Expanded version of Salah Ragab's 1973 album Egypt Strut due in June

Strut's reissue of Salah Ragab's classic Egypt Strut album includes 8 bonus tracks recorded during the original sessions.  

Here's the scoop from Strut Records...

Record Store Day Store Day is back with two more 'Drops' this year and, for the first June drop, our offering is a definitive, expanded edition of the Egyptian jazz classic, Egypt Strut by Salah Ragab and Cairo Jazz Band, originally released on Prism Music Unit in 1973. 

Inspired by a concert in Cairo by Randy Weston in 1967 encouraging Pan-African unity, drummer Ragab, Eduard “Edu” Vizvari, a Czech jazz musician, and Hartmut Geerken of Goethe Institut vowed to create Egypt's first jazz big band. Ragab became a Major in the Egyptian army and had unparalleled access to the military's musicians and instruments. Following a crash course in jazz history, the Cairo Jazz Band was born, playing their first concert at Ewart Memorial Hall at the American University in downtown Cairo in 1969. Further inspired by Sun Ra and his Arkestra's visit to Egypt in 1971, Ragab recorded his landmark 'Egypt Strut' album in '73, a perfect fusion of jazz and Arabic modes with tracks referencing Islamic festivals, Egyptian landmarks and people dear to Ragab. 

This expanded version of the album features eight extra tracks recorded during associated sessions. It is released in its original artwork for the first time and is packaged with the original Prism Music Unit house bag designs, a replica of an original mini-booklet describing the tracks and an over-sized booklet featuring rare photos and new liner notes by Francis Gooding of The Wire. 

Check out "Oriental Mood" and "Egypt Strut" below.