Remembering The Rolling Stones guitarist who would have turned 80 today.
On 28th February, The Master Musicians of Joujouka remember The Rolling Stones founder member and lead guitarist Brian Jones who would have turned 80 today.
In Summer 1968 Jones visited Tangier and travelled to Joujouka where he recorded the Master Musicians of Joujouka – released on the LP Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan At Joujouka.
Since 2008 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Brian Jones’ visit to the village the Master Musicians of Joujouka staged an annual festival in his honour – the most recent was A Requiem for Brian Jones in 2019.
Last year marked 50 years since the release of the Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan At Joujouka album.
The original LP, and first available recordings of the Master Musicians of Joujouka, was the first release on Rolling Stones Records on 8th October 1971 – with cover artwork featuring a painting of Jones placed in the centre of a group of Master Musicians by Mohamed Hamri.
Talking about the recordings, Jones said: “What exists here is a specially chosen representation of the type of music which is played and chanted during the festival. The pieces and therefore the climaxes are necessarily shortened and when one considers that many of these chants continue for hours and hours, one will realize this necessity.
“Anyway we hope to have captured the spirit and magic of Joujouka.”
Many of the current group had fathers and relatives involved on the record. Group leader Ahmed El Attar was aged 10 when Jones visited Joujouka and played the role of a dancer at the time of the recordings.
The music presented on Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan At Joujouka is still played by the current group of Master Musicians Of Joujouka playing in the village to this day.
Versions of some of the tracks can be heard on the recently released Live in Paris LP on Unlistenable Records – including ‘Brian Jones Zahjouka Very Stoned’ written by Mohamed Hamri in his memory.
Listen to ‘Brian Jones Zahjouka Very Stoned’ from Live in Paris
More news soon
Read more about Brian Jones and the Master Musicians of Joujouka:
Remembering Brian – Brian Jones still revered in Joujouka
Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan At Joujouka album released 50 years ago today
Brian Jones in Morocco & in the studio published in Ugly Things
