V. A. - THE MUSIC OF ISLÃM, VOLUME FIVE : ʾAīssāoua Ṣūfī Ceremony, Marrakesh, Morocco (1997) 2CD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This pair of discs in the outstanding Music of Islam series on Celestial Harmonies showcases the music of the Aissaoua sect of Sufism, largely from Morocco. The Aissaoua are followers of the teachings of Shaykh 'Abd Allah Sidi Muhammad Ben 'Aisa as-Sufiani al-Mukhtari, a 15th century Sufist. The music is more similar to Moroccan music in general than to the average Sufi forms, which are generally characterized by the ney and clapping to accompany the dances of the dervishes. Here, there are oboes blaring through sections of the ceremony, and drumming throughout (though the instrumentation builds from the beginning to the end, reaching a climax of intensity at a specific point during which the trance dancing of the accompanying ceremony reaches its height as well). This is energetic music for the most part, far outpacing the normal Sufi music of the Middle East at any rate (though still perhaps falling behind the pace of the Sufi-based qawwali of Pakistan). It is a dense sound in spots, followed by periods of relatively sparse instrumentation and vocals. It is a complex sound overall, but an interesting combination of styles and tempos. To go with this, there are the ultra-informative liner notes compiled by Celestial Harmonies for each volume of the series, with a number of essays dealing with all major aspects of Islam as well as specific ones for the genre being showcased. This is something of an ethnomusicologist's boon, with the comprehensive treatment both of the different genres as well as each genre alone. Pick up the series if there is any interest whatsoever in Islamic music in you. by Adam Greenberg  
Tracklist 1 :
1 Dikr (Part 1) 11:21
2 Dikr (Part 2) 9:07
3 Fatha 0:31
4 Dikr (Part 3) 8:50
5 Inovocation 0:35
6 ʾĀda (Part 1) 17:49
7 ʾĀda (Part 2) 7:31
Tracklist 2 :
1 Scene Inauguration 14:47
2 Dikra Rebbania 40:26
3 Closing Music 11:02
Recorded at the Academia Arabesca, the Medina (Marrakesh, Morocco).