Although the label “trance music” may conjure up images of a nightclub stuck in the ’90s, tonight, UCLA Live brings a different kind of trance to Royce Hall: a musical tradition more than a thousand years old. The Master Musicians of Jajouka, hailing from a small village in Morocco, combine the disharmony of oboe-like instruments, flutes, and drums to create a musical experience loaded with spirit, vitality and hypnotism.
Site of the tomb of Sidi Ahmed Sheikh, a man who spread Islam throughout northern Morocco in about 800 A.D., the village of Jajouka has long been a place to seek redemption and offer prayers to the deceased Sheikh. It wasn’t until Brian Jones, late lead guitarist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones, visited in 1968 that the village attracted the attention of a worldwide audience. Jones was so moved by the music of the Master Musicians that he recorded an album with them, released posthumously and under the misspelled title of “The Pipes of Pan at Joujouka.”
Commonly thought to be the first World Music LP, “The Pipes of Pan at Joujouka” brought global attention to the ancient Moroccan group. Under the lead of Bachir Attar, the 10-member group of the Master Musicians of Jajouka have now toured all over the world, as well as produced a variety of CDs.
Attar, who gained prominence in the group in succession of his father, Jnuin “El Hadj” Abdelsalam el Attar, in 1982, has been practicing and performing the art of Jajouka music since he was only a small child.
“I studied with my father from the age of 3, and I never went to school; nor did I go into the army as most musicians were forced to do because of lack of income,” Attar said.
This may sound extreme to many, but to Attar, it is a necessary part of becoming adept in the tradition.
“It is very difficult to play this music if you have not studied with a Master since the age of 3,” Attar said. “There are those who try to copy us, but if you know the true music, you will see that it cannot be copied by those who are not true Masters.”
The music itself has been carried on through the tradition of passing knowledge and skills from father to son. This process has taken place for generations, ever since a member of the Attar family had the music passed onto him by Boujeloud, a version of the Greek god Pan.
“I am the heir to the mantle of my father’s music,” Attar said.
The Master Musicians of Jajouka use the ghaita, gimbri and the lira ““ which are similar to the oboe, lute, and recorder, respectively ““ as well as various drums.
Often quite frantic-sounding, with distinctive voicings dueling among themselves, the instruments nonetheless combine their sounds to form an overall complementary style. The wind and string instruments repeat simple lines, passing the melody from one to another and often clashing. The two-headed drums, however, keep the flow of constant, consistent rhythm, which puts the reigns on the wild, discordant harmonies.
Excluding history students, many students think the terms “ancient” or “traditional” actually mean dull and boring. Attar, however, gets rid of these notions with the Master Musicians by adding in new pieces to their repertoire. He has performed for college students many times before, and he finds they enjoy the music of Jajouka immensely.
Of tonight’s performance at UCLA, Attar said simply, “It will be great.”