Paying Tribute To San Francisco DJ Cheb I Sabbah

Cheb i Sabbah’s life traces an almost fairy-tale perfect path through the evolution of what’s now called world music. Born in Algeria in 1947, he absorbed the Judeo-Arabic Andalusian music of his local culture before he joined the ’60s rebellion and became a 17-year-old DJ playing soul 45s in Paris. By the end of the decade, he’d moved to New York and become friends with trumpeter Don Cherry, famous for his association with Ornette Coleman and a pioneer in the concept of multicultural music. Cherry’s fascination with fusions made a permanent impression on Sabbah, and by 1984 he’d relocated to San Francisco, a city that wears a rainbow of cultures with graceful lightness. Cheb i Sabbah began releasing records in 1994.

Sabbah is now dealing with Stage IV stomach cancer without the benefit of health insurance. His new release, Samaya, is subtitled “A benefit album for Cheb i Sabbah,” but it’s also a testament to the musician — a grand gathering of his tribes.

Of Samaya‘s two discs, the first jumps with more dance beats, while the second turns inward with more reflective tempos and tones. The contributors include all of Sabbah’s regular collaborators and favorite performers over the years, such as Bill Laswell, Karsh Kale, Transglobal Underground and tabla master Zakir Hussain. Sabbah himself offers one original track and some sinuous remixes. He always includes a surprise you think can’t possibly work, but it does.