Chellah Castle in Rabat, Morocco is an archaeological site on a hilltop on the banks of the Buregreg River. It contains remains of successive layers of history that tell of Roman times, the passage of the Carthaginians and Phoenicians until they reach the necropolis of the Merinid dynasty, present in the area since the 13th century. These ruins, which were walls of houses, tombs and minarets – usually frequented by watchful storks – have been filled with different life with each onset of autumn for more than two decades, thanks to the Jazz au Chellah cycle organized by the European Union. and is dedicated to the fusion of European and North African music. Just a few days ago, the accumulated expectation after a two-year pandemic break was satisfied during the crowded 25th edition, curated by two artistic directors: Majid Bekkas for African sounds and Jean-Pierre Bissot for Europe.
As is the case with the historic strata of this soil, the North African rhythms on the banks of the Buregreg make the careful harmonies of the old European continent soar other flights there, young and vigorous. Between these built walls, very close to the Almohad Wall of the Moroccan city, artists are summoned from both shores of the Mediterranean to present their work and rehearse a set with a different formation. So, at the end of the day, the festival stage is full of humanity and mestizo music, to the ecstasy of the thousand visitors who can fit in the stands. Each of the four sunsets of the festival is thus made up of the illusion of this meeting, which will arouse as much amazement from the audience as from the musicians themselves on stage, who are usually seen with their mouths open, amazed at the unexpectedness of these crosses between the bronzes of the jazz horns with the leathers (the tension of the darbuka), the woods and the rustic strings of the guembrí, not to mention the surprise caused by the energy of the krakebs (metal castanets typical of the Gnawa) accompanying a piano classic.
In the Moroccan capital, which has grown accustomed to ornate buildings and has salvaged monuments, painted streets and cleaned public transport vehicles in recent years, music has ambitions too. This year, Jazz au Chellah officials have decided that there will be a prominent place for women – who have traditionally played a central role in North African sounds – and for young musicians, as the natural talent of such a fertile place needs to be stimulated. The opportunity to train and practice under good conditions is not a side issue in any branch of art. Therefore, these festival spaces are conducive to gain experience and experiences, both in instrumental playing and on stage, together with conservatory musicians or other traditions.
Among the highlights of this edition is the performance of the very young quintet from the Canary Islands, Ernesto Montenegro, together with the Hind Ennaira Trío, led by a young musician from Essaouira, a town on the west coast of the country, who likes the Guembrí and is an established teacher. The other highlight of the festival was the fun and tight performance of the Mâäk Quintet from Belgium together with the Belgian-Moroccan singer Laïla Amezian in an unforgettable encounter with the percussionist from the neighboring town of Salé, Mustapha Antari, and three of the members of the troupe from Kabareh Cheikhats Casablanca.
In this case, Laïla Amezian, a singer from the Moroccan diaspora – the daughter of Tangier parents – approached the Chaâbi repertoire (Maghreb folklore) from her intonation of oriental influences and her jazz experience. Amezian herself confessed after the show that since things were being demanded in Europe in the ’90s and 2000s that fit the style of global music, she had to turn to the music her mother sang at family gatherings and in private rooms. She affirms that she jumped on the “orientalization wave” and saw herself in the mirror in which she was placed in the West. “Now I can connect to traditional Moroccan with jazz arrangements in my own way and assume that Morocco is Africa and not the East,” he explains. Hence Amezian’s current project of “honoring the place of Moroccan women in music” so that this enthusiastic female expression of everyday life – like that of her own mother, an amateur singer – shines on stage and gets cornered by religious festivals, in kitchens or at weddings.
It was precisely in the context of this exploration that Amezian found the Kabareh Cheikhats (@kabarehcheikhats), who now took the stage with her in Rabat. It is a special art of scenic action that saves Moroccan popular music and pays tribute to the women who sang loving and revolutionary poetry a century ago. They are musicians and comedians who interpret Maghreb folk songs with virtuosity, made up and dressed in their best caftans. They recreate in a comedic tone and with great respect what they – the Cheikhats – illuminated thanks to their voices and their dances. With ancient cries of Arabic origin, they encouraged their men to face injustices, because the performers of the folkloric genre of the Aïta, in fact, have always been closely linked to the country and their community, linked by political texts that spoke of current affairs. In honor of these often stigmatized women, this group of Baidanis, led by Ghassan El Hakim, conceived a cabaret show to honor them and defend diversity with good humor.
Finally, on the final evening of this 25th edition of Jazz au Chellah, Cadiz-born Nono García’s flamenco guitar met Zarakaria Dorhmi’s Andalusian cello. And the great Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo was able to fly over Aranjuez and the walls of the Merinid Fortress in 2022.
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