Jazz au Chellah festival encourages musical dialogue

16/06/2009

For five days, the Jazz au Chellah festival drew lovers of the free-form musical style to the Moroccan capital. Event organisers hope the event serves as a vehicle for dialogue between cultures.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 16/06/09

[jazzauchellah.com] Jazz au Chellah offers Rabat residents and visitors a taste of Moroccan and European rhythms in a striking location.

The Jazz au Chellah festival closed in a blaze of glory on Monday (June 15th), with leading Scandinavian group JazzKamikaze and Finnish trio PLOP thrilling the audience in the capital city.

Over five days, hundreds of music-lovers came to enjoy the evening concerts as part of the event, which has become one of Rabat's premier annual attractions. It draws fans both young and old from towns across Morocco. The 1,000-seat Chellah stadium could not hold all the fans of this musical style, which has captivated urban Moroccans for decades.

Rabat is not the only place where this style of music is celebrated – Tangier and Casablanca will also welcome jazz musicians of various kinds later this year.

The festival is the longest-established and has built itself a world reputation over the years. Organised by the European Commission Delegation to Morocco, in partnership with the culture ministry, the event celebrated its fourteenth year in 2009. From June 11th-15th, the event brought together some 40 artists from 14 European countries, who met up with Moroccan musicians of all kinds.

Based on the principle of interaction between European and Moroccan cultures, "Jazz au Chellah" capitalises on the freedom of jazz to lay the foundations for a culture of dialogue, the organisers said.

The festival's artistic director and musician Majid Bekkas Bekkas said that the watchword this year was cross-pollination between artists, to help sweep away prejudice. "It’s better for us to forget our received ideas and take a generous dose of Chellah Jazz to go far beyond conventions and fashions, and instead to discover a new way of sharing music," he said.

Bruno Dethomas, head of the EC delegation in Morocco, said it is possible through musical dialogue to achieve greater closeness between peoples and to counter prejudice.

Each evening's concert drew a large audience. The opening event was headlined by legendary Spanish-Cuban pianist Omar Sosa, known for his synthesis of jazz and the musical outpourings of the Afro-Cuban diaspora.

A strong presence by Amazigh cultural figures was the biggest innovation this year, with artists such as percussionist Khalid El Berkaoui and Driss El Maaloumi.

The number of young people drawn to the performances was notable.

"Over the past four years I've become used to this annual event," said 17-year-old Nassim, who attended with his mother and three of his friends. "It's a real opportunity for young people, especially as the tickets are so affordable for students. It's a good thing the festival comes after the baccalaureate examinations."