The best site on the WWW to read about and purchase Moroccan and other Maghrebian
music is Music of the Maghreb
. Purchases via this site will go to benefit the cultural and academic
activities of the Maghrebi Studies
Group at Binghamton University.
Mike Toler and Rachid Aadani are now hosting a weekly show of music from
North Africa and the Middle East on WHRW 90.5 Binghamton, NY Time in directly
on Tuesdays from 6 pm to 7pm or Visit the show's web site, http://www.raidiffusion.freeservers.com/
for information on how to listen via Real Audio over the Internet.
Xauen Music Inc Hicham Chami and
his instrument, the Qanun. Hicham’s last distinction was the “Best instrumentalist
of Chicago”, annually awarded by the prestigious Chicago Magazine. Hicham
is the first Muslim Arab ever to win such distinction
Cyber
Gnawas is dedicated to the Gnawa, (or Gnaoua, French spelling)
a mystical brotherhood of musician healers based primarily out of Morocco,
and their recent representation on the Web. From marginalized subculture to
"official" representatives of Moroccan culture, many Gnawa have
undergone a dramatic transition in the past decade as their music has been
"discovered" by western "world music" lovers. Consequently,
the Web has been a central mean of disseminating information about this culture.
The Kasbah Band/ Sounds of Morocco August 28, 2006 Kennedy Center Millenium Stage
This Moroccan band play traditional as well as modern Moroccan music that is derived from Arabic, Jewish, sub-Saharan, and Spanish influences. They also explore the origins of Flamenco music. Part of the Genesis at the Crossroads cultural exchange program, ARTSLINK, 2006 Governor’s International Arts Exchange Program Grant Recipient.
Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble February 20, 2006 Kennedy Center Millenium Stage
Xauen Music presents Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble, comprised of musicians from the U.S., Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Israel, and France, performs “The Songs of Sayyed Darweesh: Soul of a People.”
Genesis at the Crossroads presents Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble August 31, 2005 Kennedy Center Millenium Stage
Genesis at the Crossroads presents Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble consists of musicians from the U.S., Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Israel, and France, and performs North African, Middle Eastern, Turkish, Armenian, Sepharadic music, introducing audiences to the major genres of Arabic music: the maqams, taqasim, and iqa'at.
Anissa et Marsdrive (Kennedy
Center Millenium Stage Thursday, Jan 29, 2004) Anissa et Marsdrive, from
Rennes, fuse an electronic cocktail lounge sound with the eastern-edged vocals
of Moroccan singer Anissa.
DuOud , Natacha Atlas July 17, 2003 Kennedy Center Millenium Stage
The two oud-playing Parisians of DuOud combine their North African heritage with the latest in Western technology. Natacha Atlas follows blending her unfettered talent (dance and song) and the complexities of Arabic musical theory into a burst of sound that is thrilling, immediate and evocative. Vive La World! Tour
Hassan Hakmoun (Kennedy
Center performance of July 17, 2002), originally from Morocco, is currently
a New York-based musician who will take you for a sizzling foray into the
mysterious world of the Gnawa. Former slaves originally from the Sudan who
travelled to Morocco and converted to Islam, the Gnawa people of Morocco serve
as intermediaries in the spirit world and also as entertainers. Hassan was
raised in Marrakech and began to study the healing rituals of tagnawit, the
Gnawa-related arts and lore, at a young age. His travels led him to Europe
and the U.S. and eventually to participate in several WOMAD tours, recordings
with his fusion group Zahar and work with Peter Gabriel. The Fire Within is
Hassan's first traditional-based musical project, featuring the sintir, a
three-stringed bass lute. Clear, balanced melodies and driving, syncopated
rhythms make the music appealing to Western listeners. Several of the songs
on this recording are taken from different parts of the derdeba, a trance
ritual held to placate spirits that inhabit people or places. Deeply entrancing,
The Fire Within hit the European world music charts within a week of its release
(MOTW135 CD only).
Sawt el Atlas (Voices of the Atlas) (Kennedy
Center performance of July 11, 2001) blends traditional music with rai,
reggae, funk and Latino beats. The original line-up of Sawt el Atlas consisted
of three brothers from each of two families, the Mirghanis (originally from
Southern Morocco) and the El Habchis (from Casablanca). They were later joined
by four other musicians. Lead singers Kamel and Mounir and their brothers
grew up in the suburbs of Blois, in the center of France. They were just 12
when they started to tour the country in the early nineties with the support
of the famous mayor of Blois, Jack Lang, who is also the former French Minister
of Culture and founder of FranceÆs national day of music. Sawt el Atlas
has played at many festivals in France, Holland and Germany (the Rennes Transmusicales,
the La Rochelle Fancofolies, the Printemps de Bourges, the Arezzo Festival,
the Tilburg Festival, the Roskilde Festival, etc.), and they have supported
a number of major artists on tour (Massilia Sound System, Khaled, Cheb Mami,
Keziah Jones, Tonton David, etc.). In 1996, after more than 200 performances,
they released their first CD, entitled "Generaliser" a lively album
swept along by its Arabic-French lyrics.
The
Master Musicians of Jajouka are an all-male group from the foothills of
the Rif Mountains about a hundred kilometers south of Tangier, Morocco. Described
by William S. Burroughs as "a 4000 year old rock'n'roll band," they are born
into a unique family of musicians who have received royal patronage for centuries.
Exempt from all work except making music, the Master Musicians have done nothing
else since birth. They are taught from a very early age by their Master Musician
family to play an ancient music that is unlike any other. In Morocco, musicians
are considered magicians, who possess the power to heal, and who can communicate
with the spirits of the hills and the flocks and most importantly the spirits
of music. See also http://africanmusic.org/artists/jajouka.html,
http://www.eyeneer.com/World/Nawa/Profiles/Jajouka/,
and http://www.worldmusicportal.com/Artists/African/Moroccan/mastermusiciansofjajouka.htm
Moroccan Street
Music and Songs and Rhythms of Morocco by Lyrichord Discs
Musique
Marocaine diverse collection of sound clips from Ministry of Communications
JukeBox A shockwave interface providing
more than 70 tracks (20-60 min) from Radio Casablanca
Afro-Caribbean Music is a non-commercial server is devoted to the promotion
of the Afro-Caribbean culture by the mean of it's music and presently lists
seven CDs in it's Morocco
page. There are links to a commercial site in France for purchase.
ARC Music Our label has
been established for approximately 20 years and we specialize in top quality
world & folk music. Our site is possibly the most extensive collection
of world and folk music from around the world. Screen
shot of their Morocco Collection (11/99)
JILALA
Sufi trance music from Morocco
see also Amazon.com (lists 40 titles on 9/2003): click on Search
