SF056 - Ecstatic Music of the Jemaa El Fna
The Jemaa El Fna is the central square in Marrakesh, one of Morocco's great imperial cities. On a nightly basis for centuries, the Jemaa El Fna (Rendezvous of the Dead) remains the stage for one of the most spectacular social forums on the planet. By day It fosters a kaleidoscope of entertainment for its local inhabitants; storytellers, acrobats, magicians and snake charmers all create intriguing displays of bewitching spectacle. As the sun sets, the evening grows frantic with the pulse of the crowd, it is then that the night musicians set up. Free from the restrictions and expectations of light entertainment for a tourist crowd, these musicians manifest ecstatic performances that animate the audience and players alike. The groups represented on this album; Troupe Majidi, Amal Saha, and Mustapha Mahjoub, are on a nightly basis working and carrying the torch of their musical heroes. These songs come from the repertoire of Morocco's greatest musical exports: Nass El Ghiwane, Lemchaheb, Jil Jilala, Larssad and many others from the Chaabi (Moroccan popular music) canon. These songs are given a raw, emotional and fiery interpetation. Instraments are powered by car batteries and blown out through megaphone speakers. These recordings represent a rare opportunity to hear this music at such close proximity taking in all the power and passion of its players and audience alike. The raw fidelity catures an unflinching immersion of what is simply some of the greatest street music on earth. Recorded by Hisham Mayet in 2005, some of these performances were featured in the film Musical Brotherhoods from the Trans-saharan Highway, this release has tracks not in the film for a more potent snapshot of this ecstatic music of the Jemaa El Fna.
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