the Trumpet Oriental." A survivor from the Cairo Golden Age, and now musical director of the Fajoum Cultural Centre, El Bably plays lots of al jeel sessions these days. But his work on this album is nothing short of a revelation, some of the most sensitive and beautiful trumpet playing I have heard anywhere.

On the traditional song "Ishlonak," El Bably's trumpet melds with accordion over a trance rhythm. On the lively "El Samba" (another el-Wahaab composition), the trumpet edges in on the strings with a subtle cross rhythm, and then joins them before setting out on an achingly beautiful solo. "Sahaht Wagan," another traditional song in 7/8 time, is also a standout. But the entire record is pure joy, powerfully romantic without a trace of drippy sentimentality. Whether this music has the power to arouse the dead spirits of the Cuban poetess or the Egyptian king, I don't know. But it can certainly carry the rest of us through many nights of love. Put on this recording, and it's Valentine's Day every day.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org