If there's one thing that all Moroccans can agree upon, it's that the two greatest Gnawa masters who ever lived were Ma'alem Sam and Ma'alem Boussou. Even with all the controversy regarding authenticity between the Gnawa, those two ma'alemin, both no longer living, are never questioned. I recently met a man here in Essaouira who spent quite a bit of time with the both of them and who has followed the Gnawa for the majority of his life. For 28 years, he's been making guimbris for Morocco's most renowned ma'alemin and is also a ma'alem himself. I met him through Hassan and had him over for a large fish tajine, discussion/interview, and to record part of the Moulay Abd el Qadir set of songs.
Yesterday afternoon, after we could not find octopus (one of my favorite dishes), Hassan helped me pick out a big eel in the open fish market, which is called a “conga” in French although I'm not sure of its English name. It looks formidable and buying it was half of the adventure. I let Hassan prepare the tajine since he's quite a chef. I watched him prepare it and he told me that the head was the most delicious and his favorite part, including the eyes. I told him, "It's yours, no problem" but when the tajine was set down and we started digging in, it turned out that the head was in front of me and I had already started eating it (it was buried in veggies). I gave what was left to him and tried not to think about whether I had eaten the eyes. In any case, it was outstanding. I bought a box of little desserts to have later with tea as well.
Most of my questions were about the significance of Moulay Abd el Qadir and his association with the color green in the Gnawa lila since I am particularly moved by his set of songs. There is something pulling me to learn more about him and study this set of songs. As it also turns out, my apartment is across the street from the Moulay Abd el Qadir Zaouia, something like a shrine. I asked all my questions in French and was extremely pleased that I understood so well during the entire interview. There were only a few vocabulary words I did not know, but I could gather the meaning by the context. Comparing this to last year when I had to hire a translator, I am so happy for my progress. Occasionally, he would break off into Arabic with Hassan but they would give me the translation in French.
Before the interview, I asked Hassan to help control the amount of "side discussion" to keep us "on topic" according to my experience last year: if there were more than two Moroccan guys in the room, a big discussion or debate would often develop and I would be left sitting there for 15 minutes twiddling my thumbs. For the most part, this was not a problem this time, especially since I didn't have a translator there to add to the discussion.
After an hour or two of eating and questions, he played some and then passed the guimbri to Hassan. Then Hassan passed the guimbri to me and I was put on the spot. I don't yet know an entire piece from beginning to end without stopping so I played sections. Although I was embarrassed, I got the ma'alem's approval that I'm on the right track and that although I'm missing some coordination and technique right now, I'm “a lot further along than some people who have been around the Gnawa 20 years and wanted to play the guimbri.” I think that means that already being a musician, I can keep good time and, as Hassan put it, “you have the cadence, you have the feeling.”
It was a delightful evening with a good ambiance and the ma'alem was both direct and frank about whom I should be spending my time with and getting interviews with and who would be a waste of my time (even a ma'alem whose music I like). He provided a good, focused idea on which avenues would be the most fruitful for me. We had some good joking and teasing as well. I was tired but hung on until he left at midnight.
I've taken to sleeping in the room off of the terrace the last few nights so after the full evening, I happily settled down to the sound of the wind, seagulls, and ocean as well as the fresh air blowing through the room.
