Daniel Caux's Arab Music Writings Collected Posthumously

A new book, 'Les Mille et Un Trésors des musiques arabes,' compiles the pioneering writings of French journalist Daniel Caux on Arab music, originally published under the pseudonym Ali Charlie in Charlie mensuel from 1974 to 1976. Caux, who died in July 2008, was celebrated as an avant-garde music specialist but also the first French journalist to cover Arab music. His columns covered a wide range of styles, from Oum Kalthoum to Moroccan hippie groups like Jil Jilala. The collection, edited by Tewfik Hakem and published by Le Grand Souffle, fulfills Caux's last wish, championed by his widow Jacqueline Caux. The articles document the underground music scene of Barbès in the 1960s and 1970s, highlighting the cultural blind spot of French jazz enthusiasts toward North African music.