Majid Bekkas
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The creator of the African Gnaoua Blues, Majid Bekkas has a dialogue with jazz and blues, alongside the greatest names on the international scene.
Born in 1957 in Salé, native of Zagora at the gates of the desert, Majid Bekkas bought his first guembri in 1974 with a dream: to make discover the music of the whole world. Multi-instrumentalist (guembri, oud, guitar) and singer with a deep voice, he also trained at the National Conservatory of Rabat.
In 2001, he created the concept of "African Gnaoua Blues", which gave his name to a founding album by Igloo Records: the gnaoua trance meets blues and jazz in a language of rare obviousness. He became one of the most sought after ambassadors of Moroccan music.
His collaborations draw a map of world jazz: Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Joachim Kühn, Salif Keita, Bassekou Kouyaté and Nguyên Lê and Hamid Drake. Among his albums hailed by the critic: Al Qantara (Coup de coeur de l'Académie Charles Cros), Magic Spirit Quartet (ACT, 2020) and Joudour (Igloo, 2022).
He is also a director of the Jazz Festival under the Arganier in Essaouira and co-artistic director of Jazz in Rabat. He is a living bridge between Africa, the East and the West. He is also a director of the Jazz Festival under the Arganier in Essaouira.