This album is devoted to the griots of the Moors, these ancient Arabic-speaking nomads who traveled all over the western Sahara through the centuries, from Senegal to the south of Morocco. The griots, professional musicians belonging to ancient lineages, are still, for the time being, the almost exclusive holders of the forms of classical music that they transmit from generation to generation.
In a changing society, the griots must gain new audiences. However, this CD stays as close as possible to the forms and sonorities of the classical music, as it was performed in the tent. It involves the use of traditional instruments such as the tidinit, a small lute specific to the griots of the Sudan zone, and the ardin, the harp of the griottes that we only find among the Moors.
This CD is Coumbane's first album. Her charisma carries away all those who have had the good fortune to hear her. She wins people over with the flexibility and naturalness of her voice, with her extreme virtuosity, and the pleasure that she takes in singing, without the slightest affectation, can be felt. Cheikh ould Abba, her tidinit player, accompanies her with respect and refinement. Their instrumental duets, in which improvisation plays an essential role, thus benefit from high-quality reciprocal listening.