Dancing Under the Moon: Neues von Bachir Attar und den Master Musicians of Jajouka

Glitterbeat bringen Mitte Mai eine Doppel-CD mit neuen Aufnahmen der marrokanischen Master Musicians of Jajouka unter der Leitung von Bachir Attar heraus. The Master Musicians of Jajouka stehen in der Tradition des Jbala-Sufismus, deren jahrhundertealte tranceinduzierende Musik sie mit moderner Aufnahmetechnik in die Gegenwart transponieren. Die vorliegende Aufnahme von knapp zwei Stunden Spieldauer wurde vor zweieinhalb Jahren in ihrer Heimatstadt Jajouka in den marokkanischen Rif-Gebirge aufgeznommen. Zum Einsatz kommen Stimme, die lautenartige Guinbri, Ghaita (ein auch als Rhaita bekanntes Doppelrohrblasinstrument), Lira, Violine und verschiedene Drums. Die 2-CD enthält ein ausführliches Booklet mit zahlreichen Fotos und Liber-Notes von Stephen Davis.

“Beautifully recorded in situ in the Rif mountains in the autumn of 2019, this 110-minute double CD presents these legendary musicians expansively and unhindered. Based in Jajouka, Morocco, The Master Musicians are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance makers, committed to creating a contemporary representation of their centuries-old musical tradition. The album is produced by long time band leader Bachir Attar, and with all but one of the tracks exceeding 10-minutes in length, it is clear that these recordings authoritatively grasp the textured essence of this timeless ensemble. Deeply hypnotic and earth-shakingly intense. Jajouka is the name of a hidden village in the Jebala foothills of northern Morocco. You won’t find it on any roadmap.

But Jajouka is the home of the tribe Ahl Serif, sometimes translated as The Saintly, because they are descended from an Arab healer called Sidi Hamid Sheich, whose shrine the Ahl Serif hold sacred. The tribal musicians’ fame derives from their preservation of music whose origins go back to antiquity. William Burroughs called The Master Musicians of Jaouka “the four thousand year-old rock and roll band.” The Master Musicians of Jajouka have been recorded many times over the years, often in collaboration with artists as diverse as Ornette Coleman and the Rolling Stones, and this new album, Dancing Under the Moon, sounds like their finest ever. ” (Glitterbeat)

@ Glitterbeat