Master Musicians of Jajouka

FOM Newsletter October 2000

The Road From Morocco: Master Musicians of Jajouka

By John J. Donohue
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday , October 8, 2000 ; Page G09

Now that it's nearly impossible to swing a shopping bag in a record store without hitting an overflowing bin marked "World Music," how does one of the first groups to carry that label try to distinguish itself? One way is to enlist--and prominently credit--a hip young producer, which is what the Master Musicians of Jajouka have done on their latest self-titled release. The record features the sonic manipulations of a highly acclaimed British tabla player and producer named Talvin Singh, whose name gets prime billing on the album's cover.

The Master Musicians, from a farming village in the foothills of Morocco's Rif mountains, use drums and traditional instruments such as the ghaita (similar to the oboe), the lira (a type of bamboo flute) and the guimbir (a three-stringed lute) to play centuries-old ceremonial music. In the late '60s the group came to the attention of writer William Burroughs (he called them a "4,000-year-old rock band"), Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and other bohemian habitues of nearby Tangiers. Jones was so transfixed by the group's hypnotic sound that he recorded it for a 1971 album. With the release of "Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Jajouka," the group found its first success among Western record buyers.

Since then, the group has collaborated with a variety of artists, including Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman. This new album with Singh, though, marks the first time the Master Musicians have ventured into the realm of techno and electronica. Singh has worked with Madonna, Bjork and Blondie, and his name adds a great deal of cachet to the Master Musicians album. Unfortunately, his involvement appears to be a calculated choice, driven more by commercial prospects than artistic merit.

Ironically, the problem is that Singh doesn't do enough: Perhaps he was too aware of the reaction to the initial Brian Jones album, which was roundly criticized for indulging in a bevy of psychedelic tricks, and kept his involvement to a minimum. Studio effects complement the Master Musicians on only a handful of tracks--turntable scratching appears on the aptly named "Jamming in London" and the delightfully glib "Above the Moon," while atmospheric echoes and gurgling sonic touches enhance "Searching for Passion."

The balance of the album's 11 tracks feature the Master Musicians at their most self-indulgent. The music is droning, and a little of it goes a long way. Two exceptions are a light and moving lute solo titled "Taksim" and "The Blessing for the World From God Only," which consists of plaintive female chanting. The Master Musicians seem to want to have it both ways: to add a little dash of commercialism to their name, yet avoid exploring new musical territory. This halfhearted foray into electronica makes essentially eternal music into something that is nearly disposable.

(To hear a free Sound Bite from this album, call Post-Haste at 202-334-9000 and press 8154.)

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