50 years since their first LP ‘Brian Jones presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka’ was released on Rolling Stones Records, The Master Musicians of Joujouka are issuing a double LP recorded live at Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. The recordings are a full immersion into the Joujouka sound with disc one featuring hypnotic flutes and drums and a side of songs with mountain violin (kamanja) played by virtuoso Scheik Ahmed Talha and lead vocals by the late Abdeslam Boukhzar. Disc two features the frenzied deep trance of the rhaita suite Boujeloud, recorded in its entirety for the first time.
According to the record’s producer Frank Rynne: “Having worked with the Masters for nearly 3 decades I was holding off on producing a new LP until I was sure we could overcome the difficulties in recording this music where the group go from unearthly quiet tranquillity to being the loudest folk band on the planet. ‘Live in Paris’ has achieved that. It is the first Joujouka album that has both perfect low-end drums and the delicate high end of the lead rhiata. It’s the best Joujouka album so far. This has been a testing time with the group’s live performances and the planned collaborative tour of Japan with The Orb postponed due to Covid-19. It’s time for this music.”
Jarvis Cocker of Pulp who worked with The Masters in 2017 for his BBC Radio 4 show Wireless Nights previewing the LP wrote: “In January 2017 I had one of the most intense musical experiences of my life. I travelled to Morocco to witness the Master Musicians of Joujouka play in the village they call their home. Their performance lasted a whole evening, starting relatively gently indoors then moving outside & building to an unforgettable climax featuring a visitation from Boujeloud whilst a bonfire raged & the full moon hung in the sky above. It was a truly transcendental moment. Listen to this record & tap into that same power. The music of the musicians of Joujouka is not improvised - it has been honed & perfected over many, many years to help the listener access altered states. The performance captured here is structured in exactly the same manner as the one I witnessed. Put the needle on the record & prepare to take the journey of a lifetime.”
Another stellar endorsement comes from Harry Sword, author of Monolithic Undertow: In Search of Sonic Oblivion, who stated: “A transcendent, joyous, hypnotic trip. Nobody makes music like the Masters and 'Live in Paris' captures the weight and sheer primal uplift of the Joujouka sound like never before: psychedelic in the truest sense of the word.”
Ahmed El Attar leader of The Master Musicians of Joujouka said: “This is the best we have ever sounded on a recording. After a year of Covid lockdowns we are delighted to offer this healing music and pray it will help some people.”
credits
released April 23, 2021
The Master Musicians of Joujouka on this recording are:
Ahmed El Attar, Mustapha El Attar (RIP): farad and backing vocals
El Khalil Radi and Ahmed Talha: zowak and backing vocals
Abdeslam Rrtoubi, Abdellah Ziyat, Ali Ezouglali,
El Touhami Talha, Mohamed El Attar, Mohamed Mokhchan: ghiata, lira and backing vocals
(Sheik) Ahmed Talha: kamanja and vocals
Lead Vocals: Abdeslam Boukhzar (RIP)
Mohamed El Hatmi danced as Boujeloud.
The front cover image is of Boujeloud in Joujouka by sonic artist Robert Hampson.
Producer: Frank Rynne, Co-Producer: Sébastien Cappigny
Mixed by Antoine Bordeaux at Studio Ferber-Paris, Mastered by Benjamin Joubert at Biduloscope
All songs by Master Musicians of Joujouka published by Schut Productions/Sacem
This concert by The Master Musicians of Joujouka was recorded on 14 September 2016 in the Grande Salle, Centre George Pompidou, Paris and was organised by Spectacles Vivants du Centre Pompidou, as part of the exhibition “Beat Generation” 22 June-3 October 2016 which took place in Galerie 1, Centre Pompidou.
Programmed by Serge Laurent and coordinated by Linus Gratte for Les Spectacles vivants du Centre Pompidou
Live production at Centre Pompidou:
General set manager: Fabrice Pleynet
Sound engineers: Michel Bourzeix and Lionel Linet
Lighting engineers: Cécile Baudart and Hamid Jouhdy, Assistant: Johan Emi Mpuiba
Stage managers: Patric Sablonnières and Miguel Tudela
Curators: Philippe-Alain Michaud and Jean-Jacques Lebel, Rani Singh with Enrico Camporesi
My god, what an absolutely incredible Suite. I'll admit, I've struggled to get into Pharoah Sanders due to diving headfirst into some of his most challenging catalogue and that never worked. This is the perfect place to restart. Floating Points is new for me and I can honestly say I've never heard synthesizer music this lush and organic before. the LSO is just perfect. This is one of those albums that any serious music fan needs in their life. The perfect swan song for the great Pharaoh! 5/5 ClassyMusicSnob
Connecting with local musicians, Swedish musician Karl-Jonas Winqvist combines traditional Sengalese sounds with daring experimentation. Bandcamp Album of the Day Mar 2, 2021
During the final days of writing my thesis I listened to this album on repeat for hours at a time. It was like being suspended in one eternal moment while all that changed around me were the ripples and eddies of a slowly meandering river. catharina_bee