Tyour Gnaoua

One of the truly unique musical collaborations, Tyour Gnaoua represented the joint efforts of Congolese keyboardist, percussionist, and vocalist Ray Lema and Moroccan musicians rooted in the Gnawa (Moroccan spiritual trance music) tradition. The resulting sound was a rich mixture of funk, reggae, Afro-Latin, and Moroccan trance influences. Descended from African slaves, the Gnawa musicians are masters of the musical, acrobatic, ritual, and therapeutic traditions between Islam and black Africa. Lema, who had previously recorded with his own band, flew to Essaoira, the Moroccan center of the Gnawa culture, and helped form Tyour Gnaoua. ~ Craig Harris