INDIA – Amjad Ali Khan – Live at Teen Murti House – Raga Shyam Shree – His Master's Voice – ECLP 2887

INDIA – INDE
Amjad Ali Khan – Live at Teen Murti House – Raga Shyam Shree – His Master's Voice – ECLP 2887, 1981 (LP)

Here’s another totally brilliant album by the great sarod master Amjad Ali Khan (b. 1945), the son of the eminent Gwalior court musician Hafiz Ali Khan (1888-1972).

 

Khan’s remarkable rendering of Raga Shyam Shree recorded at Teen Murti House – the official residence of India's first Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru (1889-1964) – features Khan’s sheer outpouring of ideas and dynamic, clear ringing sarod, achieved through his innovative use of fingernails instead of fingertips.

 

He is accompanied here by his disciple Gurudev Singh (b. 1948) on the sarod, Kale Ram (b. 1946) on tabla and Awatar Singh on the tanpura drone.

 

Voici un nouvel album brillantissime du grand maître du sarod Amjad Ali Khan (né en 1945), le fils de l’éminent musicien de la cour de Gwalior Hafiz Ali Khan (1888-1972).

 

Cette interprétation exquise de Raga Shyam Shree par Amjad Ali Khan enregistrée au Teen Murti House – la résidence officielle du premier Premier ministre indien, Jawahar Lal Nehru (1889-1964) – met en avant son éblouissante inventivité et les sonorités limpides et dynamiques de son instrument obtenues par l’utilisation novatrice des ongles au lieu des doigts.

 

Il est accompagné ici par son disciple Gurudev Singh (né en 1948) au sarod, Kale Ram (né en 1946) aux tablas et Awatar Singh au bourdon tanpura.

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Our other sarod music posts:

Amjad Ali Khan – Raga Darbari – EASD 2824 here

Amjad Ali Khan – The Maestro's Musings – CBS IND 1149 here

Sharan Rani – HMV 7 EPE 1211 here

Ali Akbar Khan – HMV EALP 1255 here
Ali Akbar Khan – Connoisseur Society CS 462 here

Photographs below are from The Musicians of India (Illustrated) by Harendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury, Ramgopalpur, 1929, and Gloire des Princes, Louange des Dieux – catalogue for the March-June 2003 Musée de la Musique exhibition in Paris:

Amjad Ali Khan's father and teacher Hafiz Ali Khan of Gwalior (1888-1972):

The Royal Musicians of Hindustan: Mohammed Ali Khan, Inayat Khan, Musheraff Khan and Maheboob Khan, early 1910s:

Veena player, musicologist, poet, mystic, and philosopher Inayat Khan (1882-1927) was a pioneer of the transmission of Sufism to the West. He toured the United States with his brother Maheboob Khan and cousin Mohammed Ali Khan between 1910 and 1912, and settled in London where he established a Sufi order in 1914 followed by additional centers in the United States and Europe. 

“Now if I do anything, it is to tune souls instead of instruments. To harmonize people instead of notes. If there is anything in my philosophy, it is the law of harmony: that one puts oneself in harmony with oneself and with others.”

Please help me purchase important traditional records to pursue my global 

curation project and share the best finds with you on this blog:

MOROCCO – Cheikha Tayka / الشيخة الصالحة – Khaldiphone - KH 2042 (Vinyl 7 inch, 45 RPM)

MOROCCO – MAROC

Cheikha Tayka / الشيخة الصالحة – Khaldiphone - KH 2042 (Vinyl 7 inch, 45 RPM)

Cheikha Tayka was born in the 1930s and very early on devoted herself to singing in the Zaouiya of Sidi Ben Hamdoune (a Muslim religious building housing a Sufi brotherhood) near the town of Settat. She was quickly noticed by the singular personality of her deep and intense voice. She sang the praises of her masters, religious figures and King Mohamed V. 

No one seems to know from where Cheikha Tayka took her artist's name. The Arabic dictionary defines "Tayka" as a feminine name that can mean both "wanderer" and "migrant." Tayka enjoyed presenting herself as wandering from one soirée to another and experimenting with different artistic collaborations and experiences.

Tayka's singing was extremely popular and she performed countrywide with such renowned violinists as Said Ould El Aouja or Sahib El Maati, making a name for herself among the great Chikates (or Cheikhates) of Aïta and becoming a luminary in the world of Moroccan traditional/folk music.

Cheikha Tayka recorded more than 50 records on various labels (Mekaouiphone, Boussiphone, Atlassiphone, Alhane Almaghreb, Casaphone, Ifriquiaphone, etc.) in dialogue with violinists Cheikh Abdellah El Assiri, Bouchaib El Fakri, Bouchaib El Wahli. We have the great pleasure of sharing this enthralling recording on the Khaldiphone label of Cheikha Tayka accompanied by violin master Omar Al Medkouri, with whom she recorded four 45 RPMs on the Khaldiphone label, including this one.

Many thanks to Hakim for his presentation of the artist.

 

Cheikha Tayka est née dans les années 1930. Très tôt, la jeune fille s’adonne au chant dans la Zaouiya de Sidi Ben Hamdoune (un édifice religieux musulman abritant une confrérie soufie) près de la ville de Settat. Elle se fait vite remarquer à travers la personnalité singulière de sa voix rauque et intense. Elle chante les louanges de ses maîtres, de religieux ou du Roi Mohamed V.

Personne ne semble savoir d’où Cheikha Tayka tient son nom d’artiste. Le dictionnaire arabe définit «Tayka » comme étant un nom féminin pouvant signifier vagabond ou migrant. Quoi qu’il en soit, Cheikha Tayka aimait à se présenter comme vagabondant d’une fête à l’autre et multipliant les collaborations et expériences artistiques.

Son chant fut très apprécié et elle sillonnera le pays, accompagnée de violonistes de renom, tels Said Ould El Aouja ou Sahib El Maati, se faisant un nom parmi les grandes Cheikhates de la Aïta et devenant une figure de proue dans le milieu de la musique d’antan.

Témoin de sa popularité, elle enregistra pas moins d’une cinquantaine de disques sur différents labels (Mekaouiphone, Boussiphone, Atlassiphone, Alhane Almaghreb, Casaphone, Ifriquiaphone, etc.) en dialogue avec des violonistes comme Cheikh Abdellah El Assiri, Bouchaib El Fakri, Bouchaib El Wahli. Nous avons le grand plaisir de partager ce superbe enregistrement de Cheikha Tayka sur le label Khaldiphone accompagné par le maître du violon Omar Al Medkouri avec lequel elle enregistra quatre 45 tours sur le label Khaldiphone, dont celui-ci.

Grand merci à Hakim pour sa présentation de l’artiste.

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More chikhat singers / D’autres cheikhates :

Cheikha Salha – Khaldiphone - AB 216 here

Cheikha Donna – Khaldiphone - KH 2066 here

Bennasser Ou Khoia & Cheikha Hadda Ouakki – Ifriquiaphone IFK 441 here

Bennacer Ou Khouya & Cheikha Hadda Ouakki – Atlassiphone ATLS 1900 here

Hakim’s Youtube channel l La chaîne Youtube d’Hakim here

Please help me purchase important traditional records to pursue my global 

curation project and share the best finds with you on this blog:

MOROCCO – Ferka Jilaliya & Zine Mohamed / الفرقة الجيلالية : الزين محمد – Tangephone TAN 480

MOROCCO – MAROC

Ferka Jilaliya & Zine Mohamed / الفرقة الجيلالية : الزين محمد – Tangephone TAN 480 (Vinyl 7 inch, 45 RPM)

Our friend Hakim from Marrakech recently unearthed sixty rare 45 rpm records on the Tangephone label offering a panorama of rarely heard traditional/folk music from northeastern Morocco, from Tangier to Hoceima. I’m currently recording these records, as well as dozens more on other labels, to feed Hakim's popular heritage Youtube channel here

 

I'm sharing a selection of Moroccan 45s from this collection, starting with this magnificent Tangephone release, for which Hakim managed to find bits of information from traditional music aficionados from the region**:

 

Like other brotherhood musical traditions related to Sufism (the esoteric and mystical branch of Islam) in Morocco – such as Gnawa and Aïssawa,which we’ve already showcased* – the Ferka Jilaliya refers to the brotherhood founded in Iraq by Cheikh Abdelkader Al Jilani (1075-1166), whose Qadiriyya brotherhood spread throughout the Muslim world, particularly North Africa, Sahelian Africa and India. The Moroccan Boutchichiyya branch of the Qadiriyya brotherhood was born in the 18th century in the northeastern part of the country.

 

The Ferka – literally meaning troupe or group – directed here by Zine Mohamed, traditionally consists of four musicians playing two long ashari gasba flutes and two bendir frame drums. Mohamed sings poems praising the Prophet Muhammad or paying tribute to saintly figures, like Cheikh Abdelkader Al Jilani, carried by two spellbinding flutes weaving eerie sonorities and precise dynamic rhythms.

Notre ami Hakim de Marrakech a récemment déniché une soixantaine de 45 tours rares du label Tangephone offrant un panorama de la musique traditionnelle/folklorique de la region orientale au Nord du maroc, allant de Tanger à Hoceima, rarement mise en avant. Je suis en train de les enregistrer, ainsi que d’autres 45 tours d’autres labels afin de nourrir la chaine Youtube d’Hakim qui connaît un franc succès ici

Je vais partager quelques 45 tours marocains issue de cette collection en commençant par ce disque magnifique sur Tangephone. Hakim a réussi à glaner quelques informations auprès de quelques mélomanes avertis de la région** qu’il nous présente ci-après :

 

A l’instar d’autres traditions musicales confrériques Marocaines liées au soufisme (la branche ésotérique et mystique de l’Islam) – tels le Gnawa et l’Aïssawa que j’ai déjà présenté* – la Ferka Jilaliya se réfère à la confrérie fondée en Irak par le Cheikh Abdelkader Al Jilani (1075-1166) dont la confrérie Qadiriyya s’est disseminé dans le pays musulmans, notamment en Afrique du Nord, en Afrique Sahélienne et en Inde. La Boutchichiyya, branche Marocaine de la confrérie Qadiriyya, est née au XVIIIe siècle dans le nord-est du pays. 

 

La Ferka – littéralement troupe ou groupe – dirigée ici par Zine Mohamed comprend traditionnellement deux joueurs de flûtes gasba ashari et deux joueurs de tambours sur cadre bendir. Zine Mohamed  chante des poèmes louant le Prophète Muhammed ou célébrant des figures saintes, comme Abdelkader Al Jilani, porté par des envolées de flûtes aux sonorités déroutantes et une rythmique précise et dynamique.  

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A few month ago, Hakim sent me this photograph with an intriguing double horned instrument he found on a Tangephone 7-inch record. He recently discovered that this instrument was still being made and played (see photograph below):

Il y a quelques mois, Hakim m'a envoyé cette photo dans laquelle figure un instrument à double corne des plus intrigants qu'il a trouvé sur la pochette d’un disque Tangephone. Hakim a depuis découvert que cet instrument était encore fabriqué et joué dans la région (voir photo ci-dessous) :

ISHKAWEN: double-horned zamar flûte “blown to announce upcoming events on the horizon.” Photograph courtesy of Karim Rafi, 2022 ***:

ISHKAWEN : flûte zamar à deux Cornes « souflant à polir l’horizon des événements ». Photo de Karim Rafi, 2022 ***:

* Our other Morrocan sufi brotherhood music posts/ Nos autres posts de musiques confrériques marocaines:

Musique Confrérique du Maroc – Les Possédés d'Allah – BAM LD 5897 here

Aissaoua – Club du Disque Arabe CDA 301 – MC 647 here

Hakim’s Youtube channel l La chaîne Youtube d’Hakim here

 

** Many thanks to cultural researchers Moussa Ezzanati and Diablo for sharing their precious knowledge on these musics.

** Grand merci aux chercheurs culturels Moussa Ezzanati et Diablo d’avoir partagé leurs connaissances sur ces musiques. 

 

*** We also thank Karim Rafi for producing a short film presenting a troupe of musicians playing the two-horned zamar flute – exemplifying an intangible heritage that continues to thrive over time. He showed his short film at Abdellah Karroum’s Appartement 22 in Rabat in December 2022 here 

*** Nous remercions également Karim Rafi d’avoir réalisé un court métrage présentant une troupe d’artiste jouant de la flute zamar à deux cornes – signe d’un patrimoine immatériel qui continue de perdurer dans le temps. Il a montré son court métrage à l’Appartement 22 d'Abdellah Karroum à Rabat en décembre 2022 ici

Please help me purchase important traditional records to pursue my global 

curation project and share the best finds with you on this blog:

CHAD – TCHAD Anthologie de la Musique du Tchad – Les Sara – Ocora OCR 36

CHAD – TCHAD
Anthologie de la Musique du Tchad – Les Sara – Ocora OCR 36 – recorded by Charles Duvelle & Michel Vuylsteke,  photographs by Charles Duvelle, 1966 (from 3 LP Box Set)

 

Here’s a second record from the gorgeous three-LP anthology of Chadian traditional music released on the legendary first Ocora series. This album showcases the fascinating polyrhythmic musics of Sara ethnic/cultural groups from Southern Chad, including the Madjingaye (A1-A3), Nar (A4), Gor (B1-B2), Kaba (B3), Doba (B4) and Kabba-Deme (B5) peoples. We will post the third and last LP from the box set shortly.

 

Voici un deuxième disque de la magnifique anthologie de trois disques de la légendaire première série Ocora sur la musique traditionnelle du Tchad. Cet album présente les fascinantes musiques polyrythmiques des groupes ethniques/culturels Sara du sud du Tchad, notamment les Madjingaye (A1-A3), les Nar (A4), les Gor (B1-B2), les Kaba (B3), les Doba (B4) et les Kabba-Deme ( B5). Nous posterons également le dernier disque du coffret très prochainement.

Madjingaye people

A1 – Nal Kaya performed after the harvest;

Twelve nal bamboo whistles of various sizes, a gangua drum (see photograph scan 9) and a kod girkoutou drum;

Recorded in Bédaya, May 1966.

 

A2 – Ndo Banan initiation for girls;

Several dozens female dancers sing and shake the metal rattles they wear (see photographs scans 10 & 11);

Recorded in Bédaya, May 1966.

 

A3 – To music to accompany dances by men in pairs;

Singing and whistling in call-reponse and hand-clapping by the male singers and dancers (see photograph scan 13);

Recorded in Bédaya, May 1966.

 

Nar people

A4 – Funeral song;

Sung by a group of women with lead singer and chorus;

Recorded in Bekamba, April 1966.

 

Gor people

B1 – Beul dance for initiates;

A 14-blade xylophone and drum accompany the initiates (see photographs scans 14 & 15);

Recorded in Bodo, April 1966.

 

B2 – Praises to honor traditional chiefs;

André Toujibé sings and plays the vertically held eight-cord kendé harp;
Recorded in Bodo, April 1966.

 

Kaba people

B3 – Festival music and dance;

Eight lal bamboo whistles, a 14-blade kounou xylophone, a vertical gangue drum, a kondalé drum, an mbara calabash rattle and an animal horn (see photograph scan 16);

Recorded in Békan, April 1966.

 

Doba people

B4 – Pa Roman funeral song;

A male singer, two 15-blade koundou xylophones, a gangue vertical drum and a kodé drum (see photograph scan 18); 

Recorded in Goré-Nord, April 1966.

 

Kabba-Deme people

B5 – Mbilé song to encourage the wrestlers;

A musician sings and plays a 13-blade kendé xylophone (see photograph scan 19); 

Recorded in Bohobé, May 1966.

 

 

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Ethnomusicologist Charles Duvelle (1937-2017) was a formidable champion of traditional music who greatly contributed to the preservation of a disappearing world in our age of globalization, when the rich diversity of our past is quickly being erased and forgotten.

 

Raised in Indochina, Duvelle was an accomplished classical pianist with a great ear who reveled in new forms of music, like Jazz. He made his indelible mark as general editor of the French label Ocora, whose many remarkable recordings had a qualitative impact that’s impossible to overstate. Showcasing the complexity, diversity, and sometimes high level of abstraction of traditional music, such luminaries as David Byrne, Brian Eno and countless Jazz musicians have readily acknowledged the influence of these seminal LPs on their music and for opening new musical vistas.

 

Our other Chadian music posts:

Anthologie de la musique du Chad – Le Mayo-Kebbi Occidental – Ocora OCR 37 here
Chad (Kanem) – Unesco Collection – BM 30 L 2309 here

Please help me purchase important traditional records to pursue my global 

curation project and share the best finds with you on this blog: