Gnawa Soul

The Gnawa, Morocco’s musical brotherhoods, were placed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2019. This is a big deal; the descendants of sub-Saharan Africans, the Gnawa were once derided in Morocco, and it’s largely thanks to the efforts of the Gnawa Festival in Essaouira that their reputation has been transformed. The late Mahmoud Guinea (also Gania) became a rock star as a result, helped along by collaborations with the starry likes of Carlos Santana. His brother Moktar, also a respected maalem master, a wielder of the gimbri, has assumed his mantle. This excellent album, recorded over two years in Atlantic wave-dashed Essaouira, should bring the global attention he deserves.

With a cover image shot by Hassan Hajjaj, the ‘Moroccan Andy Warhol,’ and with production values at a premium, Gnawa Soul is a prime example of Gnawa fusion as it should be: that is, with the gimbri leading the charge and a shared, time-hewn spirituality at its core. Guitarist-composer Anoir Ben Brahim and percussionist-arranger Yacine Ben Ali feel comfortable in the tradition, adding nuance to songs from the Gnawa repertoire. ‘Soudani Foulani’ praises the Gnawa’s West African origins; ‘Ana El Gnaoui’ celebrates their lila healing ceremonies. ‘Sassadi Manayou’ is a maelstrom of handclaps, drums, qaraqab (metal castanets) and call-and-response chants through which Gania’s voice is fathoms deep, a channel to the spirit world.