Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gnaoua
Joyously bluesy with a rhythm you can't refuse, this music may send you into a trance -
and that's just what it's meant to do. The brotherhood of Gnaoua began among freed slaves
in Marrakesh and Essaouira as a ritual of deliverance from slavery and into God's graces. A
true Gnaoua
lila,
or spiritual jam session, may last all night, with musicians erupting into
leaps of joy as they enter trance-like states of ecstasy that can send fez-tassels spinning and
set spirits free.
Join the crowds watching in Marrakesh's Djemaa el-Fna or at the annual Gnaoua and
World Music Festival in Essaouira, and hear Gnaoua on Peter Gabriel's Real World music
label. Gnaoua
mâalem
s (master musicians) include perennial festival favourites Abdeslam
Alikkane and his Tyour Gnaoua, crossover fusion superstar Hassan Hakmoun, rising star
mâalem
Saïd Boulhimas and his deeply funky Band of Gnawas, Indian-inflected Nass Mar-
rakech and reggae-inspired Omar Hayat. Since Gnaoua are historically a brotherhood, most
renowned Gnaoua musicians have been men - but the all-women Sufi group Haddarates
plays Gnaoua trances traditionally reserved for women, and family acts include Brahim El-
belkani and La Famille Backbou.
Check out Morocco's latest Top 10 hits and hear Darija DJ stylings on RealPlayer audio at Radio
Casablanca online:
www.maroc.net/newrc
.
