3 Mustaphas 3
| 3 Mustaphas 3 | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London |
| Genres | World Music |
3 Mustaphas 3 is a British World music band formed in 1982. Core members are Ben Mandelson (under the name Hijaz Mustapha), Tim Fienburgh (1954–2008) (under the name Niaveti III) Colin Bass (under the name Sabah Habas Mustapha), and Nigel Watson (under the name Houzam Mustapha), around which orbit many other Mustaphas – all supposed to be the nephews of Uncle Patrel Mustapha. They claim to originate from the Balkans, but play music from various parts of the world. Their slogan, "Forward in all directions!", is an expression of this musical diversity. Active at the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, they have now stopped producing and performing together, but haven't officially disbanded.
Liner notes from their albums would have it that the band was created in a Balkan town called Szegerely, where it played at the Crazy Loquat Club, before the members were transported inside refrigerators to England.
In truth, however, the creation of the band began in 1982 when guitarist and musicologist Ben Mandelson, also known as Hijaz Mustapha, and Uncle Patrel, also known as Lu Edmonds, started playing together, along with Patrel's other "nephews", namely Houzam, Isfa'ani, Oussack and Niaveti III. Before World music became a genre, they were already playing musical styles from all around the globe. According to band members the first concert was held in a London restaurant that year. The early 3M3 lineup was noticed by BBC radio’s John Peel, for whom they recorded several Peel Session broadcasts. A concert in Berlin made them more, and two mini-albums were subsequently released, but their first full-length album, Shopping, was recorded in 1987. The album covered a wide array of genres also including a cover of Moroccan Najat Aatabou's Shouffi Rhirou. By then Oussack had left the band, but bassist Sabah Habas Mustapha, who may in fact be Colin Bass, and accordionist Kemo Mustapha had joined.
Their second full-length album, Heart of Uncle, was released in 1989 and showed Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Irish and Latin American influence. Soup of the Century, released in 1990, was their most acclaimed success. With tracks ranging from a Country song in Japanese to a Mexican traditional sung in Hindi, and going through a mix of Irish, Scottish, Greek, Albanian, Klezmer and many more styles, the Mustaphas broke many barriers separating ethnic music styles.
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