Moroccan Musical Groups - The Master Musicians of Jajouka Led by Bachir Attar (Paperback)

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Master Musicians of Jajouka is a group led by Bachir Attar, from the village of Jajouka near Ksar-el-Kebir in the Ahl Srif mountains in the southern Rif Mountains of northern Morocco. Jajouka is an ancient village perched above a long valley in the blue Djebala foothills of the Rif Mountains in Northern Morocco, home to the Master Musicians of Jajouka as well as the Sanctuary of Saint Sidi Ahmed Sheikh, who was a Muslim missionary, teacher of Moulay Abdesalem "The Patron Saint of Morocco", and whose spiritual energy is closely tied with the village and its music. Most people who live in Jajouka are members of the Ahl Sherif tribe, which means "the Saintly." The Attar clan of Jajouka is the founding family of the village and keepers of one of the oldest surviving musical traditions. The music and secrets of Jajouka have been passed down through generations from father to son, by some accounts for as long as 4000 years. The musicians of Jajouka are taught from early childhood a complex music which is unique to Jajouka. After many years of dedicated training, the musicians finally become Malims or Masters. They possess baraka, the blessing of Allah, which gives them the power to heal, and the endurance required to play some of the most intense and complex music around. For centuries, the Master Musicians of Jajouka were employed by the Kingdom of Morocco as the royal musicians of the King. They had special papers detailing their rights as privileged citizens which allowed them to remain the royal musicians for many rulers - even through French, English and up to Spanish colonization. Throughout that time, the Musicians would still continue to play in and around Jajouka at weddings, Moussems (local music festivals centered around a Saint), and f... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1303851