Stambeli: The Legacy of the Black Tunisians

The heavy clacking of the qaraqab (iron castanets) and the hypnotising melodies of the gimbri (three-stringed lute) make it easy to recognise the similarity between the Stambeli of Tunisia and the Gnawa of Morocco. Aside from the musical similarities, both traditions share histories fraught with slavery and the stigma of ‘otherness’, Like the Gnawa, stambeli music serves as a catalyst for healing in spirit ceremonies. And yet, while the music of the Gnawa has become well-known the world over, stambeli music has been left in its shadow.

This album, however, is part of a larger project that hopes to change that. With a website set up (stambeli.com) and a book (Stambeli: Music, Trance & Alterity in Tunisia written by ethnomusicologist Richard C Jankowsky), the project is dedicated to increasing awareness of this dying tradition. Featuring the gimbri master Salah el-Ouergli, this album offers quality recordings of stambeli ritual music. However, it is the accompanying booklet that makes this album something special. Also written by Jankowsky, the booklet provides an introduction into stambeli history, ritual, and repertoire as well as detailed descriptions of each track. He even offers the etymology of some Stambeli words, though a few of the connections seem weak. In addition, the booklet is full of vivid photographs that offer the reader/listener a glimpse into the mysterious world of the stambeli.