Gnawa Night Spirit Masters
Jack McCaslin, friend, printmaker, and musicologist gave me this CD before a trip I took with my family to Morocco. It instantly became a favourite, and my first inroad into what is, I suppose, world music. Despite not knowing a thing about the origins of Gnawa, I have enjoyed listening to the record for years and am finally doing my bit to share the love and pass on the magic. Gnawa music is (originally) North-African religious music, often performed with acrobatics. Wikipedia says that it has become increasingly profane as it has become more modernised. I would like to hear more of the profane, but for now this record remains the only Gnawa music I own.
Apart from being completely rhythmically mesmerising, the performances on record are incredibly energetic. While we were in Morocco I recorded a couple of musical performances on a cruddy dictaphone my dad had. Unfortunately, like similar recordings I made in Tanzania a couple of years later, they have been lost to time. Perhaps I will recover them in a box of mysterious goodies I recently unearthed at my parents house… Either way, enjoy. And if anyone has an Gnawa music kicking around, let me know!
Mediafire download: Gnawa Night Spirit Masters