World of Gnawa

Various Artists

album cover

Opening Spirit Pathways

The Gnawa brotherhoods of Morocco chase ecstasy—and express devotion—through drums and chants. In nighttime rituals notable for both their games and their solemnity, these Islamic seekers trade repeated call-and-response phrases: A lead voice issues a strident, sometimes taunting idea, and the others around the circle answer back. Accompanying (and often dictating the pace of) this communication is a nimble, mesmerizing rhythm from the tabi, a doublesided drum played with olive-wood sticks, and large metal castanets called qareqeb. The three-stringed guinbri, which is either plucked or slapped, provides sketchy harmony.

Gnawa music gets its driving rhythm from West Africa (the polyrhythms traveled with slaves to Morocco) and its devotional orientation from Islam. This makes a powerful combination, especially when delivered by impassioned voices like those captured on the compilation World of Gnawa, which was recorded in Morocco and features many of the form's ace practitioners. A pronounced mystical "spirit" drives every selection, from the opening call to ritual ("Aada 1," a twelve-minute appeal to the prophet Muhammad intended to "purify" the intentions of the assembled musicians) to songs dedicated to wandering Sufi mystics and others hoping to be whisked into a trance state. The musicians invariably reach that state—just by locking into the propulsive, endlessly varied rhythms. Even pieces that last twenty minutes seem to fly by.

There have been a number of Western attempts at harnessing the Gnawa spirit—jazz pianist Randy Weston has recorded several albums with Moroccan musicians. These often focus on the more surface "entertainment" aspects of Gnawa ritual. The well-annotated World of Gnawa, which includes English translations of the lyrics, goes much deeper.

Genre: World, Morocco
Released: 2001, Rounder
Key Tracks: "Aada 1," "Neqsha," "Hammadi"
Next Stop: Randy Weston: The Splendid Master Gnawa Musicians of Morocco
After That: Grateful Dead: Fillmore West 1969
Book Page: 825

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