By Derk Richardson  November 23rd, 2009 4:40 pm  |  Comments (1)

The music of Morocco has captivated Beats, hard rockers, and jazz improvisers for more than 40 years. For painter Brion Gysin, Rolling Stone Brian Jones, and free jazz avatar Ornette Coleman, it was the flute, reed, and drum trance music of the Master Musicians of Joujouka that mesmerized.

For trumpeter Don Cherry, pianist Randy Weston, and Led Zepellin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, the spell was cast by the hypnotic drones of Gnawa music. Listening to the new CD, Ouled Bambara: Portraits of Gnawa, the source of their fascination is clear.

Gnawa music is simple in format: Chant-like singing is supported by the plucked guembri, a low-toned three-string lute used to set rhyhtm and simple melodies, plus hand claps, shakers, and castanets. But the intention of the music—to connect with unseen spirits and keep the fiercest at bay—is deep, and the effect of extended listening is transporting.

Ouled Bambara features four different groupings of musicians recorded live during a Gnawa ceremony in Marrakech. The CD and accompanying DVD are released by Chicago’s Drag City label, which knows something about trance music, being a prime purveyor of contemporary, psychedelic-tinged  freak-folk. While not slick and punchy like you might expect from Marrakech-to-New York pop star Hassan Hakmoun, the sound quality is remarkably clear and present for a field recording.

As Todd Pitock revealed in “An Old World Finds a New Path” in the premier issue of Afar, a journey through the daunting landscape of Morocco can be both challenging and deeply rewarding. It’s the same with Ouled Bambara, in which music serves as your guide and your transportation.

For a history of the Gnawa, visit Afropop Worldwide.

Watch one of Ouled Bambara’s featured performers, Abdelkbir Marchane:

Related posts: A new Afarish guide to music and travel; Singing in the Sahara with Tinariwen

By Susan West  September 10th, 2009 8:16 am  |  Comments (1)

“Now I feel like I’ve been on the back roads of Morocco!” said one of our Facebook fans after reading Todd Pitock’s feature article about his journey into the Anti-Atlas Mountains in search of Berber culture.

To give you a little more of that feeling, we thought we’d share some of the photos Todd took during the 15-day road trip. They show the group’s over-packed Land Cruiser and one of their campsites, fellow traveler Elise Poncet’s unique approach to yoga, a café in Guelmim’s camel market, a Berber host weighing saffron, and a Berber shepherd who shared tea with Todd and his companions.