Boujeloud in Joujouka at Master Musicians of Joujouka
Brian Jones 40th Anniversary Festival 29 July 2008.
Statement of Ahmed Attar leader of the Master Musicians of Joujouka/Jajouka
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.
Ahmed Attar drumming in Jajoujka/Joujouka/Zahjouka in the 1970s fom the Master Musicians of Jajouka/Joujouka 1980 European tour brochure.
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)
Mallim Ali Abdeslam El Attar leads the song on his left Mallim Radi El Khalil, Abdeslam Mefedel grandson of former leader Ghailani Mefedal (leader 1968-1978) and Mallim Mustapha Attar. Photo Frank Rynne 5 June 2009
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 see note at very bottom of this post)
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.
Mallim Ali Abdeslam El Attar leader of the Master Musicians 1983-1990. Mallim Ali is the oldest musician in Joujouka today and played on Brian Jones presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka. Ornette Coleman's Dancing in my Head, Master Musicians of Jajouka, and more. This portrait was taken by Jill Furmanovsky at the Brian Jones 40th Anniversary festival in Joujouka.
Ahmed Attar 5 August 2009
Interview conducted and translated by Mohamed Karbach
Additional Documentation
1/ Mohamed Hamri's Open Letter of Protest 1995
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.
Ahmed Attar in the Sanctuary of Sidi Ahmed Shiech, Jajouka/Joujouka/Zahjouka, July 29 2008.
Ahmed Attar (beside tomb) and guests including l-r Gordon Campbell, Maneau, Jonathan Amar, Joachim Montessuis, and Lisa Blanning,The Wire , at the tomb of Sidi Ahmed Scheich 6 June 2009. Master Musicians Festival 2009. Photo by Frank Rynne
Note: This incident related to an attack on Mohamed Hamri and his American wife in the village 27 Dec 1995. Hamri in his sworn police statement said he had been attacked in his home by Bachir and his brother and unknown others. During the two hour ordeal Hamri was forced to sign 15 blank sheets of paper at knife point. I flew to Morocco on 29 December and found the evidence of doors kicked in and the musicians in the village in a state of shock. Two days after the attack a fax arrived at the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society in London. This fax allegedly written by Hamri was an amateur attempt to transfer the ownership of copyrights for the Brian Jones presents the Pipes of Pan LP to Bachir Attar. However having already been informed of the attack the MPCS ignored the fax. I have copies of the sworn statements of Bachir Attar, Mustapha Attar , Hamri and his wife and their house guardian plus the correspondence with MCPS. Bachir and his brother were acquitted in the subsequent trial in Morocco. In his sworn statement to police Bachir Attar claimed that Hamri was trying to make trouble for him. The fax to the MCPS was not admitted into evidence and no explanation was ever given by Bachir or Cherie as to how this forged document which, sought to benefit Bachir Attar, came to be written or indeed signed by Hamri. It was hand written, had Hamri's signature on it as it was written on one of the sheets of paper Hamri was forced to sign at knife-point while he and his wife were held captive in their own home. (NB: Hamri could sign his name but he never learned how to write.)See also the Open letter of Hamri's regarding the Brian Jones controversy which was distributed earlier in 1995. Since that incident the village and the musicians have boycotted Bachir Attar.
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