The Berbers are an ethnic group in North and West Africa. Their music is widely varying across the area they inhabit, but is best known for its place in Moroccan music, the popular Kabylian music of Algeria and the widespread Tuareg music of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. The Berbers (also called Amazigh people or Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group autochtonous to Northwest Africa and speak various Berber languages. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, generally divided by the formidable barrier of the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ...  Western Africa (UN subregion)  Maghreb[1] West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... Gnawa musicians in Morocco Morocco is a North African country inhabited mostly by Arabs along with Berbers and other minorities. ... This article focuses on the geographical area of Kabylie and its people. ... For other senses of this name, see Tuareg (disambiguation). ...

Algeria

Main article: music of Algeria Algerian music is virtually synonymous with raï among foreigners; the musical genre has achieved great popularity in France, Spain and other parts of Europe. ...

The region of Kabylia in Algeria has a very large Berber population. Traditional Kabylian music consists of vocalists accompanied by a rhythm section, consisting of t'bel (tambourine) and bendir (frame drum), and a melody section, consisting of a ghaita (bagpipe) and ajouag (flute). This article focuses on the geographical area of Kabylie and its people. ... For the popular Tamil film, see Rhythm (film) Rhythm (Greek = flow, or in Modern Greek, style) is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events. ... Köçek with tambourine c. ... Moroccan bendir with snares The bendir (erbeni or arbani) is a frame drum used as a traditional instrument throughout North Africa, more specifically in Tunisia. ... A drum is a musical instrument in the percussion family, technically classified as a membranophone. ... Look up melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The rhaita or ghaita is a double reed instrument from Northern Africa. ... A bagpipe performer in Amsterdam. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ...

Kabylian music has been famous in France since the 1930s, when it was played at cafés. As it evolved, Western string instruments and Arab musical conventions, like large backing orchestras, were added. After the independence of Algeria and Kabylian culture was oppressed, many musicians began to adopt politicized lyrics. The three most popular musicians of this era were Ferhat, Aït Menguellet and Idir, whose "A Vava Inouva" (1973) brought international attention for Kabylian music and laid the groundwork for the breakthrough of raï. The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... Coffeehouse in Damascus A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant. ... A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ... Arab music is the music of Arabic-speaking people or countries, especially those centered around the Arabian Peninsula. ... A philharmonic orchestra An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually a fairly large instrumental ensemble with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. ... // Biography: Idir Idir was born in 1949 at Aït Lahcène a Berber village in Haute-Kabylia. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Raï (Arabic: راي) is a form of folk music, originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French, African-American and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s and has been primarily evolved by women in the culture. ...

By the time raï, a style of Algerian popular music, became popular in France and elsewhere in Europe, Kabylian artists were also moving towards popular music conventions. Hassen Zermani's all-electric Takfarinas and Abdelli's work with Peter Gabriel's Real World helped bring Kabylian music to new audiences, while the murder of Matoub Lounes inspired many Kabylians to rally around their popular musicians. Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more of the mass media. ... Takfarinas (born Hassen Zermani in Tixeraïne, Algeria) is a French-Algerian raï musician. ... Abderrahmane Abdelli (born April 2, 1958) is an Algerian-born author, composer, and singer songwriter known for mixing the traditional African style of his homeland with modern styles. ... Peter Brian Gabriel (born February 13, 1950, in Chobham, Surrey, England) is an English musician. ... The term Real World or real world may mean: the stage of life that one enters after completing ones schooling, as in the sentence, After students enter the real world, they may not be able to sleep late as often as they did while in school. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Modern singers include Djur Djura and Houri Aichi.

Morocco

Main article: Music of Morocco Gnawa musicians in Morocco Morocco is a North African country inhabited mostly by Arabs along with Berbers and other minorities. ...

Berber musicians from the Ourika valley

Berbers are a solid majority of Morocco's population, but are nevertheless politically marginalized. Their most famous musical output is likely Najat Aatabou, a singer whose debut cassette, "J'en ai Marre", sold an unprecedented half a million copies in Morocco. Internationally, the Master Musicians of Jajouka are also well known, as a result of their collaboration with Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and poet William Burroughs. Another recording group from Jajouka is Master Musicians of Joujouka, formerly managed by the late painter Mohamed Hamri. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 509 pixel Image in higher resolution (968 × 616 pixel, file size: 219 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Berber music ceremony, Ourika valley. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 509 pixel Image in higher resolution (968 × 616 pixel, file size: 219 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Berber music ceremony, Ourika valley. ... Jajouka And The Attars The Master Musicians of Jajouka are from the town of Jajouka, or Joujouka, which is located in Northern Morocco in the Rif Mountains and their tradition of music is passed down, in a supposedly unbroken line, going back 4000 years. ... Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was a founding member, lead and rhythm guitarist and backing singer in the English rock group, The Rolling Stones. ... This article is about the rock band. ... William S. Burroughs. ... A sunset in Joujouka Joujouka (or Jajouka) is a village in the southern Rif Mountains, populated by the Ahl-Sherif tribe in northern Morocco. ... The Master Musicians of Joujouka are a musical ensemble from the village of Joujouka/Jajouka in the Ahl Srif mountains in the southern Rif Mountains of northern Morocco. ... This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. ...

Tuareg

Main articles: Music of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso The music of Mali is dominated by forms derived from the ancient Mande Empire. ...

The Tuareg who live in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have produced an internationally renowned band in Tartit. Their traditional music uses rhythms and vocal styles similar to the music of other Berbers and Arab music, while West African call-and-response-style singing is also common. In contrast to many of the region's peoples, among the Tuareg, music is mostly the domain of women, especially the imzhad, a string instrument like a violin. Tuareg weddings feature unique styles of music, such as the vocal trilling of women and special dances (ilkan) of slaves marking the occasion. The Ensemble Tartit (Tartit means union) are a band from the Tombouctou Region of Mali. ... Arab music is the music of Arabic-speaking people or countries, especially those centered around the Arabian Peninsula. ... In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first. ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... Nubian wedding with some international modern touches, near Aswan, Egypt Preparing for the photographs, at a wedding in Thornbury Castle, England A traditional Japanese wedding ceremony A wedding is a ceremony which celebrates the beginning of a marriage. ...

External links

• Master Musicians of Joujouka
• Fabchannel.com - Watch a great video of a Najat Aatabou concert