Marzoug combines Arab and African cultures. The musical family settled in the El Alia district of Biskra, in southern Algeria. Marzoug is led by the distinguished bagpipe master, Soudani Djelloul, who carries on the traditions of the music of his area. The music of Marzoug must be seen against the background of the Sahara Desert – the large region that includes most of North Africa up to the Mediterranean Sea that separates and at the same time joins North Africa and Southern Mediterranean Europe. The band’s music invites the listener into the immensity of the desert through their integrated program of music, song and dance.
The group has a great rapport with the public that owes a lot to their integration of traditional instruments such as the chekwa bagpipe, the karkabas (iron castanet) and the North African tabla (darbuka).
One of the great inovations of the Marzoug family is that they made the bagpipe a solo instrument of its own in the Magreb, and not only an instrument used to accompany the singer, as can be found in other areas.
The Soudani-Marzoug family has been composed of noteworthy musicians for generations, some players of chekwa (bagpipe), of tabla and karkabas, along with the Arab African chants of a singer. The songs of this band can be of profane or religious (medh or praise) inspiration. However it is undoubtedly the profane and love repertoire that remains the most outstanding. It is on various occasions or for celebrations (wedding, baptism, circumcision etc.), in various boroughs, towns or villages that the Marzoug band is invited to play on a regular basis.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
