Music

“One of the most musically inspiring groups still left on the planet”
— Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones

“Intricate, hypnotic, beautiful. And if you’re in the right frame of mind, mesmerising”
— Anthony Bourdain, Chef, Author, and TV personality
Enter a magical Moroccan soundscape first created more than 1,000 years ago
Jajouka is a Sufi Muslim village in the mountains of northern Morocco and home to an amazing musical tradition over 1,000 years old. Here, hereditary musicians employ local instruments such as the ghaita (double reed),lira (bamboo flute), gimbri (fourstringed lute), bendir (hand drum) and tebel (double-skinned drum) to conjure up intoxicating ritual music. Works are interwoven with complex rhythms and melodic themes that transport listeners to a transcendent realm. From the 1950s onwards, the multi-patterned sound has inspired Western avant-garde painters, writers and musicians, including Brion Gysin, Paul Bowles, William Burroughs, Brian Jones, the Rolling Stones and Ornette Coleman, to journey to Jajouka. They in turn have helped spread the village’s special musical heritage internationally.
Viewed as an inherited calling, Jajouka performers begin their training at a young age and take a lifetime to reach the level of a master. For generations, the Attar family served as prestigious court musicians to the Moroccan Sultans. In 1982, Bachir Attar took over the Master Musicians of Jajouka from his father. The group has gone on to achieve global acclaim, undertaking world tours and recordings with many celebrated artists, and receiving Canada’s Prix Miroir for World Music in 2008. The ensemble’s repertoire includes traditional and newly arranged works, along with pieces specifically preserved by the Attar family. A wonderful opportunity to experience first-hand the enigmatic sounds that have entranced so many other legendary artists!