The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco

Amazon.com
The North African nation of Morocco possesses a diverse music scene, where traditional and popular styles collide and collude. Sacred and secular concerns are omnipresent. Gutty strings and nasal, resonant singers wend their way through sweet-sour scales, hypnotic rhythms, and knife-sharp harmonies. A tinny taxi radio blares a new chaabi (pop) hit, a street-side bard bawls out a broadside, an all-female chorus accompanied by an all-male back-up band wanders from party to party, and a local TV station airs a concert by a classical Arab-Andalouse orchestra--all this while the minaret of every mosque in town simultaneously intones the Muslim call to prayer. It must have been a challenge to gather so many complex and constantly evolving styles onto a single CD, but as usual, the Rough Guide comes through with flying colors. The music has a fervent heat and a graceful rawness but also reveals a core of hard-won serenity. --Christina Roden

Tracks:

Ferahfeza Peprev - Mevlana Kultur Ve Sanat Vakfy Sanatcylary
Az Hoosne Malihe Khud (Pakistan) - Sabri Brothers
Alam (Egypt) - Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tuni
Oalbi Yuhaddithuni (Egypt) - Sheikh Yasin Al-Tuhami
Saba Atu Rijal (Morocco) - Hassan Hakmoun
Tere Ishq Nachaaya (Pakistan) - Abida Parween
Shah Khoshini (Iran) - Ostad Elahi
Dembe (Senegal) - Boubacar Diagne
Al Asfur (Egypt) - Sheikh Ahmad Barrayn
Ghayri Ala S-Sulwan Qadir - Sama I Rast (Syria) - Hamza Shakkur
Rahway Wasdi Jhok Faridan Di (Pakistan) - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Customer Reviews:

Cross-Cultural Journey to the Heart of Sufism.......2006-09-29

In recent years, Sufism (the mystical practices of Islam) has become a popular subject in the West. No small part of this is due to the passionate and powerful singing of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the undisputed master of Pakistani Qawwali music. Naturally, he is included on this CD, but Sufism exerts a pull across the Muslim world, and this CD shows other forms of Sufi music as well. Hassan Hakmoun shows the African-tinged music of Morocco's Gnawa brotherhood, Orchestra al-Kindi (led by Hamza Shakkur) and Sheikh Yasin al-Tuhami demonstrate classical Arabic music traditions, Ostad Elahi performs the music of Iran's Kurdish dervishes, and Boubacar Diagne shows the ceremonial music of the Quadiriya brotherhood of West Africa. Fans of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan are in for a treat, since there are also incredibly moving performances of Qawwali by the Sabri Brothers and Abdia Parween, as well as music from Turkey's Mevlana mystics (the famous 'whirling dervishes'). Drawing upon music from Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Morocco, Iran, Senegal and Syria, this CD is an incredible journey across the Muslim world, showing many different forms of devotion to God through music. Anyone interested in the musical heart of the Islamic faith should check this CD out, as it's cheap, easy to find, and very enlightening.

Diverse Sufi Music from Around the Globe (3.5 of 5).......2004-03-19

This is the first ever Rough Guide to "-----" Music CD that disappointed me. Sadly, I feel lukewarm about half the tracks. I had high expectations and hoped for more zikr and qawwali styles. The words 'captivating' and 'trance-inducing' do not describe the music because nearly half the tracks sound so uninspired. Tracks # 4 and #5 start out slowly and leave me impatient. Perhaps in another culture and era, the music needed to evolve gradually into a fast rhythm and pace. It is likely this took several hours. The one main flaw with this CD is it covers too many different cultures and styles or maybe the problem is the sequence of music, i.e. the order in which they are played. Only 6 out of 11 tracks made a positive impression. Luckily, there are moments when the tiresome tracks redeem themselves with nice instrumentation. The arrival of the sweet sound of the ney or sensitive strumming of a lute is very welcome ...

The first track is the Turkish group, Mevlana Kultur Ve Sanat Vakfy Sanatcylary who use the lute and other string instruments to create a a wave-like undulating melody that feels natural ... like rocking gently on a ship at sea. They manage to weave ancient melodies with a modern expression and bring the message of the 13th C. Sufi philospher into modern times, telling us tolerance is sovereign (the liner notes tell us) and everything has a spirit therefore we should strive not to injure or harm anything. The music matches these words. The sound of the words sung is consistent with the melody and percussion by this group. The Sabri Brothers of East Punjab, India now a part of Pakistan, also produce a wonderful calm introduction that builds up to a very enjoyable intensity, chanting the sacred sound of "ah" ... occasionally there is a lead singer and at times a response is given by a chorus. The tabla creates an extremely infectious beat with natural progression of sound and authenticity. The two artists with the most impact on this CD, are Abida Parween, a female modified qawwali vocalist, who is dynamite and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who helped this genre travel around the world, he needs no introduction. In her rendition of "Tere Ishq Nachaaya", Ms Parween reaches a feverish pitch, with a very satisfying climb on a wonderful musical journey. I like the accordion accompaniment. There is no loss of authenticity with this instrument. While almost anything Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sings is enhanced and magnified into a great listening experience, there are far better songs than the one on this CD. Truly, this could have been had been a powerful and exciting production, unfortunately it disappoints. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

exploring the varieties of Sufi music.......2003-01-29

There are many different styles in this compilation, making it an educational, and interesting CD, if not entirely satisfying .
Track # 1 is a lovely, slow instrumental piece by a 19th century Turkish composer. It has a tranquil feel to it, and since I seem to have an affinity for Turkish music, this is one of my choice selections.
Tracks 2, 6, and 11 are from Pakistan, and though music from this area tends to be a little frantic for my taste, these are excellent examples, with the fabulous Sabri Brothers, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who is perhaps the most world renown musician on this CD.

Tracks 3, 4 and 9 hail from Egypt, and # 9 is recited and sung by Sheikh Ahmed Barrayn, who is described as having a "broken and husky voice", and it carries a power that makes this one of the better pieces for me.
Track # 5 from Morocco, is far and away my favorite piece on this disc, with a dazzling nay (a type of flute) solo that contrasts with the vocal. It is melodic and wonderful.

# 7 from Iran, is an innovative, complex composition on the tanbur (a type of lute). This one is not "lite listening" and may take a few hearings to fully appreciate. # 8 from Senegal is for diverse drums, and # 10 is from Syria, and has some impressive musicianship with "dueling" zither and oud.
The booklet insert has mini bios of the performers, and tells you what CDs these tracks were culled from. The overall sound is good, and total time 72'20.

The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco
Average customer rating:
The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco
Various Artists
Manufacturer: World Music Network
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Morocco | Africa | International | Styles | Music
General | International | Styles | Music
Africa | Compilations | International | Styles | Music
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The Rough Guide to the Music of Egypt

The Rough Guide to the Music of Turkey

The Rough Guide to the Music of Central Asia

The Rough Guide to the Music of the Sahara

Rough Guide to Music of Greece

ASIN: B00018BOSS
Release Date: 2004-02-16

Tracks:

Zeye Meyel - Nass Marrakech
Baba Aadi - Jil Jilala
Bay-Bay - Najm El Farah Essafi
Leilaa Lill - Bnet Marrakech
Touria - Mohamed Amenzou
Mahmouna - Nass El Ghiane
Yedidim Hiou Zehirim - Emil Zrihan
Hijra (Trad Mix) - U-Cef
Taala Fine Ghadi - Fatna Bent El Houcine
Lala Aisha - Hassan Hakmoun
haliou Loudid Lamimtou - Mustapha Bourgogne

Amazon.com

The North African nation of Morocco possesses a diverse music scene, where traditional and popular styles collide and collude. Sacred and secular concerns are omnipresent. Gutty strings and nasal, resonant singers wend their way through sweet-sour scales, hypnotic rhythms, and knife-sharp harmonies. A tinny taxi radio blares a new chaabi (pop) hit, a street-side bard bawls out a broadside, an all-female chorus accompanied by an all-male back-up band wanders from party to party, and a local TV station airs a concert by a classical Arab-Andalouse orchestra--all this while the minaret of every mosque in town simultaneously intones the Muslim call to prayer. It must have been a challenge to gather so many complex and constantly evolving styles onto a single CD, but as usual, the Rough Guide comes through with flying colors. The music has a fervent heat and a graceful rawness but also reveals a core of hard-won serenity. --Christina Roden

Rough Guide to the Music of North Africa

Average customer rating:

A wonderful caravan of music!
Wonderful caravan of music

Rough Guide to the Music of North Africa
Various Artists
Manufacturer: World Music Network
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Algeria | Africa | International | Styles | Music

Egypt | Africa | International | Styles | Music

General | Africa | International | Styles | Music

Morocco | Africa | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Middle East | International | Styles | Music

Africa | Compilations | International | Styles | Music

Middle East & North Africa | Compilations | International | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Africa | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Rough Guide to the Music of Egypt
The Rough Guide to the Music of Sudan
The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco
The Rough Guide to the Music of Pakistan
Rough Guide to the Music of Iran

ASIN: B000001I1E
Release Date: 1997-11-18

Tracks:

M'Hainek Ya Galbi (Algeria) - Cheb Kader
Douni El Bladi (Algeria) - Cheb Mami
Habibi (Egypt) - Ali Hassan Kuban
Lama Bada Yata Sama (Egypt) - Hossam Shaker & His Ensemble
Tahrimni Minnak (Sudan) - Abdel Aziz El Mubarak
Dannab (Sudan) - Abdel Karim El Kabli
Ashranda (Egypt) - Hamza El Din
Mambo El Soudani (Egypt) - Salsmat
Maqsoum (Egypt) - Mahmoud Fadl
Koubou-Koubou (Algeria) - Cheb Khaled & Miloud
La Verite (Algeria) - Cheb Sahraoui & Chaba Fadela
Bechri Lina (Morocco) - Adnan Sefiani & L'Orchestre De Sale
Vent De La Montagne/Six Sous (Algeria) - Houria Aichi
Nikriz (Morocco) - Hassan Erraji & Arabesque

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful caravan of music!.......2000-06-22

After receiving the Rough Guide to World Music book as a present, I was anxious to expore their recorded works. Of them all, this is my favorite, a journey from trance music, to the influences by or from the Indian subcontinent. This is a great introduction to the varied styles, with contemporary examples. As the Rough Guide cd's are somewhat ecclectic in their variety, this is either a great place to start your journey in this music, or a excellent way to expand your tastes. You may not like everything on the cd, at least at first, but it will open a whole new world.

Wonderful caravan of music.......2000-06-21

After a Christmas present of the Rough Guide to World Music book, I was impressed with their printed product. The cd is equally impresssive, as it takes you on a great caravan of North Africa, with a survey encompassing the mystic drone of Morocco and Algeria, to the Indian type music. A great survey, easy to lose yourself in, if this type of music is for you. If you are not familiar with this music, try this cd. You may not like everything, as the Rough Guide thankfully does not play things safe, and can put together an ecclectic, and admirable, cd.

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