Berbers Rock!

My hands are still tingling! My feet are still tapping! And my heart will never stop singing..!

I only popped round to the kitchen to ask for a new tea towel. And it turned into the coolest jamming session ever!

Ever since the impromptu Christmas concert in our garden, we have been keen to learn more about the local music scene. Morocco’s music, we realised early on , is tightly bound with a strong sense of cultural and ethnic pride and is an integral part of a profound spiritual tradition. So far we have only just begun to understand the interplay between the Arab Moroccan and his Berber compatriot. Though, crucially, as Muslims, they share the same religion - Islam - each group have their own distinct cultural heritage. 

When we discovered that Hassan, an exuberant member of the Rebali team and a proud Berber, had been the Maestro behind our Christmas revelry, we were in no doubt that this had been a Berber celebration. The instruments, format and even the rhythms, we learnt, were quite different to those of the ‘Chaabi’ (‘pop’) scene, sung in Morrocan Arabic (Darija) and largely influenced by Western Rock. They differed too to the Andalusian blend of Arab and Spanish music, dating back to the 9thcentury. Known as El-Ala this is considered to be the country’s classical music, usually accompanying religious ceremonies. Then there is the Gnawa, a potent fusion of Arab, Berber and African rhythums, dating back to the 16th century and associated in particular with Essaouira.

More later...

This evening was about Berber!

Hassan’s instruments were piled up in the corner of the kitchen. Each of the three Berber regions in Morocco posess their own language and rhythms, but all Berber music, like Hassan’s, centres upon the round drum (Bendir) and the Banjo. 

I started tapping on the table. Hassan grinned. I upped my rhythm. He upped his smile! In an instant the Banjo was lovingly unfurled from its wrap and the drum was on the table. And then between my knees! And then we were rocking - and I was utterly possessed! Fantastic! 

There in that tiny, kitchen outhouse, with the Chicago and Jedi Mohammeds providing a cool chorus-line we were our own music festival!

Glastonbury eat your heart out!