The Gnaoua Festival of Essaouira, World Music, kept all its promises. Closed on 15 May on the note of hope and peace of Ghiwani, Amazigh, and Gnaoua airs, this international event offered its followers strong, festive, and warm moments.
The Gnaoua Festival of Essaouira, World Music, kept all its promises. Closed on 15 May on the note of hope and peace of Ghiwani, Amazigh, and Gnaoua airs, this international event offered its followers strong, festive, and warm moments. The closing concert was one of the most poignant and intense: a tribute to a master by the masters, a concert for Tayeb Sadikki by Mohamed Derham, Omar Sayed, Nabil Khaldi, and Maâlem Mustapha Baqbou where they covered the most beautiful pieces of a Ghiwani heritage, dear to the great playwright. The mixture of cultures and genres had its share of magic throughout the festival, like the jazz fusions of Jeff Balard Trio and Maâlem Mohamed Kouyou or that of Maâlem Hassan Boussou with the talented American bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma! A nice surprise at Borj Bab Marrakech, on Saturday evening, for a meeting between the modern flamenco of the Barcelonians Las Migas and the sincere ardour of the one who brings a breath of freshness to popular music: Mehdi Nassouli.
The 19th edition was rich in emotions and surprises. The concerts followed one another and were never the same between the two open-air stages and the more intimate stages. Hoba Hoba Spirit made the Moulay Hassan stage dance with an intense and sincere concert: popular rock, "hayha" music, and their committed lyrics resonated late into the night. The purest jazz was once again present with the jazzman from New Orleans: Christian Scott. The virtuoso froze time on this Moulay Hassan stage, which confirms its status as one of the most respected jazz stages in the world. Always as whole, the group N3irdistan did not fail its habits. The groups Blitz The Ambassador, Jaba & Friends, and Songhoy Blues set the beach stage on fire. Hassan Hakmoun and his Tagnaouite art of the world transported the main stage before the enchanting voice of Maâlem Hamid El Kasri took possession of the Moulay Hassan stage for a concert of more than 3 hours! Another meeting that marked: that of Maâlem Abdeslam Alikane who offered a concert where the public could appreciate the art of Tagnaouite in all its splendour, from music to colours, passing through costumes and dances. This 19th edition was at the service of Tagnaouite art and its meeting with the world, while waiting for a 20th meeting that promises many surprises, according to the organisers, from 29 June to 2 July 2017.
