US artist Piper Mavis’s essay from L.A. review of books with photographs and short video is available online
A Visit with the Master Musicians of Joujouka by Piper Mavis
“Each night as the music began, I found myself thinking that I would stay for just 45 minutes or so, and each night I found myself still there, entranced, at 2 a.m. Entranced is the word for it: at some point time ceases to play by its usual rules and one is truly only in the moment, a rarity and a gift in the modern world. That would be the goal, if there was one at all. To slow down. To enjoy the experience of something ancient and fundamental in a village in the Rif Mountains, out of the reach of internet, cell phones, plumbing, or paved roads. There, under the shade of an olive tree during the day or the stars at night, you can collapse into the primal vibrating forces of sound, a place that your purest self had forgotten. Rhythms so loud, so intense, and so unforgiving in length that you hear them in your vibrating chest, not just through your overwhelmed ears.” Piper Mavis
