Search - Brion Gysin :: One Night @ 1001

Rare 1950s recordings of the Master Musicians and Brion Gysi

M. Bromberg | Atlanta, GA United States | 01/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1954 Brion Gysin operated The Thousand and One Nights, a Tangier restaurant, "in order to hear the musicians of Jajouka every night for the rest of my life." That bond remained even as Gysin went on to other things; eventually, in 1968, Gysin himself would introduce Brian Jones to the musicians and be involved in the recording of "The Pipes of Pan at Jajouka," released in 1971 by the Rolling Stones.



Mysteriously -- the work of a mischievous bou jaloud, maybe? -- the listing here of tracks on this CD is reversed. Buyers should note the sound samples of the first disc are actually the performance of "Dilaloo" and the second disc samples the master musicians' set. Together they present two aspects of Gysin's Tangier stay.



"Dilaloo," Gysin's 1955 recitation inspired by the rites of Pan, is on the first disc. It is included here with an added, improvised musical accompaniment by producer Ramuntcho Matta. Gysin's poem recreates the ritual of initiation and transformation in the village of Jajouka. His reading has moments of force and power, an incantation that mirrors the swirling rhythms on the second disc. It's also a fascinating attempt at putting the ineffable into words. While the music of Jajouka speaks for itself, on their own Gysin's words are as much an explanation as the listener could ask of this strange and powerful music.



The second disc is an edited hour-long recording of the master musicians. The performance is intimate and energetic, almost sounding like wild chamber-music for the international set that visited Tangier's international zone in the 1950s. This is not the 24-hour-long pipes of Pan -- but it is mysterious, sometimes frantic, and otherworldly, qualities enhanced by the obvious on-site recording. Presented here without titles or text, translation or lyrics, the music remains as inscrutable as Gysin would have wished, and just as mesmerizing.



SubRosa released this collection twice, with different cover art. The second cover features a black-and-white photo of Gysin, taken by David Angus in Tangier circa 1955. That version is currently out-of-print but contains the same material heard here.



"