Tauregs!

Just got back from the best of the Sufi Nights programs. The Tatrit group was a collection of Tauregs (men and women) who had more energy and performance wisdom than any of the other ensembles thus far. The Qawwals may be able to complete, but what this group had was a sense of staging that included motion. They didn’t “dance” per se, but they would get up, move around, and, as Fiona had put it, did crazy things with their hands. These fluid gestures would have come across as silly, but the consistency with which they carried them out made the moves fit. They had an electric guitar, two n’gonis, and a series of small hand drums to go along with the singing and clapping. The French descriptions between songs elicited enormous applause each time, they were probably nationalist, or counter-nationalist statements, each firm and carried out with confidence. I only wish we could catch more of what they were saying.

Today I had my first gimbri/hajuj “lesson” with Abd ar-Rzaq. I’m going with him tomorrow to check out a maker, and I’m going to attempt to pay him for lessons.