Algeria: Sahara: Music of Gourara

Little is known about the history of the Gourara region of the Algerian Sahara. In 1987 it was home to over 60,000 Zenete, Bedouin, and Sudanese peoples in about one hundred oasis settlements. Whereas these ethnic groups retain distinct cultural identities, their musical styles show mutual influences, such as the use of polyphonic rhythms and religious subject matter.This recording illustrates both the diversity and shared characteristics of Gourara music, from the maraboutism, an Islamic ritual piece sung to pray for the fertility of the palm flowers, to the ahellil, music for religious feasts often performed over the course of an entire night. The liner notes provide a brief history about the region and background of each of the seven musical selections. This album is part of the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music.

Track Listing

101	Ahellil Song: Salamo	Ba Saoud	07:50
102	Tagerrabt song: Ya salat 'alik (We Bow to You)	Mahmi Amer	06:01
103	Hadra song: Al hamdou lillah (Praised Be the Lord)	Moulay Tayeb Brotherhood	08:14
104	Tebel song of the Meherza	Meherza singers with percussion and flute	09:07
105	Song for the Insemination of the Date Palm	Man singing while working in garden, Algeria	02:05
106	Song Accompanied on the Amzad	Gourara man singing and playing amzad	04:51
107	Dance with Qarqabou	Singers and dancers accompanied by percussion	05:07