3 Mustaphas 3
Tad Cook
Last year I posted a message on rec.music.cd titled "WHO ARE 3
MUSTAPHAS 3?". At the time I had just returned from New York, where a
friend played their "Shopping" album for me. I loved their music,
which was an amazing mix of musical styles, from mid-east, to Balkan,
to Latin, and wanted to know of any other recordings by them. I was
able to find a CD of "Shopping" here in Seattle at Peaches Records.
I received two replies, one from a fellow in Sweden, who had just seen
them in concert a few weeks before, and another from a fellow who had
seen them in a display of fencing (!) at the Virgin Records Superstore
in London. They told me of the newer recording, called "Heart of
Uncle", which a friend found for me at Tower Records in San Francisco.
Around that time I wrote (actually faxed!) to their record company,
asking for more information, and I also wrote a fan letter to an
address in London listed on their album for "Fiends of Mustapha".
The record company (ACE/Globestyle) sent some photocopies of their
album covers (including "BAM! Mustaphas Play Stereo") and some
information on other recordings on Globestyle. Later I found a
compilation album that referred to them as "those pan-Balkan beat
boys, 3 Mustaphas 3."
One question really had me puzzled though....who ARE these guys, and
where are they from?
My friend in New York thought they were "a bunch of crazed British
ethnomusicologists playing a grand joke on the world." They appear on
their records wearing interesting folk costumes and fezzes, and their
albums make vague references to the Crazy Loquat nightclub in
"Szegerely."
About 4 months ago I received an envelope in the mail from Bulgaria.
Inside was a postcard, and on the back was a friendly greeting in
response to my earlier fan letter, and it was signed by "Mousam
Mustapha"! It said that they hoped to come to Seattle on tour in
Spring 1990. I was thrilled, but the source of the letter brought up
another interesting question. Are they Bulgarian? Or do they
actually have their mail forwarded from the eastern bloc in order to
deepen the mystery surrounding their origin?
Time went on, Spring came, and I had heard nothing of an appearance by
3 Mustaphas 3 in Seattle.
Then I returned from vacation in early May, and there on my desk was a
mysterious fax, with a LARGE fez in the middle (!), and this cryptic
message. . . ."You: PAUL COOK, Us: 3 Mustapha 3. 3M3 play Seattle
early June. Please support."
Well, great! I would finally see the Mustaphas! I got on the phone
and called their record company in London. A pleasant voice answered,
and said, "Oh yes...that's Ben Mandohlson's group (listed as producer
on their records)...here is a number where you can reach him."
I called the number, and it was a studio where the Mustaphas were
recording! Ben was very nice, and said that he had saved my fax
number from my earlier correspondence. He gave me the dates for shows
in Seattle, and also San Francisco and New York, so that my friends
there could see them. I asked him about their origins, told him of
the mysterious message from Bulgaria and my New York friend's theory,
and all he would say was, "The Mustaphas are from all over the world."
June came, and my friend Doc Eskenazi in San Francisco went to see
them. Late one night I got a phone call from him...."I'M CALLING
BETWEEN SETS....THESE GUYS ARE FUCKING GREAT!!!! LOTS OF MUSTAPHAS
FANS HERE WEARING FEZZES!"
Finally they came to Seattle. I went to the show early at the
Backstage Tavern, so I could get a good seat. Outside was a poster
which said they were the "Balkan Marx Brothers." At the show I met
other fans of the Mustaphas, including one fellow who also had
received a Bulgarian reply to his fan letter.
I wandered over to the bar, and found a familiar looking fellow
working on song lists. I recognized him from their album, and it
turned out to be the bass player, Saba Mustapha. He was a very
pleasant British fellow, and was quite nice. I told him about the
letter from Mousam Mustapha, and he took me back to meet Mousam and
the other members of 3 Mustapha 3. They were lounging around in jeans
and teeshirts, and they told me they were pleased to hear that the
letters made it out of Bulgaria. On tour in Bulgaria, they had given
the letters to their concert promoters, who had promised to mail them.
They were never really sure if the letters had been mailed. I also
met Ben Mandohlson, who (I believe) later appeared on stage speaking
broken English as "Hita Mustapha."
The whole experience was quite satisfying. I had met 3 Mustaphas 3,
and finally seen them in concert too. The show was a racous event,
with some very funny song introductions. A lot of fans showed up in
fezzes, and people were shouting nonsense like, "Take it to the
fridge!". Their music was a lot of fun, and they were EXCELLENT
musicians. Their mastery of strange ethnic instruments and musical
styles was breathtaking. On stage they appeared in a variety of
colorful costumes. Some of them looked like Balkan shepherds. When
they left the stage, the crowd went wild, with chants of "MOO-STAFA!
MOO-STAFA!" until they returned.
Have anyone else seen or met these fellows? Anyone else know where
they are from? After meeting them, my impression is that they are all
quite British, and having a LOT of fun!
Tad Cook
Seattle, WA
Packet: KT7H @ N7HFZ.WA.USA.NA
Phone: 206/527-4089
MCI Mail: 3288544
Telex: 6503288544 MCI UW
USENET:...uw-beaver!sumax!amc-gw!ssc!tad
or, t...@ssc.UUCP
Jack Jansen
I've seen them a few times over the years, and always enjoyed their
mix of balkan-folk, rock, african, etc, especially the more up-tempo
songs. They were here a few weeks ago, though, and they played a very
boring type of afro-world-music, only the instrumentation is still
rather non-standard.
Ah well, I guess they want to earn a fast buck in the afro hype. Too bad,
they used to do some really interesting things.....
--
--
Een volk dat voor tirannen zwicht | Oral: Jack Jansen
zal meer dan lijf en goed verliezen | Internet: ja...@cwi.nl
dan dooft het licht | Uucp: hp4nl!cwi.nl!jack
George Scott
>Last year I posted a message on rec.music.cd titled "WHO ARE 3
>MUSTAPHAS 3?"......
>Around that time I wrote (actually faxed!) to their record company,
>asking for more information, and I also wrote a fan letter to an
>address in London listed on their album for "Fiends of Mustapha".
Fiends or Friends? I thought it said Friends.
> He gave me the dates for shows
>in Seattle, and also San Francisco and New York, so that my friends
>there could see them.
Is the tour over? Did they play anywhere besides S, SF and NY?
3 of the 3 M 3 were interviewed on NPR's 'All Things Considered' about 3 weeks
ago. They (as usual) refused to say where they are from.
Forward in all directions!
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
George N. Scott EMAIL: geo...@wind55.seri.gov
Wind Research Branch. VOICE: 303-231-7667
Solar Energy Research Institute 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401-3393
Eliot Gelwan
I had vaguely heard of these guys but never paid any attention to their
music, but I got to watch/hear/meet them that night. Yes, they are definitely
from the UK if you ask me, altho I did not take life histories. A very
pleasant evening and I now count myself an aficionado.
...elgel@jjmhome.uucp
BRost
>people were shouting nonsense like, "Take it to the
>fridge!".
I didn't actually see this, but at one point they supposedly toured with a
refridgerator on stage. Part of the fake bio claimed they had moved from
Bulgaria to London to find work as refridgerator repairmen.
Brian Rost @aqua.dec.com
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* The above does not reflect the opinions of *
* my employer. *
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* If music is outlawed, only outlaws will be *
* musicians. *
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FoGo
I've been a big fan of Mustapha since 1987, and I got to meet the band during
their first east coast tour. I've caught them on each visit to the US
since, and we always get to talk a bit.
They're all a bunch of _very_ nice guys. When they came to Philly
during that first tour, I was really bummed out because they were
playing a 21-and-over club, and there was simply no way I could have
gotten in at the time. In any case, three of the band members (Hijaz,
Sabah Habas, and Niaveti, I believe) were doing a local radio interview
on the day of the show, and immediately afterwards I called the station.
I got to talk to Hijaz, and after I had explained my problem, he asked
me first if I had a mustache, and then if I would like to be added to
the guest list for the show. Of course I said yes.
The second time 3M3 came through town, I was faced with the same
problem. This time I hung around outside the radio station waiting for
the Mustaphas to emerge.
As I waited, I listened to the interview on the radio. Suddenly Hijaz
said, "we would like to if we could say hello to a friend of ours here
in town who we hope will be at the show and his name is Forrest
Gotshalk..." My jaw dropped. After
the interview, I got to chat with everyone for a while.
Very nice people. They even remembered that I was out here in
California when they came by on the latest tour (the San Francisco show
was INCREDIBLE, btw).
Anyway, in article <8...@ssc.UUCP>, t...@ssc.UUCP (Tad Cook) writes:
>
> Who ARE these guys, and where are they from?
>
> My friend in New York thought they were "a bunch of crazed British
> ethnomusicologists playing a grand joke on the world." They appear on
> their records wearing interesting folk costumes and fezzes, and their
> albums make vague references to the Crazy Loquat nightclub in
> "Szegerely."
Szegerely (which often sounds like a Balkanized "Shangri-La" to me), is
nestled deep within the Balkans. For a long time, so the story goes,
the town was reachable by only a single dirt road, giving the town a
unique culture and providing a haven for smugglers, from whose number
were to be born the Mustaphas. Later, while the Mutaphas were playing as
the Szegerely Youth Ensemble, a new highway brought the outside world to
Szegerely for the first time. As the town was deluged with new
cultures, the Mustaphas found many fresh musical influences, and
incorporated them all into what is now Three Mustaphas Three. The new
Mustapha sound was developed in a series of performances at the Crazy
Loquat, Szegerely's top nightclub ("24 hours funtertainments"). The
rest is history.
(the above culled from memory of interviews, conversation, and records)
> Well, great! I would finally see the Mustaphas! I got on the phone
> and called their record company in London. A pleasant voice answered,
> and said, "Oh yes...that's Ben Mandohlson's group (listed as producer
> on their records)...here is a number where you can reach him."
Ben is also the owner/president of Globestyle, if I'm not mistaken. He
bears a remarkable resemblance to Hijaz...
> Finally they came to Seattle. I went to the show early at the
> Backstage Tavern, so I could get a good seat. Outside was a poster
> which said they were the "Balkan Marx Brothers." At the show I met
> other fans of the Mustaphas, including one fellow who also had
> received a Bulgarian reply to his fan letter.
A GOOD SEAT?! That's no way to see the Mustaphas! Right up by the stage
is the place for me.
Anyway, right now I understand that the group is a bit scattered.
Several of the Mustaphas are living in Germany, the others in England.
Lavra (the female singer) did not come along on the latest tour because
she was taking care of one of three (!) new additions to the Mustapha
family. I'm not sure who the two other new parents are. In her place
was Daoudi Mustapha, who's played clarinet and sax on some recordings.
He's great on stage.
There's a new album on the way, but it's being held back until it can be
released in all countries simultaneously (to avoid import hassles). I,
for one, can't wait.
Forwards in all directions!
[==FoGo==]
"You can't coat a wolf in chocolate because the wolf already has its own fur."
--3 Mustaphas 3
FoGo
Scott) writes (quoting the original article):
>
> >Around that time I wrote (actually faxed!) to their record company,
> >asking for more information, and I also wrote a fan letter to an
> >address in London listed on their album for "Fiends of Mustapha".
>
> Fiends or Friends? I thought it said Friends.
It's not an easy question to answer, really. You see, Hijaz told me
that every 3M3 album cover has a typo. He didn't elaborate...
>
> Is the tour over? Did they play anywhere besides S, SF and NY?
>
It was quite a tour. Seventeen gigs in twenty-one days is what I heard.
Travelling by van. It sounded like the southeast was especially
gruelling. Sorry I don't have an actual list of places.
Ah, memories leak like a roof...
[==FoGo==]
Tad Cook
> t...@ssc.UUCP (Tad Cook) writes:
>
> >address in London listed on their album for "Fiends of Mustapha".
>
> Fiends or Friends? I thought it said Friends.
I thought it said Friends, but a member of the band pointed out that
it says Fiends.
>
> > He gave me the dates for shows
> >in Seattle, and also San Francisco and New York, so that my friends
> >there could see them.
>
> Is the tour over? Did they play anywhere besides S, SF and NY?
Yes, it is over. After the June 1 show in Seattle, they went to
Vancouver. They told me that Seattle was their last USA date.
If you want to find out about their NEXT tour in the USA, either
write to Fiends of Mustapha, or you could do what I did....send a
FAX to Ben Mandohlson (Hita Mustapha) c/o ACE/Globestyle records,
and ask him to contact you when they come again.
>
> 3 of the 3 M 3 were interviewed on NPR's 'All Things Considered' about 3 weeks
> ago. They (as usual) refused to say where they are from.
Yes, quite a scam they have! They are quite a clever bunch.
Did they use their fake broken English?
> Forward in all directions!
TAKE IT TO THE FRIDGE!
George Scott
>In article <george.645123468@wind55>, geo...@wind55.seri.gov (George Scott) writes:
>> t...@ssc.UUCP (Tad Cook) writes:
>> >address in London listed on their album for "Fiends of Mustapha".
>>
>> Fiends or Friends? I thought it said Friends.
>I thought it said Friends, but a member of the band pointed out that
>it says Fiends.
>>
I looked at MY copy, and it says 'Friends'. (The serious 3M3 collector will
probably have both versions.)
>Yes, quite a scam they have! They are quite a clever bunch.
>Did they use their fake broken English?
Yes.
Tim Kennedy
>
>Have anyone else seen or met these fellows? Anyone else know where
>they are from? After meeting them, my impression is that they are all
>quite British, and having a LOT of fun!
>
I have been seeing them round little dives in North and East London for
about seven years on and off. They are a splinter group of the combo
'Orchestra Jazira', who were probably the world's first World Music
group. I saw them at the Futurama in N. Wales, 1982, billed with New
Order , The Damned, Southern Death Cult and billions of other bands.
They were a huge (20-30 strong) ethnic music ensemble. The Mustafas
turned up on a Peel Session (him again) in about 1983, and I and some
Yugoslav friends used to see them a lot. A Serbian girl I knew used
to turn into a Balkan dervish to their evidently accurate renderings.
I can assure people however that despite their accuracy in imitating
a Montenegran bar band, they speak pidgin Russian and are not the real
thing.
Yes, the fezes, balkan instruments etc, are their trademark. The lead
singer , Uncle Petar was the most amusing, though I suspect he has left
now as he wasn't with them the last time I saw them. My favourite
number is (I think on "BAM!...") about a Dancing Bear Competition in
Tseregeli (I think that's their town!) wherein the local wolves descend
and the whole audience let rip with wolf howls.
Well spotted.
--
Have you seen my polar bear ? It's that white thing over there. (Charlatans)
Tim Kennedy <t...@tcom.stc.co.uk>
Dept. 30770, STC Telecommunications Ltd, Oakleigh Road South,
New Southgate, LONDON. N11 1HB, England, UK. Tel: (+44) 01-945-3470