Thanks to The View from Fez for the following culture art-tickles. For more news, Fez and Morocco bound go to
http://riadzany.blogspot.com
The Mawazine “battle of the bands”!
According to the online journal Magharebia, judges for fifth Mawazine Generation talent contest are zeroing in on Morocco’s up-and-coming musical talent in a first round of eliminations that began March 15th in Meknes.
Musicians are in hot competition for the grand prize: a three-year recording deal, help producing an album and videos, national distribution and the possibility of performing at the 9th Mawazine World Rhythms Festival in May.
Elimination rounds will also be held in Marrakech on March 27th, Agadir on April 3rd, Casablanca on April 10th and Rabat on April 17th. The competition, launched February 15th, has attracted musicians in all genres, including hip-hop, fusion, rap and electronic music.
- Mawazine battle of the beats.
What C.V. want to know is why Fes is not on the map for auditions. Come on Fez, turn up the culture!!
Jazzablanca – Jazz Festival
- jazzablanca
From the 7th of April through until the 16th, 2006, Casablanca will host an exceptional jazz festival. Great names of Jazz and R&B will include Michel Jonasz, Lamiela, John Lee Hooker Jr, Al Jarreau, Lucky Peterson, Manu Katché, Billy Paul and Diane Reeves.
For jazz lovers the line-up is pretty impressive, but there has been a move in this fifth edition to broaden the range of music and the move looks to be a popular one, judging by local press reports.
Our concert picks are: Friday April 7: Michel Jonasz, John Lee Hooker Jr on Sunday April 9, Monday 10 Tuesday April 11: Al Jarreau and the hommage to Weather Report on the 14th.
For more infomation go to
http://jazzablanca.com
A Night in the Medina: an innovation for the Fes Festival
The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music has come up with an innovative idea this year – a Night in the Medina, where you can wander from one concert to another as you please, at various magnificent palaces and monuments.
From 20h00 on Monday 7 June, you can choose one, two or any number of the seven concerts that will take place throughout the medina and beyond. The venues include the Batha Museum, the festival headquarters Dar Pacha Tazi, Dar Mokri, the music conservatory Dar Adiyel and the Ben Danan Synagogue museum in the Mellah.You might prefer Sufi songs from Afghanistan with Ustad Gholam Hossain, Iranian sitar and tombak (drum) with Kiya and Ziya Tabassian, or even Sufi music and dance from Luxor with Les Musiciens du Nil.
There will be a different artist at each venue. You might, for example, like to see the Mongolian Epi playing his ‘horsehead fiddle’ or morin hoor and singing his amazing overtone/undertone chants.
The Festival office has not yet let us know which artist will be at which venue. And admittedly, it’s quite a way from the Ben Danan Synagogue to Dar Adiyel, so careful choosing is required. We’d suggest groupings of venues such as the Synagogue/Batha Museum/Dar Pacha Tazi, or Dar Mokri/Dar Adiyel.
Kiya Tabassian @ Sacred Music Festival
