Master Musicians of Joujouka
| Master Musicians of Joujouka | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Jajouka, Morocco |
| Genres |
Folk music, World, Sufi music of Morocco |
| Years active | 1950–present |
| Labels | Sub Rosa, Rolling Stones Records |
| Associated acts |
Brion Gysin, Mohamed Hamri, Brian Jones, Timothy Leary, Marianne Faithfull, Scanner, Anita Pallenberg, Smashing Pumpkins |
| Website | Master Musicians of Joujouka official site |
| Members | See: Members |
The Master Musicians of Joujouka are Jbala Sufi trance musicians most famous for their connections with the Beat Generation and the Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones. These musicians hail from the village of Jajouka or Zahjouka near Ksar-el-Kebir in the Ahl Srif mountain range of the southern Rif Mountains in northern Morocco.
The Master Musicians of Joujouka have a long history being recorded by Western artists. Arnold Stahl produced an LP record, Tribe Ahl Serif: Master Musicians Of Jajouka, recorded on location as part of a documentary film written and produced by Stahl. This double album was released in the early 1970s by the Musical Heritage Society. During the 1970s, the French label Disque Arion released a single album of the same music, produced by Stahl and titled Le Rif: La tribu Ahl Serif. Both albums are credited to Master Musicians of Jajouka (or Maîtres musiciens de Jajouka). The name Master Musicians of Joujouka was first used by Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs in the 1950s, Timothy Leary and Rosemary Woodruff Leary in the 1960s and 1970s, and on the Brian Jones L.P. released in 1971. In the 1980s the musicians were sometimes called by the names Master Musicians of Jahjouka, Master Musicians of Jajouka and Master Musicians of Joujouka in both articles and on official documents.
A schism exists between two similarly-named ensembles from the same village.Lee Ranaldo, following a 1995 visit to Morocco, wrote
[T]here are currently two groups of musicians claiming to be the 'real' Master Musicians OF Jajouka/Joujouka (they're even arguing over the spelling). One group, the 'Jajouka' faction, is led by Bachir Attar, whose father was the leader of the group in the 60s when Brian Jones and Ornette Coleman made their visits.... The 'Joujouka' faction is in the care of Mohammed Hamri, who has been involved with the village since the 50s and 60s, and who had a hand in bringing Brion Gysin and Paul Bowles there.
...
Wikipedia