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Day Three & Four: Saturday
28/06/08 & Sunday 29/06/08
Click
an image to enlarge.
Toumani Diabate, legendary Malian
kora player and the 71st generation of kora players in his family
performed in Essaouira for the first time on stage with his 15 year
old son, Sidiki – already clearly an accomplished kora player
in his own right. The musical chemistry between the two was electrifying.
Toumani has been playing kora from the age of five, and is recognised
as one of the most important musicians in Africa today. He has played
and recorded with numerous international artists and performed in
over 2000 concerts and over 170 festivals.
Over on the stage at Bab Marrakech Maâlem
Hamid El Kasri from Rabat stirred the crowd into a frenzy of dancing
and frantic head shaking…. the scene is as close to the performance
of a huge rock star as Essaouira gets.
The last performance of the night on the main stage
was Malian griot and n’goni player extraordinaire Bassekou
Kouyaté, who has played with Ali Farka Toure, Toumani Diabate
as well as contributing to Dee Dee Bridgewater’s recent album
“Red Earth”. Kouyaté and his band are superb,
and at one point perform a storming Chuck Berry style shimmy from
one side of the stage to the other, ripping out some West African
rock n’ roll on their tiny n’gonis. Kouyate was joined
on stage by US saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, who has appeared with various
musicians throughout the Festival Each time I saw Shaw perform he
seemed to become more relaxed and in tune with the Gnaoua vibe and
rhythms.
After the main performances finished, the music
continued until dawn, in various small squares where Gnaoua bands
play to lively crowds, and act out some of the aspects of the traditional
‘lilas’, or healing trance sessions.
Final show: Sunday 29/06/08
The 11th Essaouira Festival was brought to a close
with a wild, joyous performance from Paris-based ‘Orchestra
National de Barbes’ (ONB), fusing reggae and sub-Saharan African
rhythms with a variety of styles from North Africa. ONB formed in
1996 with the aim of creating an uplifting fusion of the various
musical cultures of the band members, yet still retaining aspects
of their individual styles. This eclectic group provided an appropriately
joyful performance; swapping instruments and musical styles and
filling the stage with an infectious energy that sets the whole
square on fire.
As the sun set on this years’ Gnaoua Festival,
I had the sensation of having shared in a piece of unique musical
magic that I know will stay with me for a long time.
© Alice Mutasa
www.placesandseasons.com
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