Biography
Born around 1946 in Dilling, Sudan, Salim initially prepared for a career in education. By 1971, already skilled on the oud, he received a scholarship for a five-year course at Sudan’s Institute of Music. During this period he immersed himself in the traditional sounds of Kordofan, the arid region of his childhood. He soon assembled a seven-piece ensemble that combined saxophone, violin, keyboards, electric bass and percussion with his resonant vocals and masterful oud technique; the group quickly became a fixture at Sudanese celebrations, weddings, concerts and radio sessions. His first journey abroad took place in 1986 alongside compatriots Abdel Aziz El Mubarak and Mohamed Gubara, all three of whom later appeared on the Sounds Of Sudan compilation. The subsequent release Nujum Al-Lail marked his international debut and relied on a specially convened quartet of Sudanese accompanists. Its follow-up, The Merdoum Kings Play Songs Of Love, captured the full septet in exuberant performance mode. Le Blues De Khartoum, issued in 1999, balanced both approaches across six richly arranged, dance-oriented band tracks and two spare acoustic pieces that spotlight only Salim’s voice and oud. He continues to divide his time between frequent concerts inside and outside Sudan and his role as headmaster of a primary school in neighbouring Chad.
Albums
