Although the trance music of Moroccan Gnawa ceremonies is a completely unique blend of Arabic and African influences and is played on instruments used only in this genre, it remains relatively unknown to the world at large even today. Immediately recognisable by its uniquely captivating sound and rhythm, over the course of several waves starting from the 1960s on, it also deeply influenced artists like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, Ornette Coleman and Floating Points. Born into a family of musicians, Hamzaoui has been playing the guembri, a three-stringed, leather-covered bass lute, since she was a child. At the age of 20 she established her own ensemble, Bnat Timbouktou, in which her two fellow vocalists accompany their own singing with a metallic rhythm instrument called the karkabat - this is how the first all-female Gwana group was born. While it is customary for female guembri musicians to sing, they do not traditionally play instruments in front of an audience, making Asmâa Hamzaoui, who preserves the musical culture of black slaves brought to Morocco, a true pioneer in this respect as well. The repertoires of the two groups share much material in common - mainly traditional Gnawa songs - quite a few of which they will perform together. In the first part of the evening, the two ensembles will perform separately. The Moroccan Saïd Tichiti, also known from the band Chalaban, was the first to perform and popularise Gnawa music in Hungary, and all across Europe he is one of the best-known figures working in the genre. His line-up, Tariqa, performs not only Gnawa pieces, but also Moroccan Arabic makams and Hungarian folk music (including from the Gyimes region of Transylvania), as well as Afro-jazz arranged specifically for his own thrilling band.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest