During the course of the South Bank Centre’s Meltdown Festival in previous years, the curator’s presence has sometimes been felt as little more than a face on a poster and a vague shadow before their own closing night performance. Not so this year. Every night Ornette Coleman has been on stage, sitting in with the likes of The Roots, Yoko Ono and Bobby McFerrin in the build up to this, the first of his own pair of performances. An even more familiar sight has been that of The Master Musicians of Jajouka, who have given free performances every day on the Festival Hall’s Terrace and Ballroom – so their right to play on the big stage with the big man himself was well-earned.
Ornette’s relationship with the Master Musicians dates back to the 1970s and his Dancing In Your Head album, since when they have toured together on numerous occasions. Their presence here this week was therefore not exactly a surprise, but was very welcome indeed. Their green djellabas and masterful blend of Moroccan drums and reed instruments have brightened the Royal Festival Hall all week, even when I saw them playing under the greyest of skies on the terrace on Thursday. Led by Bachir Attar, himself the son of a former leader, they build a formidable slab of sound: four drummers lock together in one polyrhythmic whole, while from within strident ghaita wails emerge dense flurries of notes. Pulsating at great volume, their calls are hypnotically irresistible, and when they walked from the stage tonight, still playing all the way to the dressing room, it was all I could do to keep myself from following them.
After that warm-up, excitement levels in the hall were at a record high, and the roar which greeted Ornette Coleman to the stage was a mighty one. His deceptively frail-looking 79 year-old frame (extravagantly wrapped tonight in a gold suit and green shirt) was accompanied tonight by his son and long time drummer Denardo, and pair of bassists Tony Falanga and Al McDowell. The excitement was punctured pretty quickly for me when they started: the sound was initially horrible. Ornette caught the engineers on the hop by talking to the audience at the off, speaking into a dead mike. Dennardo’s energetic flapping behind the kit (his exciteable mannerisms remind me of a pigeon bathing in a birdbath) was both too loud and strangely flat and – unforgiveably – Ornette was far too quiet. When he played in his lower register, the strain of trying to pick him out of the murky bottom end actually made my head hurt. Bill Frisell soon joined them on stage, but he too was initially indistinct – I began to wonder if they had actually soundchecked at all. Patti Smith’s later unbilled appearance, adding (I assume) improvised lyrics on the theme of “In All Languages”, seemed to surprise the engineers as much as it surprised us, beginning in silence before shooting up to a volume which bordered on the painful.
A few songs in, someone in the crowd beat me to it by bellowing “turn Ornette up!” – thankfully, they did turn him up a bit, and we were able to hear just what astonishingly good form he was in. He hardly stopped playing throughout the entire gig, shuffling between his white alto, his trumpet, and for one brief moment, his violin. However it was on alto that he continually blew my mind, singing and declaiming in that familiar tone, that shrieking, bluesy timbre. Tonight’s performance was called “Reflections on The Shape Of Jazz To Come”, and a couple of tracks from that 1959 album were played tonight in the shape of “Peace” and “Congeniality” (no “Lonely Woman”, sadly), the latter in particular featuring some great interplay between Ornette and an otherwise restrained Frisell, with the guitarist playing on the theme and Ornette dancing fleet-footedly around it. The highlight of the evening however was when the Master Musicians of Jajouka took to the stage to build their thick, seemingly endless, Moroccan wall of sound, challenging Ornette to vault it. Against their deep drones he played a succession of short, repeated phrases – wailing on sax, squawking on trumpet, lingering powerfully on the top notes. Particularly when Denardo’s drums dropped out, Ornette’s sax sang out round the hall like a call to prayer – this was an intense and emotional experience which I didn’t want to end. I wish more jazz was shaped like this (and that I was back to see him play again on Sunday. Hope they’ve sorted out the sound by then).
[NB: I couldn't for the life of me secure a photo pass for this, but there are some great pictures here courtesy of Pixgremlin]
17 comments
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June 21, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Mandrew
Perfectly summed up! As I said, I reckon the soundcheck was done some time in the mid 90s.
Those pictures of Master Musicians are gorgeous.
June 21, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Kenneth
Visit the official website for the Master Musicians of Jajouka who are led by Bachir Attar: http://www.Jajouka.com
Wonderful photos.
June 22, 2009 at 11:04 am
John
Is Bachir Attar not the guy who stole all the royalties from the true master musicians? Why is Ornette playing with him?
I thought he had been throw out of the village?
June 22, 2009 at 11:36 am
mapsadaisical
Whoa! Steady there!
I’m in no position to comment on the relative claims of the two different versions of The Master Musicians which currently exist. According to the articles I’ve read, it isn’t straightforward at all. eg:
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090306/REVIEW/879540375/1008
http://www.escholarship.org/editions/view?docId=ft8k4008kx&chunk.id=ch6&toc.depth=1&toc.id=ch6&brand=ucpress
June 22, 2009 at 11:51 am
John
Why is Ornette playing with him is a good question. Ornette was last in the village in 1973.
I note that this Kenneth guy is posting comments across the web, as BKLisenebee and Kenneth etc, I think he is the webguy who he works for Bachir Attar.
Here is a recent one from the Guardian on the ones who live in the village still called Master Musicians of Joujouka
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/may/29/master-musicians-joujouka-festival-morocco
here is an old one when the 1995 royalties from the Brian Jones reissue went west , literally it seems ,http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/no-stone-unturned-1592456.html
I note that on the National article there is a comment by Dub Gabriel, funny thing is he failed to state that he worked on the last jajouka CD and still works for the Westernised Bachir Attar Jajouka. These people have a lot they seem to wish to hide. Time someone did a real in-depth article.
The Philip Schuyler one is old now , 1996, but it is certainly interesting.
June 24, 2009 at 1:40 am
Augusta Palmer
Bachir Attar lives in the village of Jajouka and, far from stealing royalties, has often gone without pay himself so that the rest of the band could collect some money for playing. I have known him personally since 1993 and have visited him in Jajouka. My father, Robert Palmer, helped break the story of Jajouka in the U.S. when he visited the village in 1971 on assignment for ROLLING STONE. In the 1990s he got to know Bachir and strongly believed he was Jajouka’s legitimate leader. It’s probably not something that needs confirmation or denial from an American rock critic (or an American anthropologist), or the Irishman who runs the rival Jajouka group who complain so much about Bachir’s inauthenticity…
I’m far from a disinterested party in all this, but I think Bachir is not at all interested in hiding. He is proud to talk to anyone about his family’s rich tradition!
June 24, 2009 at 9:00 am
Khroustaliov
I’m still reeling from the immense microtonal polymorphic jelly that Ornette and the ensembled musicians on stage managed to whip up on Sunday … Xenakis + Ligeti eat your heart out! (Not to mention the exquisite coda from Charlie Haden, Ornette and Dernardo playing ‘Lonely Woman’.) One of the most epic concerts I’ve ever been to …
June 24, 2009 at 9:11 am
mapsadaisical
Yes, maybe we should stick to the music. Regardless of the arguments about provenance (and I’m grateful for Augusta’s rebuttal above) the MMoJ were utterly amazing, and the collaboration with Ornette was the highlight of the show by some way.
Can’t believe you got Lonely Woman on Sunday though. That was on The Shape Of Jazz To Come, not This Is Our Music!
June 24, 2009 at 9:29 am
john
Augusta’s “rebuttal” is either thoroughly naive or thoroughly disingenuous as she is in business with the the World Music version of Jajouka.
Though her father was a great writer and musician . I will put her advocacy of such a scam down American naivety versus African reality.
http://www.myspace.com/mastermusiciansofjoujouka
There are two clips of music on there that are from the Brian Jones Festival that rock. I suppose the ears and heart must decide.
There is also an interesting disclaimer re the Southbank Festival. Again I would imagine that someone needs to look into this,
Who is Mallim Ali Abdelsalm El Attar? is he the real leader ? It says he is 100 years old and played with Ornette in 1973.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/mmojoujouka/MallimAli2small.jpg
June 24, 2009 at 10:00 am
mapsadaisical
Oh well, fun while it lasted. John – I’m not taking sides, but was grateful to Augusta for putting an opposite viewpoint as it is clear that a) the situation is a bit unclear b) your viewpoint is clearly not the only one out there and c) I don’t know enough to comment on the situation myself.
However, as you have commented on the fact that Augusta has an interest in this – an interest she happily admits, the link from her name tells me what that interest is – can you clarify what your interest is in this?
June 24, 2009 at 11:08 am
john
I was a punter at the Brian Jones Festival there last year and spent four days wandering around the hills and listening to music. I saw the Bachir version in 1995 or 1996 too in SBC. So I have seen both groups in action. I have been especially disturbed since the 2000 Talvin Singh CD and having seen the people in the village and the musicians there in a very relaxed an open way I tend a bit more towards outrage.
It was funny meeting the people there who were friends of Brian Jones. They all seemed to know all about Bachir and the night he showed up in the village he played a CD of sitar music on a PA from inside this walled compound he has.
The villagers were laughing about this and indicated that alcohol may have been a factor. I did not get to go back this year but hope to again. Inshallah.
I think that there is a serious injustice being played on the people of Jajouka by this touring ensemble and having seen the people and stayed in the house of an Attar family think someone should say something.
June 26, 2009 at 3:30 am
Dub Gabriel
“I note that on the National article there is a comment by Dub Gabriel, funny thing is he failed to state that he worked on the last jajouka CD and still works for the Westernised Bachir Attar Jajouka. These people have a lot they seem to wish to hide. ”
First off John, who is hiding, who are you? Don’t you live in the Europe? What are your interest in the fake Jajouka band?
I never have anything to hide & have my own respected career. I did not work on the last album, it was a finished album before I entered the picture and I have never worked for Bachir nor made a dime from Bachir. I only help the band out of respect of the history of the Attar Family and their music (not the people who take on the Attar name, but no blood relation) & for my love & appreciation of their music.
You some how love to falsely acuse other people to cover for your sham & the funny thing is you make all these acusations about Bachir and the West, but the last time I checked, I didn’t think Jajouka was located in Ireland.
I invite everyone first and foremost to listen to the music of both of these groups and decide for yourself who are the Master Musicians. There is a reason that everyone from Ornette to the Stones have approached Bachir to work with them instead of the other group.
You can argue and try to run down the glory of the hugely successful shows of the Meltdown Festival, but the proof is in the sell out crowds that came and had their minds blown away.
& John, I’m not hiding, my email is dubgabriel@yahoo.com & anyone is free to contact me and anyone is free to contact Bachir and the Master Musicians of Jajouka from their website with any questions they have.
Now tell all of us who you are and what your relationship is with the music of Jajouka?
June 26, 2009 at 3:41 am
Dub Gabriel
This is an official statement by Bachir Attar & The Master Musicians of Jajouka.
May 7, 2009
Official Statement of Bachir Attar and the Master Musicians of Jajouka
Regarding “Joujouka” and recent events held in our village
I am Bachir Attar, the leader of the Master Musicians of Jajouka. I was given this roll from my father, Hadj Abdesalam Attar “Jnuin,” who was the leader and the greatest master of our family’s music for more than forty years until his death in 1981. When I was a child, my father taught me to play the pure music of Jajouka and shared with me its deep and irreproducible secretes. Nobody can copy this music!
Many years ago during the Spanish occupation of Morocco, our family faced great difficulty in order to maintain our unique musical heritage. However, due to the strong leadership and passion of my father for our family’s music, we overcame troubles of the past. This is true peace music and I’ve worked very hard all my life to keep it alive and share it with the world with no money. But now, we face a new threat.
In recent years, two Irish individuals have been spreading confusion about our musical tradition in Jajouka, creating a group called “The Master Musicians of Joujouka,” comprised of people mostly from other villages. These outsiders are spreading lies and falsely representing themselves as part of our music and our family. Unfortunately, the people who play under the “Joujouka” name, none of whom are original Jajouka musicians, know very little about the trouble caused by these Irish persons in their attempt to steal the identity of our family. Additionally, some people in Jajouka have adopted the surname “Attar”, as recently as the 1980’s. However, these people have no blood relation to our family or connection to our music, which has been passed down through generations for centuries. Many of the original Jajouka musicians have died; and those remaining, except Mohamed El Attar (The Mochadem) and myself, have left the village in order to avoid conflict.
The name “Joujouka” was first used in the original release of Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka. This is the music of my father and my family. Brion Gysin, who wrote the liner notes for the 1971 record, mistakenly misspelled our name. People should know this is the ONLY record of authentic Jajouka music that uses the misspelling “Joujouka.” In 1995, when we re-released the Brian Jones record, in cooperation with The Rolling Stones and the Estate of Brian Jones, we spelled the title correctly: Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Jajouka.
These individuals using the “Joujouka” name are promoting an unauthorized event in our village June 5-7, 2009. They are connecting the festival to Brian Jones’s visit to Jajouka over forty years ago, and are more interested in profiting from the pop culture legacy of Brian Jones, Brion Gysin and William Burroughs than they are in supporting Jajouka and the truth. This is a direct attempt to hurt the true music of Jajouka and anyone who supports this event is contributing to these individuals’ attempt to steal our traditions for themselves, causing further damage to the lives of the true Jajouka musicians who have been suffering for our family’s music for more than one thousand years. It must be made clear that NONE of the Master Musicians of Jajouka will be involved with these events. We will, in fact, be playing 8 days at The Meltdown festival in London the following week at the invitation of our good friend, Ornette Coleman. None of us will even be in the village at the time!
Fans, friends, and friends we never met are welcome to Jajouka ANYTIME we are available and should contact us directly through http://www.jajouka.com. However, by supporting and attending the events presented by these imposters under the “Joujouka” guise, you are undermining the true music and the real musicians of Jajouka. They steal our resume, they try to cancel our shows, they manipulate websites and they publish articles filled with false information. This creates great pain for us and they seem to take this culture of lies as some kind of sick “art”. Please don’t be part of this. I hope you understand deeply about what we are saying here. This is very serious. Please don’t be confused by the lies spread by these people – for direct answers to any questions, please write to info@jajouka.com.
Sincerely,
Bachir Attar and the Master Musicians of Jajouka
July 1, 2009 at 8:51 am
Around the Net 26 | undomondo
[...] + Meltdown Fest Coverage via More Intelligent Life also Ornette Coleman vs the Master Musicians of Jajouka (mapsadaisical) [...]
July 2, 2009 at 2:43 am
John
This slide show belies your statement
http://brianjonesjoujoukafestival.blogspot.com/2009/07/master-musicians-of-joujouka-festival-5.html
as does the statement posted here
http://brianjonesjoujoukafestival.blogspot.com/2009/06/disclaimer-re-meltdown-festival-london.html
Disclaimer about the Meltdown Festival at Southbank Centre London
Many newspapers report that The Master Musicians of Joujouka are playing this week’s Meltdown Festival in London, the group is not in London this week. We were contacted some months ago by the South Bank Centre to avoid confusion our management suggested that they should check who Ornette Coleman as who had formed a social relationship with the then New York based Bachir Attar.
The group playing in London is the commercial World Music troupe that trades off the reputation and history of this group . It is the Bachir Attar led Jajouka troupe not the Sufi trance Master Musicians of Joujouka. The troupe playing in London does not represent the people and village of Joujouka/Jajouka or of the Master Musicians who live there.
Though from the village, Bachir Attar is not part of the Sufi brotherhood based in Joujouka/Jajouka. Other than Bachir Attar only one musician playing in London this week has ever played with Master Musicians of Joujouka/Jajouka. Neither are members of the brotherhood or village community.
Master Musicians of Joujouka such as Mallim Ali El Attar, age 100, is one of the musicians who actually played with Ornette Coleman in 1973. He was also playing at the recent Joujouka Festival June 5-7 in Joujouka, Morocco (see our blog on Myspace)
Any enquiries email joujouka@gmail.com
For recent article about The Master Musicians of Joujouka, See The Guardian 29 May 2009 Take me into insanity
Mallim Ali Abdelsalm Attar. Photo by Jill Furmanovsky
Mallim Ali Abdelsalm Attar, Aged 100, the oldest surviving Joujouka musician who recorded with Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones in 1968 and Ornette Coleman in 1973. Photographed by Jill Furmanovsky at the Brian Jones 40th Anniversary Festival in Joujouka/Jajouka, Morocco 29 July, 2008
Perhaps the issue is not that clear cut at all Dub Gabriel and Augusta Palmer
July 23, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Gamall
This fighting in public is shameful.
Fact is anyone who was born in Joujouka and learned to play music there could claim to be a master musician of Joujouka. That would seem to me a fair deciding factor. If you weren’t born in the village and didn’t learn to play there than I can’t really see how you could claim to be a member.
I think personally speaking given the amazing recording they released on their own label earlier this year that Bachir is leading a fantastic group. For me personally (and I’ve been listening to Joujouka since the mid-80s) it’s the best recording to date – much more sophisticated and broader in scope than previous recordings. I know Brion Gysin would have loved it – yes I met Brion and was briefly friends with him just before he died. He too would be sad to see the infighting. He wanted more than anything to see the music recognized the way it now is and it’s largely thanks to his efforts that Ornette knew about it in the first place.
Instead of competing I wish these parties would seek some kind of meditation and get together and WORK together. It’s taken decades for this music to get out of Morocco and be treated with the kind of visibility it now has. What we need is for this music to continue to travel and be seen and experienced by more people.
I hope Ornette can find a way to bring this to New York for example.
August 31, 2009 at 12:10 am
john
I notice this impotant calrification of leadership issues with The Master Musicians http://brianjonesjoujoukafestival.blogspot.com/2009/08/statement-from-ahmed-attar-master.html
Statements from Ahmed Attar/ Master Musicians of Joujouka/Master Musicians of Jajouka re Bachir Attar’s false claims and the Master Musicians
For the first time a leader of the Master Musicians of Joujouka/Jajouka answers questions about Bachir Attar who claims to be the leader of the Master Musicians. Ahmed Attar, leader since 1999, answers questions put to him in his native Moroccan Arabic. translation and interview conducted in Joujouka 5 August 2009 by Mohamed Karbach.
Hello every body I’m Ahmed Attar. I’m ready to answer these questions:
Bachir Attar and his manager, Cherie Nutting state that he is the one true and hereditary leader of the Master Musicians. They say he inherited his leadership from his father. This would mean his father was also hereditary leader?
Ahmed Attar: Bachir Attar has gathered retired people (military who play Gaita) from Ksar el Kebir and outside, and has become their leader. He has no connection with us, the Mallimin/Masters who live in Joujouka / Jajouka. (Editor’s Note: Ksar El Kebir is this is the nearest city to Joujouka / Jajouka / Jajouka, about 20 km form the village in the plains below the Ahl Srif Mountains)
How do the Master Musicians chose a leader?
Ahmed Attar: For many years the musicians chose the leader with the agreement of anyone in the group for a period of 1 year; or more if he worked well, or they change him for another one.
Who were the last five or ten leaders of the musicians and when were they elected?
Ahmed Attar:
The leaders were:
Elghailani Mohamed (dead), (1956),
Zekiken Ahmed (dead), (1958),
Mejdoubi Mohamed(dead), (1964),
Attar Ayachi (dead), 1965 (Editors Note: father of current leader Ahmed Attar),
Twimi Ahmed(dead), (1967),
Ghailani Mefedal(1971)
Abdeslam Attar (Djinnoun Bachir’s father, in 1978 leader for 3 years ).
Attar Abdeslam Ali (alive he has 98 years old)(1983),
Attar Mohamed (dead) 1990
, and me Attar Ahmed (called Titi). 1999
(editor’s note dates are year of election to leadership)
plus who was never the leader but he a big musician who works with us Retoubi Mefedal (alive)
Does leadership pass from father to son?
Ahmed Attar: The leadership doesn’t pass from father to son because we find several leaders and their sons have no relation with this music but if the son wants to be a musician he can , but not a leader automatically.
What does the leader do?
Ahmed Attar: The leader has to be: clear, confident, skilful and know how to promote the music, and to discuss with people who want to celebrate ceremonies. He is the speaker for the musicians.
Is Bachir Attar the hereditary leader?
Ahmed Attar: Bachir exploits his English language (because none of us musicians speak English) to claim to be a leader with power ,with help of his ex-wife, but no one in Joujouka trusts in Bachir because he stole their money. The big manager was Hamri the painter of Joujouka / Jajouka / Jajouka .In this time all the musicians worked together with Hamri not Bachir. One day Bachir with his brother forced Hamri to make him give them contracts which Hamri had made with the Westerners. They forced Hamri to sign blank sheets of paper. From this day the musicians of Joujouka / Jajouka have no relation with Bachir. (Editors note: This attack took place 27 December 1995)
How does Bachir Attar hurt the traditional music of the village of Joujouka / Jajouka Does he play the same music as the Masters in the village? in style and quality. How is his music different from the music played by the Masters in the village?
Ahmed Attar: When Bachir uses other instruments, he hurts the spiritual music. The Masters Musicians of Joujouka / Jajouka play only the pipes and drum (ghaita and tbel) with no instruments added. When you add other instruments, the music loses its quality.
Is he considered a true Mallim/Master by the Master Musicians?
Ahmed Attar: He isn’t because in his group there are some musicians who play better than Bachir. He leads them because he speaks English and gives them some work.
Can the musicians explain why Bachir Attar says they are fake, or impostors?
Ahmed Attar: He says that because he wants to be the only representative of the music of Joujouka / Jajouka so as to exploit the Master Musicians name and to gain money. That’s clear because the only one in Joujouka / Jajouka who has a big car (4/4) and a big house and a big account in the bank is Bachir Attar.
What would the Masters like to say to people who claim Bachir Attar is the true leader of the Musicians?
Ahmed Attar: Whoever wants to know more can come to Joujouka / Jajouka to see Bachir’s house and where the others musicians live. We are poor and he became rich because he takes our money. In Joujouka / Jajouka no one talks with Bachir. He is alone. Who can lead people when the people are boycotting them???
How much damage has Bachir Attar’s behaviour done to the village?
Ahmed Attar: He makes damage in the media abroad, but in Joujouka / Jajouka all the people know him. We play in religious and civil ceremonies, in festivals, for parties of the KING that’s why here in Morocco they don’t call Bachir Attar to play they call us.
The letter from the Southbank Centre states that the musicians who played in London are the same ones who played with Ornette Coleman in January 1973. Is this true? Who in the village alive today played with Ornette Coleman in 1973?
Ahmed Attar: This not true because all of them are Dead. There is only one musician still alive in Joujouka / Jajouka who played with Ornette Coleman in 1973 (Ali Abdeslam Attar, you can come to ask him, he did not go to London this year).
Ahmed Attar 5 August 2009
Interview conducted and translated by Mohamed Karbach
Editor’s Note:
In recent years there has been a lot of misinformation about the Master Musicians of Joujouka who have also been known as Master Musicians of Jajouka, which the musicians have not commented on. The Masters who live and play in their village do not speak languages other than their native Riffian Arabic or Djebli.
For the first time ever the current leader of the Master Musicians Ahmed Attar has answered a series of questions which address the issue of leadership of the Masters and also the claims of his first cousin, Bachir Attar, who records and tours as Master Musicians of Jajouka featuring Bachir Attar and Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar claiming to be the leader of the Master Musicians of Jajouka.
In order to shed some light on these issues a series of questions were sent to the Masters and an interview was conducted and translated by Mohamed Karbach who is a son in law of a Master Musician.
The above statements show that at no time in his life was Bachir Attar the accepted or elected leader of the Master Musicians of Joujouka/Jajouka.
In the period he claims to have taken over the leadership the leader was Mallim Ali Attar and he was followed in the role by Mohamed Attar, and then the current leader Ahmed Attar from 1999.
The crux of Bachir Attar’s false claims to be the the leader of the Master Musicians of Jajouka are that he is the hereditary leader and that the leadership passed by tradition from father to son. The list above, as well as the clear answers from Ahmed Attar on the issue of hereditary leadership, present a very different history to the one passed off by Bachir Attar, his wife Cherrie Nurtting and their business assocaites. No such hereditary leadership exists in Joujouka/Jajouka.
The leader in the 1950s Zekiken, was the the uncle of Hamri who brought Brion Gysin, Brian Jones, Timothy Leray, Robert Palmer, William Burroughs, Paul Bowles, John Giorno and more to the village and put the music on the map. Mejdoubi Mohamed was from the powerful Mujdoubi family who produced some of the hardest men and greatest rhiata players in the village. Many of the leaders since 1956 were from the Attar family and they include the Attar Ayachi, uncle of Bachir Attar and father of the current leader Ahmed, Abdeslam Attar, Bachir’s father and uncle of the current leader Ahmed, and Ali Abdelslam Attar the oldest musician in Joujouka.
It is clear that the claims made in the press and elsewhere by Bachir Attar to be leader of the Master Musicians of Jajouka have no factual basis.
The Master Musicians acknowledge that he does lead a troupe of ex-soldiers who play instruments and who live in the nearby city Ksar El Kebir . This group is currently known as “The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar”. They are not the Sufi Mallimin or Master Musicians, of the village and community of Jajouka/Joujouka/Zahjouka.