Festival Gnaoua d’Essaouira, The Brecker Brothers Band Reunion, Gnaoua, Public, jazz, grooves funk, performance, rock, Essaouira. Crédit: MAP
At the Gnaoua Festival in Essaouira, legendary encounters between Gnaoua and world music in a vibrant symphony of cultures and influences
With explosive performances and unique musical fusions, the Gnaoua Maâlems and world musicians created a captivating symphony on Friday evening that transcends cultural and sound boundaries, on the occasion of the 25th Gnaoua festival in Essaouira.
During this musical dialogue, Gnaoua rhythms blended harmoniously with the melodies and instruments of renowned international artists, in an exceptional sensory and immersive experience.
The spectators who came in large numbers to attend this second day of festivities were immersed in a musical journey through time and styles, discovering the power of music as a universal language of peace.
During this evening, Mâalem Mohamed Kouyou shared the stage with two genius percussionists: the Moroccan Rhani Krija, who rubs shoulders with stars such as Sting, Herbie Hancock or Al Di Meola and the Frenchman Jon Grandcamp who draws his inspiration from African music, soul and funk, facing the ascetic playing of the trumpeter HBS, the haunting melodies of Kike Perdomo’s sax and finally the gifted electric guitar player, the Malian Guimba Kouyate.
The show then continued with The Brecker Brothers Band Reunion, featuring trumpeter Randy Brecker and his younger brother, saxophonist Michael Brecker, who pioneered a musical revival by blending sophisticated jazz harmonies and fiery solos with blistering funk grooves and an energy that flirted with rock.
The group has perfectly recreated the magical alchemy that made the Brecker Brothers famous in the 70s and 80s.
Timeless classics were presented on this occasion, each track performed with a precision and passion that spoke to the depth of their musical heritage.
And to close in style, the rising star of the international music scene, the Palestinian rapper with plural origins and a multi-generational audience, Saint Levant, made the stage vibrate by brilliantly performing an anthology of his songs in Arabic, English and French, in front of an audience won over by his style, his energy and the scope of the messages.
Drawing inspiration from his origins with influences blending traditional Arabic music, RnB and hip hop, the young artist sang for Palestine, peace and freedom, expressing his great pride in performing in a Festival which promotes the values of tolerance and coexistence and brings the whole world together around music, as a vector of peace.
This year again, the Festival is offering a bold and inclusive program, a hallmark of this event which provides a unique experience in the world.
On the menu are 53 concerts, a human rights forum, a training program with the prestigious musical institution Berklee College of Music, round tables on Gnawa culture, a major exhibition of Moroccan artists and numerous activities across the city.
