JAJOUKA BUGGIN | 09.25 | SAN FRANCISCO

Critters Buggin has been touring the countryside this last month with Bachir and Mustapha with a show that blends Seattle’s avant jazz with Moroccan trance. While this tour has had to cancel many dates due to the tragedies on the East Coast, Jajouka Buggin has powered through spreading their musical message of peace and purpose. Upon their arrival to Northern California, their show was yanked from the original destination of the legendary Fillmore. But the show must go on and the kind people at the Justice League opened their doors at the last minute.

The venue filled up right away with excited Buggin fans. We were treated to some great pre-show music [that I just found out was San Francisco's Kooken & Hoomen], accompanied by slightly disturbing, yet mesmerizing images from the movie Baraka on the projection screen (the music is not from the movie). The room settled in and finally Skerik came out to introduce Bachir and Mustapha Attar of the Master Musicians of Jajouka. Bachir sat with his guimbri (a three stringed lute) and younger brother Mustapha with his double headed drum. They went right into the traditional Jajoukan music that surrounded the room. This was music with purpose. As the guimbri was played through some type of delayed, echo, reverb pedal, it created a pulsating, liquid sound, unlike anything I had ever heard. Think John McLaughlin and Shakti melding into one, fingers flying, sounds wrapping around one another, timing perfect, yet unexpected. Think mind blowing, therapeutic Jajoukan Music. Jajoukan music does not exist anywhere on paper and it is not easily replicated. The music is a baraka or a blessing from Allah that was inherited by Bachir as part of his birthright. Bachir is the leader of the Attar clan and his entire life has revolved solely around Jajoukan music. He has literally done nothing else since birth. In a time where technology and an obsession for money are threatening to swallow tradition whole, it is Bachir's responsibility to preserve their rituals, continue their way of life, and carry the beat so to speak. [Read more about Jajoukan music at www.jajouka.com.]

As Bachir traded in the guimbri for his rhaita (double reeded horn) the crowd was really getting into the Moroccan trance and was incited to clap along with Mustapha’s beat. Bachir then invited Matt Chamberlain (drums) and Mike Dillon (percussion) from Critters Buggin to join the stage. As the night progressed, one thought kept reoccurring in my mind. This has got to be one of the top 5, if not the best, percussion section out there right now. It was very exciting to see how intently Matt was watching Mustapha, following this mystical beat. Matt’s intense drumming and cymbal crashing added a very dramatic effect to the already religious music.

The stage morphed once again as Bachir and Mustapha slipped off. Enter bassist Brad Houser and the sax freak Skerik, "Aw yeeeeah!" Skerik immediately addressed the crowd and told us "We're gonna put the psych back in psychedelic." As they began their set of pure Critters, so did this very unusual TV made Star Wars movie on the backdrop. So picture Matt Chamberlain pounding away with a huge image of a fake Chewbacca behind him... very strange... very Critters.

Let’s talk about this percussion section again. I doubt there is any other band that has this kind of power in their rhythm section. When they hit the skins, and they hit them hard, the whole world starts to shake. The rhythms are so intricate yet Matt and Mike stay locked in with each other so tightly. It’s truly an amazing thing to watch Mike D traverse his wide variety of percussion toys, bouncing from his kit, to the vibes and back again with infinite energy.

Now Skerik... Skerik... Is this man for real? He is the Jimi Hendrix of the saxophone. I found myself right in front of him as he displayed the most insane sax solo. Within this solo, he used loops, echoes, reverb, feedback... no stone was left unturned. Through his horn he squawked, wailed, screamed, cried and was generally playing in yo' fuckin' face!

The show progressed as Critters slipped in and out of songs, touching on "Mount Blasta," giving, then taking back and giving "Shag" to us. There were hip-hop beats, an insane drum machine that looped insane foundations, and musical patterns that I couldn't even wrap my mind around.

Skerik switched from sax to keys as Dillon went back to the vibes conjuring up an ambient, spaced out, mesmerizing tapestry of sound. Just as the crowd was falling into a trance Skerik's voice echoed off the walls, "WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" At that point the sax began screeching, Skerik went into a tirade of mayhem, blowing notes that I didn't even think existed. I believe we heard "Shag" again, and then the familiar sample from the poignant social disertation "Flouride" came over the speakers.

When the Critters play, it’s like they’re saying, "Don’t you dare try and categorize me, you freak!" They have a sound that distinctly Critters - powerful and full of angst. It’s a beautiful thing to see this kind of free expression in today’s music.

The final set was the collaboration of East and West, old and new... Jajouka Buggin! After a short set break, there was a band of six on stage. For the next 30-40 minutes, the crowd was treated with a brand new sound. Bachir was hypnotizing the audience with his lira (a bamboo flute) and the percussion was incessant and brilliant. Mike D busted out a rhyme or two as he cheered on the Master Musicians. It was obvious that these guys enjoyed touring and playing together. It was a perfect blend of the wacky with the spiritual.

Well, thanks to the Critters and the Masters for an incredible night of music. We're looking forward to be your Host again in the Bay soon!

SuperDee with The Kayceman
JamBase | San Francisco
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