https://youtu.be/HIW3y-ccd6c

Bachir Attar - vocals, ghaita, guinbri, lira
Mustapha Attar - vocals, lira, ghaita, drums
Abdellah Bokhzar - vocals, drums
Mohamed Attar (Berdous) - vocals, drums
Abdeslam Moudene - vocals,drums, ghaita
Ahmed Bakhat - vocals, violin, drums
Ahmed el Balloutti - vocals, drums

Recorded by Jacopo Andreini
Jajouka, Morocco
November 18th to 21st, 2019

“Something that all who listen to music should encounter at least once in their lives.” – Spectrum Culture

Beautifully recorded in situ in the Rif mountains in the autumn of 2019, this 110-minute double CD presents these legendary musicians expansively and unhindered. Based in Jajouka, Morocco, The Master Musicians are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance makers, committed to creating a contemporary representation of their centuries-old musical tradition.

The album is produced by long time band leader Bachir Attar, and with all but one of the tracks exceeding 10-minutes in length, it is clear that these recordings authoritatively grasp the textured essence of this timeless ensemble.

Deeply hypnotic and earth-shakingly intense.

Jajouka is the name of a hidden village in the Jebala foothills of northern Morocco. You won’t find it on any roadmap. But Jajouka is the home of the tribe Ahl Serif, sometimes translated as The Saintly, because they are descended from an Arab healer called Sidi Hamid Sheich, whose shrine the Ahl Serif hold sacred. The tribal musicians’ fame derives from their preservation of music whose origins go back to antiquity. William Burroughs called The Master Musicians of Jaouka “the four thousand year-old rock and roll band.”

The Master Musicians of Jajouka have been recorded many times over the years, often in collaboration with artists as diverse as Ornette Coleman and the Rolling Stones, and this new album, Dancing Under the Moon, sounds like their finest ever.

The CD booklet contains extensive photo documentation as well as liner notes by acclaimed music journalist Stephen Davis.