Tuesday, April 3, 2012

THE MASTER MUSICIANS OF JOUJOUKA FESTIVAL


If you are looking for an exotic far flung mind blowing festival that the hordes have yet to find, then this is what you are after.

A few days in a mountain top village with the non-stop schizophrenic healing drone of the Master's Musicians of Joujouka's drums and raita.

Their wild bewildering sound rings out across the mountains. Demonic in the most angelic of ways.

The Masters may be latest line-up in a 1,000 yr old band. 
But just cos there's no planes, Jack Daniels, coke and groupies doesn't mean that there has not been some acrimonious splits over the years.
Some rock n roll stories never change.


Basic but idyllic, here's a photo tour of last year's festival 


The festival is deliberately small to keep an intimate vibe going and let people stay in the musicians' houses.

Demand has been pretty high this year following the Master's opening slot on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury last year.

After officially opening the festival, the Masters went guerrilla and did a number of priceless impromptu gigs over the weekend...such as the one below at Glastonbury's stone circle.



So if you want the privilege of being there, you had better move now.

Booking now www.joujouka.net

Book Now for Master Musicians of Joujouka Festival 8-10 June 2012 

Master Musicians of Joujouka Festival Joujouka, (Jajouka), Morocco.
The Master Musicians announce their summer festival will be held 8-10 June 2012 in their village in Morocco. Guests will stay with the musicians and their families and experience three days and nights of  ritual Sufi music in its natural setting. On Saturday 5 June the musicians will perform the Boujeloud ritual in the village square through the night. In July 2008 the Master Musicians of Joujouka hosted the Brian Jones 40th Anniversary Festival in their village in the southern Rif Mountains of Northern Morocco. The festival was a celebration of fortieth anniversary of Brian Jones’ recording the iconic LP Brian Jones presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka (Rolling Stones Records 1971). The festival brought the families of old Masters now passed on and a group of visitors from abroad including old friends of the errant Rolling Stone.
In 2009 the Master Musicians festival moved to June as the temperature at the end of July can be above 40C. The festival was a great success and was reported on in The Wire magazine October, 2009.
Guests will experience life in Joujouka staying with the musicians and their families in their isolated village. The Master Musicians of Joujouka will play in intimate sessions around their madrassa/school. The highlight of the festival wwill be the village’s celebration of the Boujeloud ritual in the village square.
Places at the festival are strictly limited as due to accommodation limitations with the families in Joujouka/Jajouka. Guests will be collected from Ksar El Kebir the nearest town to Joujouka on Friday 5th June and will be brought to the village. Full board will be provided. Food will be prepared in traditional Joujouka fashion from locally sourced produced. Joujouka is a farming community well as Sufi trance music the village is famous for its beautiful olives and olive oil.
The festival is booking now. The pricee is €300 (Euro)
Guests will be collected at Moulay El Mehdi train station in Ksar El Kebir on June 8th and transported to Joujouka/Jajouka. For Moroccan trains see www.oncf.ma
Full board lunch and evening meal on Friday
Breakfast, Lunch and traditional Moroccan mountain feast on Saturday
Breakfast (all guests) plus lunch, and evening meal on Sunday
For payment by credit transfer please email me for details joujouka@gmail.com
Places are limited to 75.
If you have any questions please do get in touch. joujouka@gmail.com

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