Cherifa Kersit, Mohamed Maghni, and Omar Boutmazought

Here's a beautiful album by a trio of great artists from Khenifra (Magni and Cherifa) and Khemisset (Boutmazought). I love the sparse texture of this recording - just the lotar, a single bendir, and verses sung in rotating fashion by each of the three distinctive singers. In the clip below, the first singer is Maghni, followed by Cherifa and then by Omar:

We wrote about Maghni in our previous post. The fiery Cherifa Kersit is among the most celebrated singers of the Middle Atlas region. You can find her biographical sketch and more of her music at the Arab Tunes blog. The deep-voiced Omar Boutmazought is a singer and lotar player whose career dates back to the 1990s. You can find more of his music at the Moroccan Tapes site.

This album comes not from my physical media stash but from my hard drive (aka my file stash). It was shared 11 years ago by AbdelSMB at his long dormant site The Silence Has a Voice, and the Real Music Teach You the Silence. Shout out and well wishes to Abdel, wherever he may be - he has disappeared from Facebook and Twitter. I've uploaded his audio and image files and retagged the songs to include their titles. The CD appears to have been issued in 2007, but an image of the cassette issue of the album indicates a 2003 release date (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZPy1D_kImg).

Cherifa (Kersit), (Mohamed) Maghni, and Omar Boutmazought
الشريفة و مغني و عمر بوتمزوغت
Edition Wislane CD 09/01/07
2003

1 intro 1
2 Khetrou Yathna خترو ياثنة
3 Tousid Oulench توسيد أولنش
4 intro 2
5 Awdid Echilach أوضيد الشيلاش
6 Chouf Ayerzikh Asmouninou شوف ايرزيخ أسمونينو

320

Mohamed Maghni

Back to Khenifra this week for a tape by the renowned Amazigh singer, songwriter, and lotar player Mohamed Maghni. Born in 1950, Maghni comes from the same generation and milieu as Rouicha. Though he is less well known than Roucha, Maghni's songs are considered by aficionados of Amazigh song to be of higher artistic stature.

I'm not able to find many sources of information about Maghni's career and music, though all sources note the sensitivity and deep feeling of Maghni's poetry and melody. Two articles ([1] and [2]) state that Maghni's songs directly address social issues related to the experience of Imazighen, and that his uncompromising artistic stance led to his marginalization for many years outside of the mainstream of Moroccan music. (His Arabic Wikipedia entry states that worse things happened to him as well.)

Maghni has worked with other great singers of the region such as Hadda Ouakki and Cherifa Kersit. I don't know who is singing with him on this particular tape.

Maghni appears to be alive, well, and celebrated today. He was honored at the 2014 National Festival of the Lotar [3], and was even fêted in an episode of the Moroccan celebrity tv program Masar in 2016 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezPGoN0Ffqo).

There's not much of Maghni's music at the usual streaming sites like izlan.fr or izlanzik.org. There are, however, many clips of Maghni on YouTube, though with little documentation as to provenance or historical period, The YouTube channel Fazaz Arts has an extensive collection of these: https://www.youtube.com/user/SuperElmekki/search?query=%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF%20%D9%85%D8%BA%D9%86%D9%8A

Mohamed Maghni محمد مغني
Studio Fassiphone cassette 176 استوديو فاسيفون
320 | FLAC

[1] 2018 article in Hespress by Youssef Lakhdar: https://www.hespress.com/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%85%D9%8E%D8%BA%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%81%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%BA%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%BA%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9-%D9%82-465611.html

[2] 2011 article in Amazigh World by Ali Alhassan Obaisha: http://www.amazighworld.org/arabic/studies/index_show.php?id=2198

[3] http://www.marocpress.com/hibapress/article-442707.html

Hassania - Awesome Amazigh Artiste from Azrou

Continuing with another Tamazight tape this week, this one by the powerhouse singer Hassania. Born in Errachidia, she grew up in Azrou, where she continues to perform. This album is on the imprint Masterone out of Fes. In the late 2000s/early 2010s, the great Rouicha Mohamed was also recording for Masterone, and Hassania was featured as a vocalist on 4 of his albums during this period. [1]

Tracks A1 and B1 are more pop-oriented, featuring prominent use of keyboard and other instruments as well as wider sung melodic ranges, while tracks A2 and B2 stick more closely to the bendir and viola format, with the narrower melodic ambitus typical of Middle Atlas Amazigh song. I wish I could understand the lyrics, but even without that, the expressive power of her singing is formidable.

Another track from this album was uploaded to YouTube by Izlan.fr. The clip includes the Tamazight lyrics transcribed in both Roman and Arabic letters. It also credits the track to Hassania along with the viola player El Mansouri Houssa. You may also enjoy the accompanying video of someone driving around northern Bretagne.

Hassania is still active performing. Here is a great live clip from a party in Azrou just before COVID, accompanied by a nice band with drum kit, several bendirs, viola, and an unobtrusive keyboard.

Hear more of Hassania's albums at izlan.fr: https://izlan.fr/artiste/el-hassania/

Hassania - الفنانة الحسنية
Masterone cassette ماستر وان
BMDA 15-365-11
2011

A1 Amari Ayayinghan أماري أيينغان
A2 Mamiqarkh مميقارخ
B1 Adhouritsal Dhiiy أذورتسال ذييي
B2 Mmi Mmi ممي ممي

320 | FLAC

[1] 2018 Interview with Hassania on Amazigh Scoop (in darija) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhX5PrUY_80