Egyptian drummer Salah Ragab studied jazz theory and improvisation with the jazz musician and composer from Kansas City, USA, Osman Kareem, with whom he formed the first Jazz Quintet in Cairo in 1963, recording with the Radio Service of Cairo.

In 1968, while he was also the leader of the Military Music Departments in Heliopolis, Salah Ragab formed the first jazz big band in Egypt. He accompanied the great bandleader and composer Sun Ra on a tour in Egypt, Greece, France and Spain in 1984 and is an undisputed icon of Egyptian Jazz.