The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar


The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance musicians, serving as a modern representation of a centuries-old music tradition. The collective includes musicians from the village of Jajouka, in the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco. Most members are the sons of previous members, and adopt the surname Attar.
This group originated with The Master Musicians of Joujouka, which has been active since at least the early 1950s. Bachir Attar split with the original collective and started his own ensemble in the 1990s.

History

The original Master Musicians of Joujouka were first documented by Western journalists in the early 1950s. In the early 1990s, the collective split into two factions, as first reported by visiting musician Lee Ranaldo. The original collective retained the name "The Master Musicians of Joujouka". Meanwhile, the faction led by Bachir Attar, son of a man who had led the group in the late 1960s, took on the name "The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar". Bachir Attar's group attracted protests at concerts in the United Kingdom, and international journalists noted that the schism created discord in the collective's home village. Other journalists and fans conceded that both groups were working to preserve their ancient musical heritage.
Bachir Attar's group released the album Apocalypse Across the Sky in 1992, produced by Bill Laswell. Jajouka Between the Mountains followed in 1996, produced by Tchad Blake; and Master Musicians of Jajouka Featuring Bachir Attar, produced by Talvin Singh, was released in 2000. Their most recent album, The Road to Jajouka, was released in 2014 and featured guest appearances by Ornette Coleman, John Medeski, Flea, DJ Logic, Lee Ranaldo, Bill Laswell, and many others.

Members

;Current
;Former