Archive for April, 2014

Morocco’s First Master Musicians of Jajouka Festival led by Bachir Attar, Your Morocco Tour

Wednesday, April 16th, 2014

Master Musicians of Jajouka, Photograph by Cherrie Nutting

This May 15th – 17th, 2014, the foothills of Jajouka, Morocco and home of Bachir Attar will play host to the very first festival featuring the Master Musicians of Jajouka. Attendees of the festival will have the opportunity to experience the enchanting trance like sound and magical music of the Jajouka Maalimin accompanied by Bass player and producer extraordinaire, Bill Lawell. The rich diversity of the repertoire of the Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar boasts ancient and new renditions whereby Jazz, Dub and experimental improvisations by Bill Laswell on Bass merge merge together on the center stage.

The Master Musicians of Jajouka is a group led by Bachir Attar, from the village of Jajouka near Ksar-el-Kebir in the southern Rif Mountains of Northern Morocco. The inhabitants of this small village are from the Ahl Sherif (“the saintly”) tribe. The Attar clan of Jajouka is the founding family of Jajouka and keepers of one of the world’s oldest and most unique surviving musical traditions.

Master Musicians of Jajouka Festival trailer  

YouTube Preview Image

The music and secrets of Jajouka have been passed down through generations from father to son, by some accounts for as long as 1,300 years. The musicians of Jajouka are taught from early childhood a complex music that is unique to Jajouka, until they finally become malims or masters.

They possess baraka, (good luck) or the blessing of Allah, which gives them the power to heal, and the endurance required to play some of the most intense and complex music around. The Master Musicians of Jajouka are all descendants of one family, the Attars. Attar is a Sufi watchword and a deeply mystical name meaning “perfume maker”.

Brian Jones discovered the Jajouka sound and recorded the group in the 1960’s. He introduced their music globally through the world music scene, via the recording “Brian Jones presents the Pipes of Pan at Jajouka“. Since then, the band has collaborated with monumental musicians such as the Rolling Stones, Patti Smith, Maceo Parker, Ornette Coleman, John Zorn and Howard Shore. The Master Musicians of Jajouka have toured internationally for over thirty years while keeping Jajouka as their home.

In 2013, “The Road to Jajouka – a Benefit Album” was released on Howe Records featuring dozens of well-known musicians.

The Master Musicians of Jajouka were official musicians of the Sultans and Kings of Morocco, hired and fully devoted to perfecting their art. In modern day times without this form of patronage and with the decline of many recorded formats and traditional record companies, the music of the Master Musicians is endangered of disappearing completely.

About the Master of Musicians Instrumentation:

Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar the band led by Bachir Attar is comprised of eight to ten musicians who master a variety of unique instruments such as the Ghaita (similar to an Oboe), that they play in unison, with the occasional improvisations by Bachir, the band leader; the Tebel ( double-sided goat skin percussion played with two sticks ) ; the Lira (a bamboo flute ); the Guembri, ( three-stringed lute )  and call-response vocals. The current band also features a violin player.

CNN Video:

YouTube Preview Image

Festival Performance Dates in Jajouka: May 17th & 18th, 2014       

Festival Performers:  The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar & Special Guest Bill Lazwell

Tickets to the Master of Musicians of Jajouka Festival Include:

–  Moroccan three course dinner made exclusively of organic produce in traditional village setting

– For Category 2 tickets garden accommodations at Bachir’s Attar’s house 

Location of Jajouka: Jajouka is approximately 1 ½ Hours from Chefchaouen and 3 hours from Tangier. The Festival and the village of Jajouka can be accessed by private transport, train or taxi.

For more information about a tour to Chefchaouen region and the Master of Musicians of Jajouka Festival

Phone: +212 624 843 839  https://www.facebook.com/bachirattar4000year

Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara Desert,Berber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration
Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel.  We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or + 1 (212) 618882681 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.

Trip Advisor Names Marrakech Leading Vacation Destination, Traveler’s Choice Awards

Monday, April 14th, 2014

Marrakech Atlas Mountain Views

The “Red Hamra” City of Marrakech was ranked as the sixth leading vacation destination by Trip Advisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards for 2014. Marrakech has risen to the top of Trip Advisor’s sixth annual destination list just behind the Czech Republic, rising thirteen spots from 2013. This magical city is surrounded by the Atlas Mountains, Berber villages, magnificent waterfalls and maintains it’s enchanting beauty with unique flora and fauna that is in full bloom year round.

Marrakech is two hours from Africa’s second highest Mountain, Djebel Toubkal, where Moroccan travelers can hike and ski during most seasons. Marrakech is also just a few hours from the seaside town of Essaouira, Imperial Rabat, Casablanca, and the Berber seacoast region of Agadir. Marrakech is located a few hours from the Cascades D’Ouzoud waterfalls and four hours from Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Ouarzazate region. With its prime location, Marrakech is the prefect city to visit on a private tour or for a sun holiday.

 

La Maison Arabe, Morocccan Classical Riad

La Maison Arabe, Morocccan Classical Riad

Marrakech has also been earmarked as the ideal vacation hub by major media outlets such as New York Times and Travel & Leisure. The city easily awes travelers with its temperate climate. Home to Muslim and Jewish Heritage historical sites, delightful Moroccan restaurants, up market well appointed accommodations and lush gardens, Marrakech has a reputation for being a city of romance and as well as a shoppers paradise.

Yves Saint Laurent must have felt the same. He made Marrakech his second home in the 1970’s, then purchased and restored the Jardin Majorelle in 1980, known today as the Majorelle Gardens. The Majorelle Gardens is a perfect rendition of an exotic garden with cactus, palm trees, bamboo, coconut palms, thujas, weeping willows, carob trees, jasmine, agaves, white water lilies, datura, cypress, bougainvilleas, and ferns. Majorelle was once a hidden gem yet today it has become the trendy place visited by most tourists who come to Marrakech. Moroccan travelers not only have the gardens to enjoy but also a charming book store with unique titles and prints, a colorful gift shop and a small green café. The Majorelle Gardens also lays claim to Morocco’s only Islamic & Berber Museum with an mini wing devoted Amazaigh Jewelry and traditional rural crafted pieces.

British film director Alfred Hitchcock during the shooting of his movie 'The Birds'.

Marrakech has a history of attracting artists, writers, new world explorers and film makers – those in transit searching for place in Morocco to call home. As a temporary residence for many of the past, Marrakech’s La Mamounia is where Alfred Hitchcock  “The Birds” and Winston Churchill had his own suite. Marrakech has been on the bucket list of the elite, hippies and government figures since the 18th Century. Turn the page and nothing’s quite changed yet.

Original Marrakechi folk came from the “Bled,” Arab and Berber villages – and remained in the medina for several centuries. Some of Morocco’s richest men and families once resided in the Marrakech medina that over time has become the most sought after medina in Morocco for business and pleasure alike.

Since 1995 Europeans and upwardly mobile Moroccans have aggressively restored and built elaborate, luxury Riads and modest Guest houses in the Marrakech medina to accommodate world travelers. Today the Marrakech medina, while popular among foreign travelers, has a large population of locals that still live there whose heritage dates back to the 16th Century and before.

The charm of Marrakech’s Ville Nouvelle  (new town) Gueliz and Hivernage is long standing. With the click clack sound that runs along the alleys made by horse drawn carriages, the grand palm lined Avenue Mohammed VI reminiscent of the Champs Elysées in Paris, flower budding sides streets with cafes serving up espresso and croissants, some claim Marrakech is “Land of God.”

“Land of God” originates from the Berber (Amazigh) words mr (n) akush yet others say that the towns name refers to “county of sons of Kush.” Old Marrakech however set the stage for trade given it was once the siting of some of Morocco’s largest caravans. Caravans passed through Marrakech and the exterior region from the South trading dates, sugar, livestock and more.

For many the town of Marrakech may be referred to as the “Land of God” or the home of the “Laughing People” yet for those who have made this city their longtime home, we will simply settle on – “Kech.”

For More Information about Marrakech Travel

Morocco’s Imperial CitiesSeaside Resorts,Sahara Desert,Berber villagesA Taste of MoroccoMagical Kasbahs, Ruins & WaterfallsAbsolute Morocco, The Best of MarrakechFes, and Ouarzazate

Discover The Best of Morocco - Travel Exploration
Travel Exploration specializes in Morocco Travel.  We provide Tours and travel opportunities to Morocco for the independent traveler and tailor-made tours for families and groups with a distinctly unique flavor. From Morocco’s Seven Imperial Cities, to the Magical Sahara Travel Exploration offers a captivating experience that will inspire you. At Travel Exploration we guarantee that you will discover the best of Morocco! Call Travel Exploration at 1 (800) 787-8806 or + 1 (212) 618882681 and let’s book a tour to Morocco for you today.