Master Musicians of Jajouka

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Master Musicians of Jajouka under the direction of Bachir Attar at the Tanz & FolkFest Rudolstadt (2011)

The Master Musicians of Jajouka (initially mostly Master Musicians of Joujouka ) are a traditional musician ensemble from the village of Joujouka in the Ahl-Srif Mountains of the southern Rif Mountains in Morocco , which has been internationally known since around 1970 and has released several albums.

history

Parts of an old Pan cult are reflected in the music of the Master Musicians of Jajouka . According to tradition, the music was given to the village musicians by the goat god Boujeloud, the "father of terror". This music is still played at a local fertility festival today: Attracted by the polyrhythmic play of the cylinder drums ( t'bol ) , the small beaker drums (tarija , similar to a darbuka ), the oboe-like ghaitas and bamboo flutes (lira) hovering over them, the boujeloud comes every year as a figure dressed in goat skins and equipped with rods with a face painted black out of his cave and brings fertility back to the village of Joujouka. The music of the village musicians “builds up into a trance over hours , the melodies are laid out in loops. Up to 50 musicians are involved. "

The musicians and many residents of Joujouka belong to a local Sufi brotherhood after legend has it that around the 8th century Sidi Ahmed Sheikh, an Islamic missionary from Persia, visited the village and converted to Islam. The musician's spiritual center is his tomb ( Qubba ) in the center of the village. Only the son of a member of the ensemble can become a new Master Musician. In the 17th century they became the court musicians of the Alawids and played in the sultan's palaces on festive occasions and before prayers. In 1912, the members of the ensemble received a permit that gave them special status and released them from working as farmers. When many of them were drafted into the Spanish army after 1930, their tradition threatened to collapse. The music of Joujouka drew the attention of the writers Paul Bowles , William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin in the 1950s , who with their published descriptions ensured that musicians such as Brian Jones , Ornette Coleman or Lee Ranaldo on site with the music employed by Joujouka.

A group of the Master Musicians at the Tanz & FolkFest Rudolstadt (2011)

In 1971 the Rolling Stones released the album Brian Jones presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka on their label , with which the Master Musicians became known to a larger audience. The sound carrier was included in The Wire's legendary wireless list “100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening)” . Ornette Coleman developed his Harmolodics through the interaction with the musicians from Joujouka .

After the death of Hadji Abdessalam Attar, the ensemble was divided into two groups: In addition to the ensemble, which kept the old name and is now directed by Ahmed Attar, the Master Musicians of Jajouka , led by Bachir Attar , whose musicians are no longer in the Moroccan village lived. Talvin Singh and Bill Laswell worked with these Master Musicians of Jajouka , who opened up in the direction of world music , went on several international tours (most recently in 2012) and released other albums.

In September 2013 the compilation The Road to Jajouka was published, on which the music of the Master Musicians was remixed and reinterpreted. Those involved include a. Medeski, Martin & Wood , John Zorn , Ornette Coleman , Flea , Marc Ribot , Howard Shore , Bill Laswell and DJ Logic .

The remaining Master Musicians of Joujouka , on the other hand, play “the music in a form that differs from the sound from 20 years ago, but does not meet the demands of music stars or commercial producers.” They too have presented two albums and with rock musicians like Marianne Faithfull or Jane's Addiction .

Discographic notes

  • Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka (Rolling Stones Records, 1971)
  • Ornette Coleman: Dancing in Your Head (Columbia, 1973/76, only featured on one or two tracks)
  • Master Musicians of Jajouka (1974)
  • Bachir Attar: Apocalypse Across the Sky (1992)
  • The Master Musicians Of Joujouka Joujouka Black Eyes ( Sub Rosa 1995)
  • Master Musicians of Jajouka Featuring Bachir Attar (2000)
  • The Road to Jajouka: A Benefit Album (2013)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Adrian Fariborz: The Master Musicians of Joujouka. Faded myth of the goat god. Qantara.de, April 25, 2005.
  2. ↑ See Mark J. Prendergast: Ambient Century: From Mahler to Trance - The Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age. New York / London 2000, p. 216 and AB Spellman : Four Jazz Lives. Ann Arbor 2004, p. XIII. William S. Burroughs called the group a four thousand year old rock band. See Elijah Wald : Global Minstrels: Voices of World Music. New York 2006, p. 204.
  3. ↑ Bright tones in loops. In: the daily newspaper . June 28, 2011.
  4. ↑ In 1989 the band recorded the song Continental Drift on the album Steel Wheels together with the Moroccan musicians.
  5. ↑ Where the flute hisses and the drum smokes . In: The world . January 31, 2012.
  6. ↑ All proceeds from the sale of the album will be donated to the Jajouka Foundation . The Road to Jajouka on howerecords.com (Accessed August 21, 2013)
  7. ↑ Joujouka Black Eyes (1995) and Boujeloud (2006)
  8. ^ Website of the Master Musicians of Joujouka .