Dimi Mint Abba
Moorish Music from Mauritania
World Circuit, 1990
Northern Africa's vast desert has inspired many varieties of parched musical passion. On first listen, the anguished vocal melismas and tricky rhythmic cycles on this rare set of modern Moorish tunes are apt to evoke Pakistan and India rather than Africa. Contemporary, but steeped in venerable tradition, this music contains the roots of the Malian kora as well as of Spanish flamenco. The products of old musical families, Eide and Abba are among Mauritania's most celebrated singers. Both play traditional lutes (he tidinit, and she ardin), and in Eide's case, electric guitar. Backed by tambourine, hand claps, and one deep, dry-sounding hand drum (t'bal), they pluck and jangle their lutes and exchange vocal leads. Surprisingly catchy melodies serve as the basis for extended vocal improvisations. On repeated listenings, you develop a feel for the jazz in this music, at once severe and beguiling. Generous liner notes round out the experience with photos of desert jam sessions and translations of the texts. Most themes are bracing and visionary, as in "Art's Plume," which, using a melody oddly reminiscent of "Clementine," proclaims, "Art's plume is a balsam, a weapon, and a guide enlightening the spirit of men." There's also a pep song for Mauritanian independence, and a unique Islamic prayer: "Oh Lord, Bring Apartheid Crashing Down!" In this context, that sentiment actually seems original.
Contributed by: Banning Eyre
Originally published in: Option
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