The Master Musicians of Joujouka – in Joujouka, October 2022
Master Musicians of Joujouka Festival 2023
After two years of absence and a small offering this year, The Master Musicians of Joujouka annual Festival is back in 2023 with a limited number of 50 places.
The festival begins on Friday, 2nd June 2023 with pick up at the nearest city of Ksar El Kebir around noon and by arrangement drop-off on the morning of Monday, 5th June back to the train station at Ksar El Kebir.
The Master Musicians of Joujouka – in Joujouka, October 2022by Frank Rynne
Ticket price is 485 Euro which includes pick up at Ksar El Kebir, accommodation, three meals a day and drop-off on 5th June.
Also included is three days and nights of music and a full immersion into the Joujouka experience.
Guests stay with Master Musicians and their families.
Performances are held at the Madrassa of the Master Musicians of Joujouka in their village.
Revised version of Tales of Joujouka available to order in limited edition now.
A newly revised exclusive edition of Hamri’s book Tales of Joujouka has been published.
The book features Hamri’s stories and folk tales from his home village Joujouka, including the history of the music performed by the Master Musicians of Joujouka and the legend of Boujeloud.
The book was published to coincide with the Hamri Revisited exhibition featuring a collection of artworks by Mohamed Hamri, also known as ‘The Painter of Morocco,’ displayed at the Tangier American Legation.
The book was originally published in 1975 by Capra Press in California. It was translated from Darija by Hamri’s wife, Blanca Hamri.
The exhibition, also including many portraits of the Master Musicians of Joujouka, was originally scheduled to run between March and June in 2020, and was postponed due to the museum’s closure during the Covid-19 pandemic amid lockdown measures in Morocco.
Following the museum’s re-opening in July the exhibition was open for an extended run from October 2020.
On 21st July 2020, the day before the reopening of the Tangier American Legation Museum, Blanca Hamri invited a small group of friends to see the exhibit, featuring paintings and other artwork by her late husband.
Watch Blanca Hamri take a tour of the Hamri Revisited exhibition at the Tangier American Legation here:
A statement from the Tangier American Legation said: “We thank Blanca Hamri, the wife of this great 20th century Moroccan painter, for generously loaning us works from her private collection.
“Special thanks go to both Blanca Hamri and to Youssef El Boukhari, who created this lovely video.
“We also thank Blanca for her patience – the Hamri Revisited exhibit was supposed to open in March and close in July, but was delayed due to the pandemic. If you cannot visit the Legation Museum to view this exhibit before it closes, you can enjoy a virtual guided tour by Blanca herself.”
Poster for Hamri Revisited exhibition at the Tangier American Legation
Mohamed Hamri (1932-2000) was a Moroccan artist born in the village of Joujouka. As a child among the first sounds he heard were the pipes and drums performed by the Master Musicians of Joujouka.
By the late 1940s Hamri was bringing groups of his family’s Musicians to Tangier playing music on the trains.
In 1950 Hamri encountered Paul Bowles and soon met Brion Gysin who would become his mentor.
After meeting Hamri, Gysin was soon introduced to the music of the Master Musicians of Joujouka, of which he said, “I just want to hear that music for the rest of my life.”
In 1954 Gysin and Hamri opened the 1,001 Nights restaurant in a wing of the Menebhi Palace in Tangier where a group of visiting Master Musicians of Joujouka played every night.
In August 1968 he organised the trip to the village for Jones which resulted in the LP, Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan At Joujouka, released in 1971 on Rolling Stones Records. The gatefold sleeve artwork for the album featured Hamri’s painting of Brian Jones the Master Musicians of Joujouka.
Mohamed Hamri at the Temple Bar, Dublin in 1992 with Master Musicians of Joujouka – Mohamed Mokhchan, Mohamed El Attar, Abdullah Ziyat and Abdesalam Dahnoun – photo by Ira Cohen
To order a copy of Tales of Joujouka click below(worldwide P&P included)*** SOLD OUT ***
Read more about the Hamri Revisited exhibition here
For more information visit the Tangier American Legation website
Boujeloud awaits guests for the 2022 Master Musicians of Joujouka Festival – photo by Herman Vanaerschot
The Master Musicians of Joujouka look forward to welcoming guests today (3rd June) for the first festival in their village in Morocco for three years.
On arriving in the nearby town of Ksar El Kebir festival guests will be allocated a shuttle taxi to Joujouka in the Ahl Serif mountains.
This year’s festival will be held from 3rd to 5th June and guests will be dropped back to Ksar El Kebir by midday on 6th June.
The festival follows the postponement of the sold out 2020 event due to the global Covid-19 pandemic and original ticket holders had their places carried over for the rescheduled event.
Contact details for the festival organisers – any queries to Master Musicians of Joujouka manager Frank Rynne on +33667541483 (French number).
In Morocco contact Master Musicians of Joujouka co-manager Aladin Ilou on the official festival phone +212637336660 (for e-messaging, whatsapp etc) or +212600421539 (for voice calls).
