Master Musicians of Joujouka

The Master Musicians of Joujouka are a musical ensemble from the village of Jajouka (or Joujouka), in the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The group's traditions are passed down--in a supposedly unbroken line--going back 4000 years.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

According to Lee Ranaldo who visited Morocco in the mid-1990's, there are (or at least were) "two groups of musicians claiming to be the 'real' Master Musicians of Jajouka/Joujouka (they're even arguing over the spelling)."http://www.thewire.co.uk/archive/essays/ranaldo.html

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One faction was led by the late Mohammed Hamri (d. 2002), and the other--probably better-known to western audiences--is led by Bachir Attar. The Attars have toured much and collaborated with many other musicians from the West since 1980, including Cheb I Sabbah, Talvin Singh, Ornette Coleman and Bill Laswell, with many releases coming out on Laswell's Axiom Records. In 1999, on May 1, the Joujouka musicians appeared with Psychic TV in London at an event organized by Genesis P-Orridge. Bacchir Attar has also done solo work.

Related Topics:
Mohammed Hamri - Bachir Attar - 1980 - Cheb I Sabbah - Talvin Singh - Ornette Coleman - Bill Laswell - Axiom Record - 1999 - May 1 - Psychic TV - London - Genesis P-Orridge

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Their first exposure to outsiders seems to have come with the Beat Generation. Writers Paul Bowles, Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs were fascinated by the music of Joujouka; Burroughs described it as the world's oldest music, and the musicans as a 4000-year-old rock and roll band.

Related Topics:
Beat Generation - Paul Bowles - Brion Gysin - William S. Burroughs - Rock and roll

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brian Jones (founder of the Rolling Stones) recorded Joujoukan musicians in 1968. This recording was released in 1971 as Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan At Jajouka. It fell out of print and became a collector's item before being issued on compact disc in 1997.

Related Topics:
Brian Jones - Rolling Stones - Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan At Jajouka - Compact disc

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Their unique tradition is on the verge of extinction: modern life is changing Joujouka, and it is increasingly difficult to find young men to carry on the tradition.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~