Gnaoua Festival: Morocco, 2008

Every year in June the tranquil fishing port of Essaouira, on Morocco’s Atlantic coast bursts into a frenzy of music and colour, when the town hosts the annual ‘Festival Gnaoua et Musiques du Monde d’Essaouira’. Previously quiet dusty streets, shady squares and sunny roof terraces become home to thousands of music-hungry young Moroccans, music aficionados from Europe, (the 2007 festival saw over 500,000 attendees) and some of the finest musicians from Morocco and around the globe….Click here to read more.....

The 11th edition of the ‘Festival Gnaoua’ in Essaouira, on Morocco’s Atlantic coast has exploded into life; every street and square in the Medina (old town) reverberates with the infectious beats and rhythms of Gnaoua music, punctuated by the sound of the sea; cries of seagulls, and the call to prayer of the Muezzin from the mosques, all of which seem to blend perfectly with the drum beats of the Gnaoua….Click here to read more.....

UK bluesman Justin Adams understands better than most the strong links between African music, jazz & blues. His storming performance with West African Griot Juldeh Camarah tears up the main stage in Place Moulay Hassan just as the sun sets over the sea.....Click here to read more.....

Toumani Diabate, legendary Malian kora player and the 71st generation of kora players in his family performs 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 is electric. Toumani has been playing kora from the age of five, and is recognised as one of the most important musicians in Africa today....Click here to read more.....

The 11th Essaouira Festival is 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.....Click here to read more.....