Comments on: Gnawa revival

By: rev. Beraldo

rev. Beraldo — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:09:38 +0000

I’m listening to Hamduche this very moment. I was looking to its lyrics and found this blog.

Could anyone translate it and post the lyrics somewhere? It would be great.

By: Michel

Michel — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:43:15 +0000

My marrocan muay thai teacher loosely translated the content of Hamduche’s text this very morning. It’s supposedly about someone begging for his father, who left him. Although I suppose ‘father’ could be a reference to Allah.
The musical context is Marrocan with Andalusian sound influences.

By: CAN

CAN — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:44:28 +0000

Hmm.. Interesting.. I’ve been looking for its full lyrics in other sites but I still cannot find it.. But thanks anyway Emil

By: Emil

Emil — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:00:29 +0000

I once talked to a Maroccan about the song, Hamaduche, and he said that the song is about honoring Allah.

I shall look for some Gnawa right now!

By: CAN

CAN — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:46:48 +0000

Thanks for the informations about gnawa and middle eastern music,I am totally interested in that kind of music as well. One of the tracks that has the greatest influence on me from Cowvboy Bebop SNDTRCK is ‘Hamduche’, which is the mix of middle-eastern and jazz sounds and that makes this song very unique, I think. However, every time I hear the song the same question comes into my mind: What does the singer (Hassan Bohmide) say in that song? What does the lyrics mean?I think it is very important to know the lyrics, especially in middle eastern songs in order to get into the atmosphere of the song and understand feelings and thoughts of the composer. Anyone knows about the meaning of the lyrics of ‘Hamduche’? If so, could you please post it?

By: Azzurra

Azzurra — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 23:16:28 +0000

Buon luogo, congratulazioni, il mio amico!

By: Mitya

Mitya — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:31:07 +0000

Hey, Matt, glad to see you’re back. This blog is probaly the most interesting / useful site on African music out there.

By: I am Dali

I am Dali — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 21:34:59 +0000

by the way, here’s a slight bit of information about the track from Cowboy Bebop:

http://www.jazzmess.com/merch/cds/movie/musawe.html

music by: Yoko Kanno
vocals: Hassan Bohmide
musicians:

* centire – Hassan Bohmide
* saxophone – Honda Masato

info: This is another Hassan Bohmide vocal piece for “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Rather than being a jazz/middle eastern hybrid like Hamduche, this song empasises the middle eastern sound.
episodes: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

(yoko kanno is truly amazing, and as a composer rivals fela kuti and nobuo uematsu in their greatness. BUT, i don’t know how much of a hand she herself had in “composing” MUSAWE. )

By: Global Voices Online » Blog Archive » Morocco - Gnawa and Clichy-sous-Bois

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 15:15:36 +0000

[...] Africa’s favorite music blog, Benn loxo du taccu returns to Clichy-sous-Bois (Paris riots!) to watch a Gnawa concert by Moroccan musician Hmida Boussou.…”The point of the trip was then two-fold: to check-out this place so badly portrayed in the media as a centre of racial hatred and burning cars, and to listen to some great live gnawa music from down in Essaouira.” [...]

By: prof Babacar

prof Babacar — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 22:44:03 +0000

Matt

the Seabelts track is definitely gnawa
You can hear the gembre and the lyrics are welcoming praises to sidi Mustafa the prophet
I Didn’t recognise the voice and as I don’t know anything about Seabelts I don’t how they did the connection with the gnawa.
I’ve heard from non gnawa moroccans that the name gnawa commes from Guinaoui; that means “from Guinea” as Africa was called back then by the Portuguese

Blessings for your site and your wide open ears