Jil Jilala is a Moroccan musical group which rose to prominence in the 1970s among the movement created by Nass El Ghiwane and Lem Chaheb. Jil Jilala was founded in Marrakech in 1972 by performing arts students Mohamed Derhem, Moulay Tahar Asbahani, Sakina Safadi, Mahmoud Essaadi, Hamid Zoughi and Moulay Abdelaziz Tahiri (who had just left Nass el Ghiwane). In 1974, they released their first record Lyam Tnadi on the Atlassiphone label. It was only a matter of time before Leklam Lemrassaa, Baba Maktoubi, Ha L'ar a Bouya, Jilala, and Chamaa became popular classics.
In 1976 they wrote Laayoune Ayniya about the Green March. The song becomes almost a national anthem that is chanted when Moroccans from all over the country marched as one towards the Moroccan Sahara, then occupied by Spain.
Contrary to Nass El Ghiwane, who were primarily influenced by the Gnawa music, Jil Jilala took their inspiration from other form of traditional Moroccan music like the Malhun, sung in a classical and old form of Moroccan Arabic, or the spiritual music of Jilala, a traditional sufi brotherhood. The goal of these groups was the rejuvenation of traditional Moroccan music.
The Eighties saw the coming of the wonder gnaoui Mustafa Bakbou from the formation Tiq Maya. Bakbou, sometimes written as "Baqbou" is considered to be the number one Gnawa musician of Africa!
Although Jil Jilala have had a lesser influence on the Moroccan music as did Nass el Ghiwane, they have brought much novelty to it. For years it seems that the line-up changed with the seasons. We see the leave and return of Sakina Safadi and also Mustafa Bakbou set out to return again. Even Tahiri will leave the group to return 10 years later. Just a few months before Mohamed Derham, heart of the group, left.
Derham, today, works in a communication agency. Mustafa Bakbou now has his own group GnAwA, including wife and children, continuing the very old tradition to keep the fire burning from father to sons and daughters. Since 2006 Jil Jilala are recording and performing together with Uve Muellrich and Marlon Klein of Germany's Dissidenten.
Jil Jilala was found before lemshaheb, it was the second band after Nas elghiwan, and Moulay Abdelaziz Tahiri was a member founder of nas elghiwan, he later joined jil jilala. He was not a founder of this band. Nass El Ghiwane, were not influenced by the Gnawa music,they were influenced by Al majdoub folk music which was put on the Casablnca theatre by Attayeb Seddiki.The play was called " Sidi Abed arrahman Almajdoub". On the other hand, Jil Jilala was influenced by Gnawa music, which was displayed daily at the main square " Jamma el Fana", later on after Moulay Abdelaziz Tahiri joined the band, they went on exploring " El Malhoun" which is a great deal for people of Marrakech. As per the different reunion by some of Jil Jilala members, it was due to Derhem and Moulay Abdelaziz Tahiri who were the only productive, the others have great voices and great singing ability, but could not compose nor write lyrics.The standards were always high. Derhem and Moulay Abdelaziz Tahiri expected more refined projects, while the others were after the financial gain. Nass El Ghiwan appeled to mass due to their simplistic tunes and lyrics, not complexion in rhythm or melodies. Please check these facts, I have lived the era