Hip Deep is Afropop's media project dedicated to the idea that music is a key to understanding everything. Get hip deep into programs on how the music formed and informed cultures in Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas, plus companion interviews, features, discographies and more.
Tim Abdellah Fuson recently completed a PhD dissertation on Gnawa music at Berkley. In this feature, he presents video samples from his field research materials, with commentary. Then he points us to a few gems among the 4500 Gnawa-related videos on YouTube.
M'allem (Master) Abbas Larfaoui "Baska" (guinbri lute & solo singing), Mustapha "Buydiya" (solo singing & qraqeb), Abderrahim Rachad "Citerne" (qraqeb and response singing), Samir Zougari (qraqeb iron castanets and response singing), Abdellah el Bahi "Dammana" (qraqeb and response singing), Abdelqader Larfaoui "Baska" qraqeb and response singing). Tamesloht, June 25, 2000.
These clips show the unfolding of trances over two songs in the Red Suite (Humr). By 2:33 in the first clip "Bori ya Bori," a single trancer is on her feet moving in beat. The musicians stop singing, and usually the guinbri player would soon lead into the next song. However, someone off camera has fallen into trance. A few seconds later, you will see three helpers walk in front of the camera with red scarf and incense, bringing these objects to the new trancer. Because singing helps a trancer to find her rhythm, the musicians begin singing again to give the new trancer the opportunity to find her groove. By the end of this song, at least four people are on their feet in trance.
In the second clip, "Baniya" (which is the song I demo-ed on the Hip Deep program Traveling Spirit Masters: The Gnawa of Morocco), one can get a sense of the different levels of competence and experience that trancers bring to the rahba (the trance floor). At the beginning of this clip, one experienced trancer has already assumed the front-center position in front of the guinbri player. Other trancers, further back and to the sides, are either less experienced or do not seek the intimate communication that can occur at the end of the song when singing ceases and a trancer can have a one-on-one dialogue with the guinbri. Note how the guinbri sometimes leads the trancer and sometimes follows her. After the first woman finishes her trance, nobody else steps forward to engage in dialogue, so the musicians move forward to the next song in the suite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9LXA-YCWX0
"Fulani Hiriza"
M'allem Abbas Larfaoui "Baska" (guinbri & solo singing) , Abdenbi Binizi (solo singing & clapping), Majid Karadi "Fa'ni" (dance), Abderrahim Rachad "Citerne" (clapping and response singing), Samir Zougari (clapping and response singing), Abdellah el Bahi "Dammana" (clapping and response singing), Mustapha "Buydiya" (clapping and response singing). Tamesloht, June 24, 2000.
Although the movements of Gnawa entertainment dancing (fraja) are quite different from those of trance, the system of communication is often identical - a one-on-one dialogue between the guinbri and a single dancing/trancing body. In this clip from the Ouled Bambara suite, note again how the dancer sometimes leads guinbri player and sometimes follows him, or, as at 2:50, they make a change simultaneously.
****
There are loads of Gnawa concert videos floating around YouTube, many of them from the Essaouira festival. For this selection, I have bypassed those and concentrated on videos that appeared to be from actual (or at least well-staged) lilas, or ceremonies. Here are some of the more interesting ones I found:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eQyjJZvNZs
"Berrma Soutanbi," "Sowiye" & "Ye Yo Sowiye"
Mustapha Baqbou (guinbri) with Abdelkbir Marchane "Lechheb" (solo singing), M'barek ben Outman (dance) and others. Marrakech, 1990.
From the Ouled Bambara suite, this clip is sort of similar to my Ouled Bambara clip listed above. Mustapha and Abdelkbir are pretty big names in Gnawa. Fans of jazz musician Randy Weston's Gnawa music projects may recognize M'barek from Weston's touring group.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-UQC78Yeyo
Abderrahman Kirouch "Paco" leads the proceedings here. (I don't know the other musicians - this is in Essaouira, where I didn't spend too much time.) This appears to have been filmed for some sort of documentary. Nice clip. Opens with some footage from the Aada (the outdoor drumming/procession phase, which also features some hot dancing by the musicians). Some nice shots of the city of Essaouira spliced in. The indoor footage is filmed in the zawiya (shrine) of Sidi Bilal in Essaouira. Nice shots of Paco passing the guinbri over the incense brazier (to let the guinbri drink), then an entire performance of the Ftih ar-Rahba suite. Then a short excerpt from the end of "La Ilaha Illa Llah" (Buhala suite), showing the end of a trance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhMLBR1k5Kg
Paco again. This is a pretty amazing clip, again apparently from some sort of documentary (perhaps the same one as the last clip). You hear again here the Ftih ar-Rahba suite, but here it is performed as part of the Dbiha (sacrifice). The clip includes the ritual washing and fumigation of the animal as well as the slaughter itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIlRS91YJv4
Ahmed Baqbou (guinbri), with Mustapha Baqbou, Said Damir "Saghot" (first dancer) and others. Some nice shots of food at the beginning and tea later--adding to Gnawa show scholar Deborah Kapchan's emphasis of the dimension of taste in Gnawa ritual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umHBs_wKAxo
M'allem Sam (guinbri) and others. Another excerpt of a Dbiha sacrifice with the Ftih ar-Rahba music playing. This is from Hamid Fardjad's film, Rainbow Trance, and features Sam, the m'allem of m'allems!
