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Cheikh Raymond

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Raymond Leyris better known as Cheikh Raymond, (born on 27 July 1912 in Batna of a Judeo-Berber father and French mother and assassinated in Constantine, French Algeria on 22 June 1961) was a renowned Algerian Jewish musician. He specialized in Andalusian music of Eastern Algeria (known as malouf) and was an expert virtuoso player (a "grand master") of oud (the Andalusian lute) and singer with an exceptional vocal range and widely respected by both Jews and Muslims and given the title of Cheikh (elder) as Cheikh Raymond with the accompanying fame and respect.

His father was a Chawi Jew from Batna, and his mother a French citizen. He was abandoned in World War I when his father was killed. He was adopted by a very poor Jewish Algerian family from Constantine.

He studied under the guidance of the greats of Algerian music like Cheikh Chakleb and Cheikh Bestandji and launched a famous musical career establishing his own "Cheikh Raymond orchestra" and between 1956 and 1961 releasing more than thirty albums in addition to some singles.

Members of his orchestra included:

  • Sylvain Ghrenassia (an expert violinist)
  • Nathan Bentari
  • Haim Benbala
  • Larbi Benamri
  • Abdelhak.
  • Gaston Ghrenassia (later the renowned international singer Enrico Macias).

The young Gaston joined the orchestra at age of 15 encouraged by his father Sylvain. Gaston was soon dubbed "le petit Enrico" by the band, thus the adoption of Gaston of the name Enrico for a musical career in France. Gaston soon married Cheikh Raymond's own daughter Suzy.

Cheikh Raymond was assassinated on 22 June 1961 by a bullet in the neck, by Algerian nationalists while he was shopping in Constantine's Souk El Asser (la place Négrier) during the Algerian War of Independence. Some believe that he was targeted to send a message of fear in the existing Jewish community. His death was one of the reasons for the emigration of a great number of the Jewish Algerians to France.

References

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