Putting on the Ball and Chain: Raissa Hafida and "Ayan Dar Illa Zine"

Raissa Hafida, a Berber Moroccan pop star and wedding singer, belts out today's random tune with the help of a little auto-tuning (which I normally don't like that much). While I couldn't find much about Hafida personally, apparently Berber weddings in Morocco are a really big deal and a significant source of income for musicians. This video shows some of the things about such weddings, including henna tattoos and dancing men with huge mustaches and knives. There are also some animated butterflies. These YouTube clips are important means of advertising for the musicians. You can find this wedding song, Ayan Dar Illa Zine, on Hafida's 2011 album of the same name.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/14/the-playlist-middle-east-and-north-africa-hafida-mazen-kerbaj

College of Trance: Aziz Sahmaoui and the University of Gnawa with "Salabati"

Today's random song is by Aziz Sahmaoui and the University of Gnawa. A Moroccan multi-instrumentalist and singer of gnawa, ancient African Islamic spiritual and religious songs and rhythms, Sahmaoui takes gnawa music and stays true to its essence while also bringing in influences of jazz and fusion. After school, Sahmaoui settled in France where he helped found the world music group The National Orchestra of Barbès where he introduced audiences to music of the Maghreb. In 2010, he started his current group The University of Gnawa, which aims for, in their website's words, a music that ferments trance in a reconciliation of the musical geniuses of both Africa and the Sahara. You can find this song, Salabati, on Aziz Sahmaoui and the University of Gnawa's eponymous 2012 album.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aziz_Sahmaoui; http://www.azizsahmaoui.com/

Boundary-less: Malika Zarra and "No Borders"

Today's random tune, No Borders, is performed by Malika Zarra. Zarra was born in Morocco to a Berber mother and a Moroccan father and she grew up in Paris though her family remained culturally Moroccan in the home. She became interested in jazz because she noticed its improvisational similarities to Arab music, and studied jazz in Tours and Marseilles. She began getting attention when she started singing jazz standards with her own Arab translations. She is influenced by styles such as traditional Berber music, Gnawa music, Chaabi, French popular music, jazz, house, funk, dance, and traditional African music, and her personal influences include artists such as Farid al-Atrash, Um Kalthoum, Warda Al-Jazairia, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin, Thelonious Monk, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. You can find No Borders on her 2011 CD Berber Taxi. While the song sounds like it has lyrics, it is really Zarra's wordless voice playing off the bass playing of the song's composer, Mamadou Ba.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malika_Zarra

Mr. Big Deal: Jannat and "Hadret Elmohem"

Moroccan singer Jannat brings us our random tune for today. She is known to be able to sing in almost all Middle Eastern Arabic dialects. She is also known for her voice and for her love of Arabic classics. As a young singer, she won many contests and eventually found herself singing at the Cairo Congress of Arab Music and on the stage of the Cairo Opera House. She turned to singing professionally in the early 2000s. She has released four solo albums. This song, Hadret Elmohem, can be found on her 2013 album Hob Gamed.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jannat

My Spring: Malika Zarra and "Mon Printemps"

Today's random tune, Mon Printemps, is performed by Malika Zarra. Zarra was born in Morocco to a Berber mother and a Moroccan father and she grew up in Paris though her family remained culturally Moroccan in the home. She became interested in jazz because she noticed its improvisational similarities to Arab music, and studied jazz in Tours and Marseilles. She began getting attention when she started singing jazz standards with her own Arab translations. She is influenced by styles such as traditional Berber music, Gnawa music, Chaabi, French popular music, jazz, house, funk, dance, and traditional African music, and her personal influences include artists such as Farid al-Atrash, Um Kalthoum, Warda Al-Jazairia, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin, Thelonious Monk, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. You can find Mon Printemps on her 2011 CD Berber Taxi.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malika_Zarra

Just One: Rhany and "Un Mot de Toi"

Today's song is performed by Cheb Rhany Kabbadj, also known simply as Rhany. The song is called Un Mot de Toi (A Word from You). Originally from Morocco, Rhany is a singer and guitarist who was born to a Moroccan flute-playing father and an Algerian mother. Before living permanently in Morocco, he lived in Tunisia, Paris and the United States. His music is a blend from all of his travels, and includes elements of Cuban, Maghrebi, Latin, Spanish and Hindi styles. You can find Un Mot de Toi on the various artists compilation Putumayo Presents: North African Groove (2005).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

The King of France: Françoise Atlan & l'Orchestre Arabo-Andalou de Fès with "El Rey de Francia/Qod niltou hibbi"

Our random song is by Françoise Atlan, a French singer born into a Sephardic Jewish family. She undertook musical studies, eventually finishing with degrees from St. Etienne and Aix-en-Provence conservatories. She has a natural voice, and is known for singing "nawbas" usually reserved for male singers. She has performed solo and in groups, notably with the group Aksak that concentrated on Turkish, Greek and Armenian songs. As a solo artist, she is considered one of the best performers of Sephardic romance songs. She is joined on the recording by Mohammed Briouel and his L'Orchestre Arabo-Andalou de Fes. Briouel is a Moroccan musician who focuses on Arab-Muslim music and Sephardic music. You can find this song, El Rey de Francia/Qod niltou hibbi, on the 2003 album Andalussyat, which explores the different types of music in Andalusia in Moorish Spain.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Hassan's Got Chops: Balkan Beat Box featuring Hassan ben Jaffar and Har'el Shachal with "Hassan's Mimuna"

Our random tune for today is by Balkan Beat Box, founded in 2003 by Tamir Muskat and Ori Kaplan in New York City. An Israeli band, their goal is to take ancient and traditional music and combine it with hip hop to create a more modern sound that would appeal to people in dancehalls and clubs. They cite as influences Boban Marković, Rachid Taha, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Manu Chao, and Charlie Parker. This song, Hassan's Mimuna, features Hassan Ben Jaffar and Har'el Shachal. Hassan ben Jaffar is a Moroccan master of Gnawa music, while Har'el Shachal is an Israeli performer on Middle Eastern G clarinet and saxophone. Hassan's Mimuna is from Balkan Beat Box's 2005 eponymous debut release.

If you'd like to see a video of a live performance of the song, here you go:



Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Hitching Song: Raissa Hafida and "Ayan Dar Illa Zine"

Today's random song is from a Moroccan Berber pop star and wedding singer named Raissa Hafida. I don't know more than this song, Ayan Dar Illa Zine, is one of her most popular tunes. Even despite the video quality, a Moroccan Berber wedding looks pretty awesome!

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Challengers: Dissidenten with Lemchaheb and "Fata Morgana"

One of the leaders of "world-beat" music, Germany's Dissidenten, bring us our random tune for today. Formed in 1981 in India, the band started their career with a year's tour of Asia and then returned to India and recorded their first album. In 1982 they moved to Morocco, where they recorded this song, Fata Morgana, along with the rest of their second album called Sahara Elektrik. Fata Morgana, which was recorded in collaboration with Moroccan musical group Lemchaheb and which is influenced by Dissidenten's electronic rock along with Lemchaheb's roots in gnawa, Berber music and rock, is an example of the collaboration with Middle Eastern, African and Indian musicians for which they have become known. Fata Morgana became a big dance hit in Europe. They have since moved a few more times as they've recorded more albums - twelve in all. You can find Fata Morgana on their 1984 album Sahara Elektrik.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

It's Spring: Karen Ruimy and Youth with "Primavera"

Moroccan-born performer, writer, dancer and philanthropist Karen Ruimy provides our random tune today, called Primavera. Now living in Paris, Karen Ruimy was a banker who changed her career at age 30 and became a writer. In that career she has published two books and is a contributor to Huffington Post and Harpers Bazaar. She became a professional dancer at age 38 and has produced several dance shows. She has also released two albums. Primavera is from her dance show ZIK'R, and can be found on the soundtrack for the show (2015). The song features UK producer and musician Martin Glover, also known as Youth, who co-created ZIK'R with Ruimy.

A Tiny Peep: Malika Zarra and "Little Voice"

Our tune today, Little Voice, is performed by Malika Zarra. Zarra was born in Morocco to a Berber mother and a Moroccan father and she grew up in Paris though her family remained culturally Moroccan in the home. She became interested in jazz because she noticed its improvisational similarities to Arab music, and studied jazz in Tours and Marseilles. She began getting attention when she started singing jazz standards with her own Arab translations. She is influenced by styles such as traditional Berber music, Gnawa music, Chaabi, French popular music, jazz, house, funk, dance, and traditional African music, and her personal influences include artists such as Farid al-Atrash, Um Kalthoum, Warda Al-Jazairia, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin, Thelonious Monk, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. You can find Little Voice on her 2011 CD Berber Taxi.

Desert Cab: Malika Zarra and "Berber Taxi"

Today's tune is called Berber Taxi and is performed by Malika Zarra. Zarra was born in Morocco to a Berber mother and a Moroccan father and she grew up in Paris though her family remained culturally Moroccan in the home. She became interested in jazz because she noticed its improvisational similarities to Arab music, and studied jazz in Tours and Marseilles. She began getting attention when she started singing jazz standards with her own Arab translations. She is influenced by styles such as traditional Berber music, Gnawa music, Chaabi, French popular music, jazz, house, funk, dance, and traditional African music, and her personal influences include artists such as Farid al-Atrash, Um Kalthoum, Warda Al-Jazairia, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin, Thelonious Monk, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. You can find Berber Taxi on her 2011 CD of the same name.

Moor Music: Françoise Atlan, Mohammed Briouel and L'Orchestre Arabo-Andalou de Fes with "La Mujer - Soubhana"

Today's song is by Françoise Atlan, a French singer born into a Sephardic Jewish family. She undertook musical studies, eventually finishing with degrees from St. Etienne and Aix-en-Provence conservatories. She has a natural voice, and is known for singing "nawbas" usually reserved for male singers. She has performed solo and in groups, notably with the group Aksak that concentrated on Turkish, Greek and Armenian songs. As a solo artist, she is considered one of the best performers of Sephardic romance songs. She is joined on the recording by Mohammed Briouel and his L'Orchestre Arabo-Andalou de Fes. Briouel is a Moroccan musician who focuses on Arab-Muslim music and Sephardic music. You can find this song, La Mujer - Soubhana, on the 2003 album Andalussyat, which explores the different types of music in Andalusia in Moorish Spain.

At the Berber's: Malika Zarra and "Tamazight"

Malika Zarra brings us the random tune for today, called Tamazight. Zarra was born in Morocco to a Berber mother and a Moroccan father and she grew up in Paris though her family remained culturally Moroccan in the home. She became interested in jazz because she noticed its improvisational similarities to Arab music, and studied jazz in Tours and Marseilles. She began getting attention when she started singing jazz standards with her own Arab translations. She is influenced by styles such as traditional Berber music, Gnawa music, Chaabi, French popular music, jazz, house, funk, dance, and traditional African music, and her personal influences include artists such as Farid al-Atrash, Um Kalthoum, Warda Al-Jazairia, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin, Thelonious Monk, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. You can find Tamazight on her 2011 release Berber Taxi.

Back to School: Aziz Sahmaoui and University of Gnawa with "Salabati"

Aziz Sahmaoui and University of Gnawa bring us the tunes today. Sahmaoui is a Moroccan born singer and multi-instrumentalist in the Gnawa tradition. Born in Marrakech, he was steeped in the traditional musics of the many different tribes of Morocco. After studying literature, he moved to France where he became a founding member of the group World and the Orchestre National de Barbès which fused Maghreb rhythms with jazz. In 2010, he began performing with his new band, University of Gnawa. This song, Salabati, can be found on the 2012 album Aziz Sahmaoui and the University of Gnawa.

Forgetting: Malika Zarra and "Amnesia"

In this song, Moroccan/French singer Malika Zarra sings about a type of amnesia, one in which you forget what you are.  In this context, it's a cultural and ethnic amnesia.  It is an amnesia when people try to play in to the dominant culture, and perhaps feel accepted when they are really aren't.  "Who the hell do you think you are?" is always just below the surface.  That treatment, especially over generations, wears one down so that in the end, even though they tried to assimilate, they find that their children are playing the djembe (a native African instrument), as Zarra eloquently sings.

To me the lyrics seem to be a damning indictment of cultural assimilation, though I'm not so certain that assimilation can't happen.  The United States has been a place where some groups, Italians and Germans for example, have assimilated even though they faced initial resistance and discrimination.  However, they were white.  Ethnic minorities have had a more difficult time, and assimilation into the dominant culture as sometimes been shaky at best partly because American culture has been notoriously unwelcoming to non-whites - slavery, discrimination, and segregation have been the impediments to those groups who may have wanted nothing more than to assimilate.  And of course, no group wants to completely leave their cultural heritage behind, yet to non-whites, Americans have almost demanded it.  The dominant culture thinks it's quaint to be Irish American or German American and hold onto those old world traditions.  The dominant culture often thinks that non-white traditions are alien, suspicious and perhaps even a bit dangerous despite the fact that we often borrow the cuisines, the festivals and other aspects of the cultures.  In this case, it is impossible to completely amnesiac - if the dominant culture doesn't completely trust you, you seek comfort in what you know.

Just musings brought on from this song, Amnesia. Malika Zarra was born in Morocco and moved to Paris when she was young. She studied clarinet in school, but it was the similarity of the core of improvisation present in both Arabic traditional music and jazz that brought her to jazz music. She studied in jazz conservatories in Tours and Marseilles and began to appear at Paris jazz venues, drawing attention to herself by singing jazz standards in Arabic translation. In 2010 she moved to the New York City area. Her music is influenced by traditional Berber music, Gnawa music, Chaabi, French pop, jazz, house, funk, dance and traditional African music as well as individual artists including Farid al-Atrash, Umm Kulthum, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Thelonious Monk. She has released two albums. Amnesia is from her 2011 album Berber Taxi.