“With 25 years under its belt, the Gnaoua and World Music Festival of Essaouira continues to gain notoriety on the world music scene. This is because this festival, unlike any other, stands out for its unique concept of unprecedented fusions,” the organizers said in a press release.
Merging Gnaoua rhythms with music from around the world, it is this singular idea that was at the origin of the creation of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival of Essaouira, they specified, noting that from the beginning, the Festival has asserted itself as an open-air musical laboratory, which welcomes, each year, the most audacious, the most improbable experiments, to the great delight of music lovers and festival-goers in search of new sounds and a unique experience.
This year, on the occasion of the celebration of the 25th edition of the Festival, in addition to the opening concert which is a new creation of the Festival, five fusion concerts are proposed, with talents from South Africa, Spain, the United States, France, Mali and Senegal, to confront the Maâlems Gnaoua, who have become masters in the art of mixing their repertoire with those of musicians from around the world.
The universal in the plural: Maâlem Mohamed Kouyou, Rhani Krija, Guimba Kouyaté, Jon gGrandcamp, Kike Perdomo, Mehdi Chaib and Hbs Trumpet – (Morocco, Mali, Spain, France)
After an explosive performance at the opening concert of the 24th edition of the Festival, Mohamed Kouyou is preparing to do it again for this new concert, the result of a residency where rigor and audacity go hand in hand. And for good reason, the performance of two genius percussionists: the Moroccan Rhani Krija, who rubs shoulders with stars such as Sting, Herbie Hancock or Al Di Meola, and the French Jon Grandcamp who draws his inspiration from African music, soul and funk, which is added to the ascetic playing of the trumpeter HBS Trumpet, the haunting melodies of Kike Perdomo’s sax and finally the gifted electric guitar player, the Malian Guimba Kouyaté will give substance to a dialogue between artistic and cultural tributaries who listen to each other, exchange, merge and amaze us.
Breath of Africa: Maâlem Abdelmalek El Kadiri and Alune Wade (Morocco, Senegal)
This is the meeting of two exceptional talents. The first, Alune Wade, is used to prestigious collaborations: Youssou N’dour, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Bobby McFerrin, Joe Zawinul, Aziz Sahmaoui, and Marcus Miller. Senegalese bass virtuoso, composer and singer, Alune Wade will cross his notes with the young Maâlem Abdelmalek El Kadiri, spiritual son of the greatest Gnaoui masters such as Maâlem Abdallah Guinea, Maâlem Abderrahman Paca, Maâlem Cherif Regragui and many others.
Again and Again: Abaye Cissoko and Mehdi Qamoum (Morocco, Senegal)
He is probably one of the best Kora players in the world. With his clear and modern musical playing, Ablaye Cissoko is part of the new generation of Senegalese artists embodying the meeting between Mandingo traditions and contemporary musical creation. Mehdi Qamoum draws on his roots and the richness of his country’s musical heritage: Gnaoua, Houara, Isemgan, Reggada, Daqqa merrakchiya … find themselves propelled towards modernity thanks to his electric guembri. A musical conversation between two authentic and current artists.
High Intensity: Maâlem Tariq Aït Hmitti and BCUC
Heir to the “Hmitti” clan, Tariq is part of this new generation of artists nourished by the Gnaoua tradition but very open to innovation and other forms of music through fusions between Gnaoua music and other Western rhythms, such as electro music on which he has been working since 2011. For this 25th edition of the Festival, he is confronted with a real musical bomb, the South African group BCUC. Between African sounds, Soul, Punk Rock… A concert that promises to be of a rare intensity.
Connections Across the Atlantic: Maâlem Hamid El Kasri and Bokanté – (Morocco, United States)
The meeting between Hamid El Kasri and Bokanté seems obvious. Two artists with exceptional vocal performances (Hamid El Kasri and Malika Tirolien), an atypical instrumentation that explores the richness of Creole sounds and the spiritual depth of Gnaoua music. In 2018, Hamid El Kasri opened the Festival ball in fusion with the famous Brooklyn-based Jam Jazz group, SnarkyPuppy. This same group whose musical director Michael League is the initiator of the Bokanté project. A family reunion.
It should be noted that more than 400 artists will perform during the 53 concerts scheduled for the 25th edition of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival, with a rich and avant-garde program, which places fusions at the heart of its program and offers the public a wide range of music and original sound experiments, concludes the press release.
2024-09-10 13:41:28