Moroccan Gypsies

Again creative expression is the key to the selection and this music is about as far away as you can get from the background tinkling of what is marketed internationally as Nuevo flamenco nowadays. Crossing the Straight of Gibraltar to Morrocco really takes us into Le Son Africain territory…but what the heck..the links between the music of Spanish gypsies and that on ‘Moroccan Gypsies’ are there even if the instrumentation and vocal arrangement are different.

What is striking about this release is just how melodious it all is once the listener becomes accustomed to the modes employed. There are great percussion pieces in what is known as the Issawa style (Ben Souda’s gypsy group), yet each of these pieces is remarkably distinctive from the other, with the character of each determined by the varied percussion instruments used or the incantation-riffs of various oboes. These Issawi pieces alternate with superb Gnawa pieces (Sidi Mimoun’s gypsy group) that impart a bluesy intensity bolstered by the funky bass plucking of the gimbri (3 string lute). They definitely fulfil their intended function of driving the djinns (devils) from your body. RJ Feb 2003