Le Festival de Ardine, Nkc

Yumma mint Teneykwich

 

Music in Nouakchott, Hassani at Fondation Malouma

Mohamed O Hambare et Lale avec l'ardine

Make O Dendeni avec le tidinit

Sedoum O Beybou O Eide et sa soeur qui répare la corde de l'ardine

musicians at Fondation Malouma

Ghady et Dilite N'gdhey et Lale Teneykmiche

Malouma et l'ambassadeur

What a delight to hear to some bits of live music by these extraordinary musicians from the old schools of 'Trarza', 'Tagant' and the 'deux Hodhs'.

The 'Fondation Malouma produced this double CD with traditional songs from the Hassani culture.

 Having been transmitted from generation to generation orally for centuries is now the work of the Fondation to put that knowledge in written. They have been having the Financial support of the AFAC and of musiciens like Mike Harting.

Ouadane, sans festival de villes Anciennes

Every year we leave Nouakchott at the end of December and spend sometime relaxing and enjoying the change in the small Oasis of Ouadane in the Adrar.

The Souk and Landrover

Music, meeting new people, seeing our friends and visiting the oasis close to Ouadane fill our journeys.

Musique from Oualata

Young girls singing in a small grocery

wedding with dancer

dancing and video recording

dancers and young men in the roof terrace

Singing in the market

I normally dont sketch a lot in Ouadane but this year I finished the sketch book I brought in 5 days. I was given a very beautiful one in rice paper by Japanese photographer Chizuko Kato who's been travelling in Mauritania every year since 2002 you can see her work here

Chizuko Kato and her guide Eylia

Like every year we meet plenty of people who travel through all Mauritania, solo or with a guide or with friends. This year we met for the first time Jacques Bonnet an 80 year old french man that has been living in Chinguetty (another well known oasis in the Adrar) for the last 20 years. He's the owner of two camels and he moves around by foot in the company of his camel driver, Nefa.

Jacques Bonnet, chamelier de Chinguetti

He loves going to the Festival's by camel and it took him one week form Chinguetti to Ouadane as there was lots of grass and they let their camels graze. When the Festival is in Oualata it takes him 40 days to arrive there and another 40 days to get back.

Jacques and Nefa, camel drivers

the camel's of Jacques and Nefa

music

Hamadi Dia and his instrument  built by him.

Diego del Morao, flamenco

Malouma Meidah et Diego del Morao

writing down the music, Malouma et Mike Herting

Malouma mint Meidah

  Moorish music is passed on orally, parents teach their children who in turn will teach theirs.
Mike Herting, composer, orchestra conducter and jazz pianist from Germany is in Mauritania at the moment working with Malouma mint Meidah trying to write down all the ways, modes and notes of the traditionnal music.

Lalla

 I went sketching twice at the Fondation Malouma. Yesterday they were recording the different modes. There was Lalla mint Teikmich, drum and voice, Malouma ardin (harp-like stringed instrument) and voice and Malouma's brother Lemrabott playing the tidinit (a small hourglass-shaped, four-stringed lute)

Malouma et Mike Herting

Today Mike was writing down the musical notes. Apparently apart of the notes we'll know ie DO RE MI...

there are demi notes for piano and in Moorish music there are even quarter of notes, meaning within the Do and the RE you can find two extra notes - explanation given by Mike and that I suppose its legible to musicians

Mike Herting listening to the musical notes

It was a priviledge to be able to listen to those great musicians playing while recording and note taking went on You can learn more about Mike and this project sponsered by the Goethe Institut of Dakar here. You an also listen to one of Malouma's music here.

Mike herting writing the musical note

Soirée at the Fondation Malouma

Malouma mint Meidah, the poet Abdelkader from Boutilimit and Mr...

griots from every region of Mauritania

griots from the Southern regions

Qadi

Malouma mint Meidah

I was extremely pleased to have been invited to the Malouma's event at her foundation.
She brought a musician from each region of the country from all the different groups ( moors and African ethnies) and together they played a mode called "Karr", you can read here in french a good explanation about the traditional music from Mauritania each musician interpreting it in a different way influenced by their regional area.
Malouma's music mixes other rythmes like blues but she wanted to show the traditional musicians how her way of interpreting comes from the same roots.
 I specialy enjoyed the voices of  Lalla mint Tenarmich and of Qadi, being a bit older they cover their mouths with their veils when singing. If you're enjoying the music don't miss this old recording with great singing by Jeich ould Sedoum ould Abba and the great dances of the two teenager girls.

Tahra mint Hembara, music and Tabous

 Tahra mint Hembara with Steve Shehan

 Tahra mint Hembara

 Playing in R'Gueiba

The traditional "tbol" of R'Gueiba

Tbol and chorus

Tahra mint Hembara, the greatest ardine player in Mauritania, gave a concert in one of the villages of the Banc d'Arguin last year. That's where I first met her. She played with Steve Shehan as part of a project to valorise the culture of the" Imaraguen", the inhabitants of the fishing villages of the National Park of the Banc d'Arguin.

Today Tahra is again in the news but for her comments to the Press on "violence against women" declaring herself a victim and speaking loud about one of the many tabous of the society she belongs to. 

She has made a special song that she will be playing during the big march that's being organised in Nouakchott by the civil society for women's day, the 8th March.

Moorish music, musique Beidane

An Algerian friend asked me about Mauritanian music, so here are some sketches I did last year during the Nomad's Music Festival in Nouakchott.
Traditional music from the Moors will sound to our ears as a monotonous repetition of sounds in a rhythm we're unfamiliar with.
Its like driving across the desert off the track. Looking at the expanses ahead and thinking it all just looks alike. Gripping the GPS modern men can brave the unknown.

For the moors that have been crossing this enormous expanse of desert for centuries from Guelmin, Morocco to Tindouf, Algeria to Chinguetti, Mauritania to Timbuktu, Mali. This surface sends billions of information precious for survival. All their senses have been trained to capture the slightest detail in the landscape.

That's how you're supposed to listen and to dance to this music. Giving time to your senses to absorb this music that won't let herself be caught in the speed of our times. And that by their subtle changes will make the hands of women flutter like butterflies.

Three instruments can be found, the ardin a kind of harp played by the women, the tednet a four string luth played by the men and the tbol (drum) played by women and men.

The man playing and singing is Sidi ould Dendeni at the French Cultural Center during " Le Festival de Music Nomades" at Nouakchott, 2008.