What is "chaabi"

n. 1 (context music English) A kind of Moroccan popular music. 2 (context music English) A traditional style of music of Algiers.

Chaabi is a traditional music of Algiers ( Algeria), formalized by El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka.

Originally from the Casbah, Chaabi first appeared in the late 19th century, inspired by vocal traditions of Arab and Berber Andalusian music, also the home of Flamenco music. Chaabi simply means "folk" in Algerian.

A typical song features mournful, Arabic/Berber vocals, set against an orchestral backdrop of a dozen musicians, with violins and mandolins swelling and falling to a piano melody and the clap of percussion beats. While it shares many set themes with Flamenco - love, loss, exile, friendship and betrayal, Chaabi is part of a deeply conservative tradition and its lyrics often carrying a strong moral message.

At first Chaabi remained a scandalous genre, thriving behind closed doors or in specific locations called "Mahchachat" (cannabis dens), where the admirer of this music would go to drink coffee, tea or smoke. By the late 1950s, however, it had become the people's music, played at weddings and religious festivals; and El Hajj Muhammad El Anka, "the father of chaabi" also nicknamed "the cardinal", ran courses at the Algiers conservatoire. El Anka dedicated 50 years of his life to Chaabi, and died in 1978.

In 2011, Safinez Bousbia directed a documentary on chaabi music. "El Gusto" is the story of an orchestra of Jewish and Muslim musicians torn apart by war and then reunited to play in concert.

Chaabi refers to several types of popular music of Morocco, combining rural and urban folk music.

Rural varieties include Jerra and Aïta. Several artists performing this genre are known, such as Hajib, Stati, Najat Aatabou, Senhaji and Khalid Bennani.

Urban varieties are called Sahli. They are performed by the few Urban and Jewish artists, such as Abdessadeq Cheqara, Haim Botbol and Pinhas Cohen.

Category:Moroccan styles of music

Chaabi (الشعبي in Arabic), also known as Chaâbi, Sha-bii, or Sha'bii, refers to different music genres in North Africa such as Algerian chaabi, Moroccan chaabi and Egyptian chaabi.

Chaabi music is frequently found in weddings and this style is often associated with the festivals. The use of popular language and the creation of new rhythms have made this style an essential complement to the dance.