Morocco Music scene

Hello,

Im going to Morocco next week and was wondering, where are the best places to see musicians and hook up?

Any information would be good.

Thanks...

Curious James

Hi James

Lucky you I went to Morocco for 4 months in 1995 in the hope of finding a really cool OUD scene, but I was very disappointed. This was also partly because: 1- I really didn't want to stay in CASA, and 2- I was too shy at that point (being a beginner on oud) to push for a contact with Said Chribi and/or Haj Younus (sp.).

So first I went off to Fez, and found almost nothing. Except at the American Univ. I was invited to a concert by Noaman Lahlou (famous singer and sort of oudi)... I connected with Noaman and he helped me make contact with the great oud maker Khalid Belhaiba.

But I couldn't stomach staying in Casa, so I went off to Essaouirra - and at that time in my life I was more into learning languages then music so I spent the whole time studying classical Arabic (and French). But down there found absolutely nothing to do with oud except one maker there making touristy oud-like objects. Funny thing is little did I know it Essaouirra is a great place for Gambri music - and there was some festival going on I only heard in the distance from my window each night. I later got really into gambri (listening) and built a couple. If I would be now going to Morocco I would go for gambri, not oud, because in fact there is no indiginous school of oud in Morocco --- IMO better go to turkey, syria, lebanon... etc for oud.

I spent my last month in the RIFF mountains in Chefchaouen.... absolutely NO oud-life there. . . and I couldn't even speak my recently tweeked up French cuz it is only Spanish up there. Also, nobody speaks classical Arabic, so that turned out to be a bit of a waste also. . . . .

I just didn't know it at that time that Morocco is in fact a bit on the fringe of the oud world. . . but it has it's OWN music (without oud) which is amazing!

However, having said all of that, and my info is 15 years out of date, still if I would do it again I would go immediately to Khalid, Said, and Haj and ask those guys what is going on with oud - - - -

Have a nice trip!