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| The Gnawa: Abdellah El Gourd and Randy Weston Present the Traditional Music of Morocco The Gnawa in Morocco, like African-Americans in the United States, were taken as slaves from sub-Saharan Africa and developed a unique and very spiritual music and culture. On October 13, Abdellah El Gourd will talk about and demonstrate aspects of traditional gnawan music, and New School Jazz Artist-In-Residence Randy Weston (who has been playing with Abdellah for forty-eight years) will consider how this traditional music influences his own music. They will also perform together, along with Dar Gnawa of Tanger, a group of traditional Moroccan musicians led by El Gourd. Ganawa music is one of the major musical currents in Morocco. Moroccans overwhelmingly love Gnawa music and Gnawas 'Maalems' are highly respected, and enjoy an aura of musical stardom. The melodic language of the stringed instrument is closely related to their vocal music and to their speech patterns, as is the case in much African music. It is a language that emphasizes on the tonic and fifth, with quavering pitch-play, especially pitch-flattening, around the third, the fifth, and sometimes the seventh. This is the language of the blues. "The term Ganawa has three important meanings. First, it refers to black people who were enslaved in West Africa. It is commonly believed that Gnawa of Morocco were originally black slaves [who also served as soliders] and who over time had become free under various historical circumstances. Second, it defines both a religious/spiritual order of a traditionally Black Muslim group. The Gnawa are traditionally a mystic order which marks their exclusiveness within Islam and the religious and spiritual components of Gnawa practice incorporates references to their origin and their enslavement. Third, it denotes the style of music associated with this order. The ancestral memory (turath) of the displaced and enslaved people that were brought to Morocco is preserved mainly in their songs and dances." -Dr. Chouki El Hamel Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm John L. Tishman Auditorium, University Center 63 Fifth Avenue, Room U100 New York, NY 10003 write your comments about the article :: © 2015 Jazz News :: home page |