Wednesday, January 3, 8pm
Ashkenaz
1317 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94702
510-525-5054


Back in the old days before Xbox 360 consoles, plastic cell phones, and PlayStation 3s became requisite items in every American kid’s toybox, children had to find more imaginative, if not so instantaneously gratifying, ways of entertaining themselves. You know, like making macramé rugs, or or slingshots from sticks and rubber bands. According to Algerian musician Moh Alileche, kids in remote North African villages had to be even more inventive, given their meager resources. Growing up in the ’60s, Alileche remembers crafting his first instrument at age nine under the tutelage of other fledgling musicians in his native village of Kabylia. First he poked a hole in the center of an oilcan. He then attached a piece of wood at the neck, along with a string and a single screw. For four years, he played the instrument every day after school and on weekends. By the time he got a Spanish guitar at age thirteen, he’d become a veritable Jimmy Page of the oilcan.

Today Alileche, who immigrated to California in 1990 to escape the imminent civil war in Algeria, sings in his native Tamazight (i.e., Berber) and plays an instrument called the mondol. He likens it to the mandolin, but says it’s bigger and has five double silk strings, which he usually special-orders from France. His band, which has mutated several times since forming in 1995, now includes a banjo, hand drums like the bendir — which has two or three strings inside that make it buzz — the dumbek, bamboo flutes, and, on occasion, a North African flute called the ney. Alileche makes no mention of handcrafted junk instruments or souped-up oilcans. But you never know.

Wednesday, Alileche and his band perform a traditional Algerian set at Ashkenaz, including a screening of his new film, From Kabylia to California. The film, projected for official release in early 2007, features images from Alileche’s recent trip to Algeria, including a wedding celebration at which internationally known dance troupe Tikerma performs a traditional Kabyle dance. “You’re probably familiar with belly dancing? It’s not quite the same,” Alileche assures. “It’s not like anything in this country.” The film starts at 8 p.m., with live music at 9. Tickets cost $10. Ashkenaz.com or FlagofFreedom.com

Just say Moh