 |
Sharin’ the Saharan
|
by ERIN MACLEOD The 18th edition of the Festival de Musique du Maghreb may not bring warm weather, but you’ll get three nights of music that sounds as good as a warm day feels. Spanning Northwest Africa and beyond, the music of the festival celebrates such a wide range of genres and styles that there will be something for everyone. Tonight, Thursday, March 19, it’s the Slam-Alikoum at Balattou, with the poetic and engaging soundscapes of Queen Ka and hip hop storytelling of Mohammed. Friday features a spread of artists at Kola Note, aiming to represent the broad ranging music of Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and more. The evening will begin with Salaam’s exciting, jazzy-funky-bluesy version of gnawa, a centuries-old music Hassan El Hadi will take the oud (the Arabic lute) on a trip through Beber, Arab and Andalusian music, combining influences all the way. Another voyage through genres is found with guitarist Elyes Landoulsi, who arrived in Montreal from Tunisia less than a decade ago. Landoulsi dives into the varied styles of our varied city while still letting his roots show. Multi-instrumentalist Abdel-Karim Saada also traces the lines between his Algerian home and Quebec, displaying his new home’s influence on the traditional chaabi music of the casbah. Finally, before taking the stage with headliners Bambara Trans, Hamza Abouabdelmajid will introduce himself as a solo artist in his own right. At that point, the crowd will be warmed up and ready for the energetic, driving and most certainly danceable Bambara Trans. This 11-piece band presents influences from Morocco—home to a number of members of the band—but also brings in other African influences, in particular their take on gnawa, as well as tossing in an obvious Latin feel. On Saturday night, raï comes to Kola Note with Algeria’s multi-talented Hakim Salhi. A talented singer, dancer and choreographer, Salhi will present his own take on a genre that began almost a century ago as a mélange of the cultures—French, Arab, North African, Spanish—in Algeria. Raï has been getting quite a bit of attention lately and it’s most certainly obvious why:—raï connects the beats and musical strains of Maghreb and adds an electronic edge. Salhi’s smooth and funky brand of pop raï will be visually showcased accompanied by dancers he’s choreographed. Syncop, who hail from Montreal by way of Algeria, will open the show. Having received a great deal of attention for their music, winning the Francouvertes in 2004, Syncop will present yet another side of raï, “urban-raï” if you like, with a little bit of hip hop and reggae tossed into the mix. FOR MORE INFO, GO TO |
that originates in the West African community in Morocco. Originally characterized by long, rhythmic chants and dance, modern gnawa takes this sensibility and creates trance-y rhythms that beg listeners to move.
