The photographs below were taken by me at a number of different Essaouira Gnaoua and World Music Festivals to give a flavour of how the festival looks.
The beautiful coastal city of Essaouira, Morocco, is hosting the 20th Gnaoua and World Music Festival at the end of June and the daftnotstupid team (John (husband) and I) WILL BE THERE, after a reluctant absence of five years. Whether we will get press accreditation or not remains to be seen but having those precious press badges for the last three years of attendance made an incredible difference to our reporting of the festival.
View of Moulay Hassan Square from the terrace of Bab Lachour (restaurant).
John's recording and filming of performances are amongst the best to be seen on YouTube and over one million hits can vouch for that and my more humble blog and photographs certainly get a following, so we shall fight tooth and nail to be considered for press badges. Quite simply, being right next to the stage gives a fantastic view that we can then share on the internet.
Gnaoua dancer (right).
Maalem Hamid El Kasri, who is in the 2017 line up, and Gnaoua dancers. The dancer on the left also dances and sings with other groups and in my opinion, seeing him many times, he is the best.
The line up had now been published and it's a very exciting one, including the best Gnaoua groups in the country. Sadly, no Maalem Mahmoud Guinea, probably the daddy of all the Maalems, because he passed away two years ago but both his son and brother will be performing.
Maalem Mahmoud Guinea (2010) Gnaoua dancer
Mahmoud's eldest son (he'll be leading his group this year)
What I want to write about, however, is The Band of Gnawa, who are in this year's line up and who also performed at the 10th anniversary of the festival, in 2007, because their 'practice session' on the Wednesday evening of 2007, the day before the festival started, was an occasion I shall never forget. Quite simply, it was one of the best evenings of my life.
My favourite Gnaoua dancer - if anybody knows his name please let me know
John and I were sitting having supper on the terrace of our favourite restaurant in Essaouira, Bab Lachour, which overlooks the main venue for The Festival - Moulay Hassan - when The Band of Gnawa came on the stage to run through their set. The line up was as follows: Loy Ehrlich (one of Essaouira Artistic Directors since 2000) on bass guitar, Louis Bertignac, guitar, Jean-Philippe Rykiel, keyboard, Cyril Atef, drums, Akram Sedkaoui, singer, and Maalem Said Boulhimas with four Gnaoua musicians.
Maalem Omar Hayat, who is in this year's line up
When Akram Sedkaoui was introduced in French, we thought that he was actually Bono and John mentioned this in his blog posting. Later on he was corrected by, I think Louis Bertignac, who informed us that what had been said was that Bono had praised Akram's voice. I can't remember the actual words but it was something along the lines of being silver lined.And it was true: he had a wonderful voice.
Maalem Omar Hayat
Just to set the scene, to the right of the Moulay Hassan Square, which is the main festival venue, is the Atlantic Ocean with small islands close by, and it was a beautifully warm evening and as the set progressed the sun set over the ocean until it changed from hues of pink to ink black and the square filled pretty rapidly, mainly with young men, so there was an enormous audience and a fantastic atmosphere.
The group played a fusion between Western music and Gnaoua and what a set it was! The Band played music from The Beatles to Jimi Hendrix to Led Zeppelin and each piece of music merged into Gnaoua music and then the Gnaoua group would play for a while and then it would merge back to the Western music and so on. And I must emphasize that this was music of the highest quality.
Gnaoua dancers (left)
We were enthralled and delighted and wonderfully entertained and what made it even more special was that the crowd watching sang along to all the Western music, totally at one with the professionals on the stage. I couldn't tell you how long it lasted but it must have been more than an hour.
Gnaoua dancers (right)
When the festival started for real, we watched this set all over again from the terrace of Bab Lachour and it was just as good second time round.Wish we'd had press badges then and certainly wished that I had taken photographs but I only started photographing and blogging the next year. John did record the set from the terrace of Bab Lachour during their official performance and that can be accessed on his YouTube site. Just click here. Plus, there are plenty of other recordings of this set on YouTube.
John setting up his camera on our balcony facing Bab Marrakesh Square when it was used as a venue (with Gulliver Travels getting in on the act)
I am the first to admit that I'm not a photographer and I very rarely take photographs when not at the festival but something just switches on in my brain when I hear the music and all I want to do is, firstly dance, and then stand below the stage and photograph away, particularly trying to capture the movement of the dancers.
Writing this post and looking through my photographs had wetted my appetite for the festival to come. Bring it on, is what I say. Plus, give this girl a press badge....please.
It is with great sadness that I have to tell you that John and I - the DaftNotStupid team - will not be attending the festival this year, for the first time in ten or so years.
Normally, today, we would be preparing for an early flight tomorrow. I would, of course, be totally ready. John would be sorting out all of his recording gear, CDs and DVDs from last year's festival to give to friends, and, round about 10 pm, his personal luggage.
We have seen the most amazing acts during our visits, particularly for the last three years when we were given press badges to record right below the stage, and we are very disappointed not to be part of this incredible festival. It was just not meant to be, this year.
So, a big hello to all our friends at the Villa des Orangers, L'Heure Bleu, Bab Lachour, and Chez Mustafa, our fellow press corps, plus all the friends we have made over the years, particularly the amazing Mr Robert Ray Wisdom and his wife.
We hope you enjoy the festival, and we hope to see you next year.
Probably the only people who were not
bowled over by Friday's opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympics were
the Brazilian team in charge of the opening ceremony for the 2016
Olympics. Just how do you top such an amazing spectacle?
It was fantastic from start to finish:
the Queen and James Bond, sheep and border collies,
Mr Bean being stupid, children dancing on hospital beds, David
Beckham on a speed-boat, an array of Prozac- bright colours, Usain
Bolt, a bombardment of exciting music, suffragettes, chimney
factories rising up from the ground, some of the most talented
athletes in the world taking photographs of the audience, an
explosion of fireworks, doves on bicycles, a cauldron of copper
bowls, not just one but seven young athletes to light the cauldron...
The list goes on and on and on...
It was informative, creative, moving,
exciting, inspiring, and funny.
If my only regret is that I didn't
record it. Guess I'll have to buy the DVD because I want to watch it
all over again.
The Olympic Torch procession was due to weave its way around the streets of Winchester today round about midday, just the time of day when I go for my swim. I had no interest in seeing the torch – my main concern was how to get to the swimming pool when I knew that the roads would be closed for some time.
Eventually, I decided to do something I haven't done for a long time due to illness. I would walk to the leisure centre, which takes 15 minutes. I wasn't sure if my legs would be strong enough but I was determined to give it a go.
And I managed it!
But on my walk back home, I came onto Andover Road leading out of the city and saw crowds of people waiting by the road and suddenly I was struck by the wonderful atmosphere and sense of anticipation.
I asked a police officer when the procession was due and when she told me it would be in about 10 minutes I did something I find difficult to do at the moment i.e.wait.
So I sat on a wall and watched as police cars, police motorcyclists, large open topped buses advertising products with attractive young women dancing and hyping up the crowd to the background noise of loud music, plus a bus with the next runner and his torch, which stopped nearby.
And then came the runner with his lit torch and I witnessed the changeover of the flame.
It was such an emotional moment that I was moved to tears.
Of course, I didn't have my camera with me but what really struck me was the enthusiasm of the crowd, waving union Jacks and shouting, cheering and clapping. It was truly inspiring and as I walked home I felt a feeling of elation and of being personally involved in the Olympics.
Pure magic. And all the more so for being unexpected.
What a wonderful festival this is and amazing that it has been going for 15 years – a massive four day and mainly free extravaganza of music. John and I – the daftnotstupid team – have been to nearly every festival and as we have done so, we have grown to appreciate and love the genre of Gnaoua music and delighted to experience how well it fuses with other genres: jazz, reggae, hip-hop, rock and so on.
At first we just watched the performances and then John started to record much of the music and put it on his daftnotstupid U-tube site and I took photographs and wrote a blog on my maggieknutson.comsite.. It was such fun.
Added to this, our hotel balcony overlooked Bab Marrakech, the large square just outside the walls, which was used as one of the venues. Therefore, we had a truly breathtaking view of performances there of both performers and audience. I doubt if any other festival in the world had such an incredible viewing area.
And then, three years ago, the Festival organisers offered us press badges with that all important camera symbol, which allowed us to video and photograph right below the stage.This was in recognition of the work we had done to promote the Festival and to allow others to share in and enjoy the performances. It was like giving a pair of children free access to an enormous sweet shop and indeed a great honour for which we were very grateful.
Then last year, Bab Marrakech was dropped as a venue, probably for financial reasons, and it meant that we had lost that wonderful viewpoint. But we still had our passes and watching performances really close-up was an incredible experience for us.
This year,however, things were very different. We were still to get passes but there was some doubt as to whether we could actually go to the Festival because I had been ill and had not fully recovered but I was so determined to go and we did, which was an achievement in itself.
And to add insult to injury, I strained a tendon in my right arm on the plane over so I was very limited in what I could do. Had Bab Marrakech been used as a venue, I would have been able to report on eight performances. But, sadly, it wasn't and I found getting to Moulay Hassan very difficult. However, I was able to watch and photograph three of the performances which you can view once I have prepared them. And, as usual, I have included photographs of the all important audience.
I particularly enjoyed Omar Hayat who gave such an exciting and exhilarating performance that, despite doctor's orders, I found myself happily dancing. (And here I need to thank Docteur Charif Toufelaz who treated my arm and neck so that I was not totally immobile.)
In an ideal world, I would have seen and reported on more of the Festival but this is not an ideal world and for me the fact that I was able to do as much as I could despite adversity gives you an indication of how much I love the Festival.
Gnaoui with Maalems Said Ougassal and Abdella Akharraz
This year's festival will take place from Thursday 21 June to Sunday 24th of June. No idea who will be playing or whether Bab Marrakesh will be used as a venue but at least we have the dates and John and I have booked flights and hotels.
Not sure either if we'll get press badges but since it was the Festival office that gave as the dates, we are hopeful that this will be so.
Still can't believe that gnaoua music hasn't infiltrated mainstream music. Oh well, at least enough of us know how brilliant it is and are prepared to travel the ridiculously long way to Essaouira to revel in the wonder and glory of gnaoua.
Quite surprised/dismayed to find that our balcony room had already been booked but luckily the one on the next floor up was available. Perhaps someone reading our reports thought that hiring one of the balcony rooms would be a good idea. Huh! Me and my big mouth!
As I wrote in a previous post, the emphasis this year was on gnaoua music. Thus it was most fitting that the Festival should close with four Maalems.
It was an emotional performance, the Maalems working well together, not trying to upstage each other. You have to remember that for Moroccans, gnaoua is their own special music of which they are very proud, and quite rightly so. And they adore their Maalems. Each Maalem has his own recognisable sound and their interpretations of the same piece of music can be very different.
I had hoped that the stage would be flooded with all their dancers because the dancers bring tremendous energy and skill and colour. Over the years, I have learnt to recognise individual dancers and to appreciate their abilities. However, each Maalem brought with him just two of his dancers and there were two extra dancers who acted as Moroccan flag bearers, although it was impossible for them not to do their own little dances, despite carrying these enormous flags.
Those of you who follow my Festival posts will know that I have a very special place in my heart for Maalem Mahmoud Guinea and since I hadn't seen his performance at the awful Scene Medital on the beach, I was pleased to be able to see him in this grand finale. Disappointed, though, that neither of his sons had been chosen to dance. But pleased to see that Hassan, whom we met a few years ago, was one of the flagbearers.
As you can imagine, this was a very popular performance. Each Maalem led a number and then, to finish off, they all played together. What was particularly exciting was that towards the end, the music was enhanced by a group of horn players. This provided a spectacularly vibrant sound and really got the audience going. So this year the festival was literally blasted to a close.
Afterwards, we managed to blag our way backstage again through the hordes of people trying, mainly unsuccessfully, to talk their way beyond the guards.
Again, we found frantic activity as well as exhausted performers. To the right, Bob Wisdom was giving an interview, and to the left, at the entrance to one of the tents, Maalem Mahmoud Guinea was also being interviewed.
But when that was finished, I was able to give Mahmoud the photograph album which we had prepared for him consisting of various photographs that we took of him and his group last year and at the special Lila we attended at his home a few Christmases ago. It was our tribute to him. He has given us so much pleasure over the years that we wanted to give something back.
This set took place on Saturday, 24 June at Scene Meditel on the beach and I found it an absolutely dynamic performance despite the difficulties detailed further down this post.
Darga is a young group from Casablanca with a charismatic lead vocalist who, like Errol of Jazz-Racines Hiati, reminded me of Freddie Mercury because of his energy and the way he not only used the stage but climbed up some of the side rigging as he kept on singing. And at one stage he took off his top and sang bare chested.
The audience, which was spread right along the beach on both sides and towards the sea, went wild with enthusiasm.
The music itself was a fusion of a whole range of styles: reggae, ragga, funk, jazz and trad jazz. It was all very exciting and this is a group that I'd like to learn more about.
BUT the area in front of the stage, for VIPs and press ( a large stretch of concrete in-between the stage and the beach wall) was highly dangerous and the guard's identification machine wasn't working so there was no vetting of entrants.
To get to this area we had to walk down an unlit sloping, narrow sidewalk of rough ground, which was tricky to navigate.
The raised sections for photographers in front of the stage consisted of two shabby sets of two steps which were so insecure that John and I had to hang on to each other from time to time to prevent ourselves from falling. Anyone taking photographs or a film of us trying to do our work would have ended up with very amusing photos/films.
To add to this, there was a long drop between the top of the steps (which were very difficult to manoeuvre along) and the stage. There was nothing to get hold of except each other.
And, the only way to get onto the beach wall in order to sit down was via a number of high, rough steps with lots of cables in the middle and a piece of cloth roughly covering the steps which was loose and flopping over the side.
It would take a lot of persuading to get me to photograph at this stage again unless safety was significantly improved.
There is a delicious irony to this report and it's proof that sometimes the best things can happen by pure chance.
But let me explain first what a Residence means.
For several years, John and I wondered how so many gnaoua groups were able to fuse their music with musicians from other genres e.g. jazz, hip-hop, heavy rock, reggae etc. Such performances were always so professional and one of the questions I wanted to ask in an interview was how they managed to do it when they had never played together before, had probably never even met before, and for it to sound so good.
Well, now we know. What happens is this: – the performers practice together over a period of several days before their performance, often all day, in a private venue, to acquaint themselves with their particular types of music, experiment with ways that they can fuse their music and to establish a playlist that has been rehearsed over and over again.
And we know this because months before the Festival, Hassan Boussou e-mailed John and asked him to film the practice sessions and then the performance onstage to show the progression from practice to performance, which, of course, John was very happy to do. However, somewhere along the line, we arrived at Essaouira without knowing where the private venue actually was.
Luckily, though, John met the manager of Jazz-Racines Hiati at the Sofitel hotel when he went to pick up our press passes and they went along to the Residence together, which was in a restaurant down a side street.
So, John was able to meet Hassan Boussou, whom he had interviewed the year before, and was also introduced to the members of Jazz-Racines Hiati, whom he found to be very friendly and hospitable. And he took a lot of brilliant photographs at the Residence, which he will no doubt be posting at some stage, and, and I write this through gritted teeth, are far superior to my pathetic efforts using my little Lumix. As you can see quite clearly from the examples at the beginning of this post, I didn't get the lighting right although I had been practising for months previously.
But the reason why I was able to take these photographs was as follows: the next day I ambled along to the Residence just to see how things were going. John was already in there because he was wearing his press badge. However, there were guards at the door and they wouldn't let me in because I couldn't show my press badge because it wasn't ready.
Undeterred, though, I explained that John was already inside and, standing on tiptoes and raising up my arm, described John as being very tall and all they needed to do was to ask him to come out and confirm my accreditation. To my astonishment, and possibly because they wanted to get rid of me, they simply ushered me in without finding John.
The restaurant was very pleasant indeed and it was easy to find where the practice session was located. There were several other photographers/filmers there as well as John. I gave him a wave and then looked for a good position to take photograph. I hadn't planned to do so but it was too good an opportunity to miss.
The musicians were in the left-hand corner at the back of the restaurant and directly in front of them was a sunken fountain area which was totally dry so I clambered down and knelt on one of the steps.
I was clicking away quite happily, totally unaware that my lighting was wrong, until Erol, the charismatic lead singer of Jazz- Racines Hiati, started to sing a solo number that was so beautiful that I instinctively switched my camera to recording. Then it developed into a duet with Hassan Boussou. It was so haunting and so powerful that I just kept recording. And then the gnaoua players and Jazz-Racines Hiati musicians joined in, totally changing the mood into a forceful, full-bodied fusion of gnaoua and jazz.
John, however, had already been asked to leave the venue, having been told that he had been there long enough. Apparently, photographers/filmers were only allowed to stay for a short time so that they didn't record too much of the practice. I, on the other hand, was left totally alone to do my recording. Am I really so ferocious that I am best left alone? I certainly do hope so.
Therefore, I was able to record the same song in both the practice session and then the polished performance onstage, although I didn't realise at the time that this would happen. Thus, I was able to do what John had been asked to do: to show the difference between practice and performance.
John, of course, took enough footage at the Residence and the performance to show that progression as well and he has, as I write, just finished a lengthy film weaving the two together. And, of course, it's infinitely better than mine. But I am a writer, I don't claim to be a proficient photographer or filmer but if I'm there in the right place, at the right time, then I'll do what I can to the best of my ability even if I don't have the best equipment. It's the story of my life, I suppose. And I have to laugh at the irony.
to watch my recording click here
THE PERFORMANCE
Friday 24th of June at Moulay Hassan.
This was a stunning performance. Hassan Boussou and his gnaoua group is one of the best that there is. Hassan Boussou is a highly versatile musician, playing not just the gumbri but other instruments too. Plus, he's very pleasing on the eye; a very handsome young man, totally dedicated to his music. Therefore, it is always a pleasure to watch him and to see the good rapour that he has with his group.
I have never been a great lover of jazz but Jazz-Racines Hiati has changed that. It was a delight to hear them play, particularly when members played a solo piece. And as for Erol, the lead singer, he has a tremendous stage presence and a sense of theatre. In fact, so dramatic and dynamic that he reminded me of Freddie Mercury.
Erol is also a voodoo priest with several churches and you get a sense of that in his performance. He, too, is a strikingly good looking man with strong cheekbones that many women would die for and he takes full advantage of that. He appeared to going to some form of trance and with large, startled eyes he went into some sort of primaeval dance, bending low and staring out at the audience, the dance enhanced by his long white wrap over skirt which revealed very shapely legs.
(After the performance, John and I were able to go backstage and I was able to shake Erol's hand and compliment him on the performance. That has to be a first for me – shaking hands with a voodoo priest. The drummer is also a voodoo priest so the whole experience for me was unique.)
As with the practice, I was busy taking photographs until I heard that beautiful, haunting song and so instinctively I switched to filming. In the practice, the piece was relatively short but
the actual performance lasted about 14 minutes.
Because I was so tired and hungry (I hadn't eaten since breakfast), I was stuffing down crisps right in front of the performers as I photographed and filmed. And eventually, I just had to take a break. So, as you will see from the film of the performance, I left the photographers area, put my camera down facing the sky, had a drink of diet cola that I had brought with me in a plastic beaker, and had a cigarette. So all you can see for a while it's the sky, a brief view of my face, and a whiff of smoke.
MES ENFANTS
Last year, one of the best experiences for me was to be befriended by a group of small children whom I called 'mes enfants.' We danced together and I gave one of the girls my white cap. So, I was hoping to meet them again this year and to my delight, I spotted this particular girl in the VIP area at Mouley Hassan. I recognised her immediately but it took some time for her to remember me. But when she did, she cuddled me and pulled me out of the VIP area to meet her dad, who was one of the Festival's officials.
At some stage, John lost an important piece of equipment and thought it was gone for ever. But the next evening it was returned to him via my little friend's father for which John was very grateful.
BACKSTAGE I had never been backstage before and had previously thought it would be a wonderfully calm place for the performers to relax before and after their performances. However, it turned out to be a stiflingly hot and claustrophobic place and far more hectic than outside. There were a lot of interviews going on and a multitude of photographs taken in it seemed quite clear to me that for the exhausted performers, their work had not as yet finished.
This was the final set at Moulay Hassan on Thursday the 23rd of June and I certainly missed a trick with this one. It was way after 10.30 when the performance started and I was so tired that I just took a few photographs and then made my way back to the hotel. However, John recorded the music for his daftnotstupid You Tube site and he played his recordings a number of times when we were in our room and it sounded wonderful so do go to his site and check the music out. It sounds sublime.
This was the second set at Moulay Hassan on Thursday 23rd of June – a traditional gnaoua group. This year the emphasis at the Festival was definitely of gnaoua music, both traditional and fused with a variety of world music genres.
these photographs give a flavour of the performance
This was the opening performance at Moulay Hassan on Thursday 23rd of June. With its mixture of traditional gnaoua and African drums, it was an excellent start to the Festival –colourful and joyful with an exciting variety of sounds. The performers were obviously enjoying the experience and they really got the audience going, even some of the seated officials, which is quite an achievement in itself. these photographs give a flavour of the performance
Each year is different at the Festival and this year was particularly so without our beloved Bab Marrakesh Square as a venue.
It made a massive difference in two ways: –
* In previous years, when the square was used, we had a ring side view from our hotel balcony. This included watching the stage go up, and, at the end, being dismantled, the lighting checked, the sound system tested each day using the most delicious of music, and various rehearsals by performers. This all added to the atmosphere and the increasing excitement beforehand. This year, however, the square was used as a car park and so there was no atmosphere there at all. In fact, you would hardly know that the Festival was taking place.
* Normally, I would watch all the performances at Bab Marrakesh on the Friday and Saturday nights so I would see at least eight performances from start to finish. This year I saw far fewer because the remaining venues were some distance away. This meant that I spent a lot of time walking from a venue to venue zigzagging around a multitude of pedestrians and very often actually missing what I intended to watch.
However, having press badges again this year meant that the performances I did see I saw close up and I can't tell you just how exciting that is. So I can't really complain too much, plus I reckon I've lost about half a stone in weight because of all the walking, which is no bad thing.
And yes, it was a great festival again and I have come away with countless photographs which I shall be posting as soon as I can, and many wonderful memories, not just of the music but also of the people I met from all walks of life from the old lady begging on the street outside our hotel to meeting the American actor, Robert (Bob) Wisdom again plus his lovely wife.
Also, I have come back in a much better state physically. Last year I seriously compromised my back so this year I had small magnets placed all the way down my back on either side of my spine, plus, for performances I wore a support belt for my lower back and a tens machine. And that worked an absolute treat.
What I shall be doing next is to post individual reports on each of the acts that I saw at the Festival. But I will leave you with a brief summary of what lingers on my mind: –
*People are more important even than music.
*I never before realised how fortunate we are in Great Britain to have freedom of speech.
*There are logistical difficulties in trying to cover several venues in an evening and, at the same time, fitting in intake of food. So I now know what it is like to eat 'on the hoof'. One evening, for example, I ate nothing from breakfast until 11.30at night, when I managed to buy a barbecued corn on the cob which tasted far less appetising than it looked. And another evening, and I can hardly believe this, I found myself, at 1:30 am, shoving crisps into my mouth as I took photographs of Hassan Boussou and Jazz-Racines Haiti right below them on the photographers' plinth.
*Treating my time in Essaouira during the Festival as a job rather than a holiday worked well for me. My typical day was as follows: sleep in until about 11.30, have breakfast in bed, eventually wander up to the roof terrace, have a coffee and ciggie, do my exercises, have a swim, a spot of lunch if I could be bothered and then a kip on one of the wonderful space-ship shaped loungers protected by a blue latticed wooden covering, another drink and ciggie, wander back down to the room, have a bath, get ready, leave the room about 7.30, off to a venue or two to take photographs, grab some chips and crisps if possible, return back to the room in the early hours. Listen to some of John's recordings, check the photographs and get to bed about 4 AM. A very pleasant routine indeed.
*Meeting Bob Wisdom again was a pure pleasure. He is such a genuinely nice person, so charismatic and fun to be with and with a real generosity of spirit. Plus, he's a great fan of gnaoua music, which makes him my kind of person. And, it was lovely to meet his wife too. She has a serene air of composure which I found very calming.
*I now, much to my surprise, like jazz thanks to Jazz-Racines Haiti and Salif Keita.
*And, finally, I have found a new exciting band from Casablanca called Darga who I definitely want to learn more about.
P.S. For some strange computer-is-stupid reason these posts are all in the wrong order. I shall get my computer manager to fix this at the week-end.
The programme for the Essaouira Gnaoua and World Music Festival 2011 has just been released. Again it lasts for four days and we were pleased to see that many of our favourite Gnaoua groups will be playing, including those led by Maalems Mahmoud Guinea, Hassan Boussou, Hamid El Kasri, Mustapha Bakbou and Omar Hayat (John calls him the Little Richard of Gnaoua). There will also be a liberal sprinkling of World Music musicians from other countries, including Haiti and Afghanistan. Plus, and of course this is brilliant news for John and I, we will be getting press badges again. YIPPEE and thank you God.
The bad news
However, the festival has been scaled down, with no big performers like Ki-mani Marley and Youssou N'Dour. And, and this is terrible news for John and I, the large square outside our hotel, Bab Marrakech, is not to be used so we will not have the great pleasure of sitting on our balcony to watch some of the acts. I shall miss this dreadfully.
We really were lucky to have found this hotel, Hotel Blue, with its two rooms with balconies facing onto the square. And equally lucky to have been able to book one of the rooms each year. I can't remember how many years but it's probably six. Amazed actually. It has been an absolute delight to have been so close to the action and I think we were incredibly blessed to have had this experience. In fact, we used to pinch ourselves each year, almost in disbelief, that we were able to do this.
And it was wonderful not just for the evenings of live, fantastic music and dancing: we really enjoyed watching and listening to the crowd, whose enthusiastic rappour with the musicians was so infectious. There was one time when I was dancing on the balcony and a guy below saw me and started dancing in time to my dancing. It was such fun.
Plus, it was so exciting watching the stage being erected and the sound system being tested over and over again all day using the most marvellous of music. It was on such an occasion that we discovered the singer Jeff Buckley. We were in great awe of the professionalism and skill of the guys involved. Unsung heroes of the festival.
But probably the main disadvantage will be that John cannot record the music being played on the Bab Marrakech stage whilst videoing at Mouley Hassan. Therefore, it will reduce our recording capacity.
The setting of Bab Marrakech as a venue meant that all of Essaouira was buzzing to the sound of music during the afternoon, evening and late into the night. It was so exciting. Magical. This year, however, it will be a large, empty, quiet space and I'm sure that the tens of thousands of people who watched performances there will feel the loss just as much as us.
Who's to blame?
The wanker bankers, of course. Perhaps this is being too simplistic but I doubt it. Because of the greed and the unscrupulous financial dealings of so many bankers, including knowingly selling mortgages to people who quite clearly could not afford them, we have all been left in a financial state of bankruptcy. So it's no surprise then that sponsors such as Pepsi have pulled out of the festival. The fact that it actually taking place in such an uncertain financial climate is a small miracle in itself and one I am grateful for. As for Bab Marrakech and the enviable position of our hotel room, we always knew it would end one day because nothing stays the same. But it's very sad for us nevertheless.
Back to the festival
This year there will be two large open air venues: Place Moulay Hassan and Scene Meditel, on the beach. Both of these venues will be free and obviously bursting to the seams. And there will be two venues which will be chargeable: Bastion de Bab Marrakech and Zaouia Sidna Bilal, both inside. I have no doubt that the festival will be a huge success as usual and John and I intend to make full use of our press badges. I have been learning how to use a larger and hopefully better camera because I want to take even better photographs this year. And, of course, I am really, really, really looking forward to being back in my beloved Morocco. So, again, thank you God .
This Flickr slideshow has the photos that I took last year in Essaouira of Maalem Aziz Bakbou with the Armenian Navy Band and Daniel Zimmerman:
John was at Place Moulay Hassan recording a different band, so we have no video of the Armenian Navy Band, but he left his audio recorder running (attached to our bedroom balcony!), and he's put together this video with one of their numbers along with some of my photos:
P.S. This was the first time (i.e. at last year's festival) that I'd ever attempted to take photographs at a live concert with moving subjects. In fact, I hardly ever take photos generally and you might well say that it shows!
The camera I used was a small Lumix DMC-FS6, which was the subject of much teasing by the professional photographers with their enormous cameras. I hardly knew how to operate my little 'tourist' camera at first so was really learning on the 'job'. But I have to say how surprised I was that I loved the whole experience of being both close to the performers and close to the crowd, trying to capture as best I could what I was seeing first hand.
Some of the photographs on show here are particularly amateurish and slightly out of focus, as you'd expect. However, there are some, paricularly of the dancers, that I'm really pleased with. I certainly hope that the collection give a flavour of the performance.
If I get a press badge for this year's festival, I hope to use a better camera and am already practising, which I'm finding a lot of fun. I should really be spending more time on my second novel, but the fesival is so important for me and I want to do a better job if I'm given the chance. Fingers crossed and all that.
Two years ago, John and I apply for press badges for the Essaouira Festival - John for his videos of live recordings for his daftnotstupid You Tube site and me for my blog. However, we are unsuccessful, so we don't bother last year or this. Strangly, though, and probably on the strength of the quality of John's videos, which receive over 500 hits per day, we are offered badges for this year's festival without even asking. Quite a surprise and very much an honour, if a bit scary.
What these treasured passes allow us to do is to not only gain entrance to the VIP/guests/family enclosure at the front but also to the smaller inner sanctum reserved for photographers right below the stage.
John doing his 'Hollywood Director Thing'
We can also interview some of the artists, which I hope to do but never manage... bad back, excessive day-time heat and all that.
However, bad back or not, I am up there on one of the two plinths taking photographs at either Moulay Hassan or Bab Marrakech for four nights on the trot. Dance a lot, too, in the VIP area. Hence the need for two oesteopath treatments to keep me mobile. But I'm not going to miss an opportunity of a life-time.
Most of the photographs, therefore, on this post, are taken close to the performances and, given that I'm a total amateur with just my little Lumix camera, and I'm really a writer, not a photographer, I'm delighted with them. I hope that they give you some idea of the whole visual effect of Gnaoua and World Music, plus the vitality and quality of the performances.)
I am rubbing shoulders with professional photographers but most of the time I feel really confident in what I am doing. Just occasionally, I feel a bit of a fraud but when two photographers from Cassablanca laugh at my little Lumix, I give as good as I get. And I shall send them some of my photographs just to show that a little Lumix can be pretty damn good.
Three things that I discover:-
I am instinctively looking for 'the shot'
My Lumix does not take the shot immediately when I press the button, but flashes several seconds later, and it is that shot that is taken. But because I've seen a lot of Gnaoua performances, I often know what the dancers/Maalem are going to do next, so I press the button to capture the action about to take place.
I sometimes forget to aim the camera above the front drop of the stage and have to keep reminding myself to aim higher so I just capture the action on the stage. (However, John has just taught me the art of cropping, which is brilliant, so I can mainly get rid of that grey drop.)
This photographer is not me - I think she is a French professional photographer with a particular interest in Daby Toure. There is not much chatting on those plinths - people are just too busy. I do, however, manage to talk to Artak Gevorgyan, the Director of The Armenian Navy Band during a lull - more on that later.
THE OPENING CEREMONY - THURSDAY 24TH JUNE
Come with me into our hotel room at 'Hotel L'Heure Bleu'. It's spacious, with a study area, bed, seating area and en-suite. It's just full of Moroccan colour - the windows and verandah doors have bright, primary coloured segments at the top, which glow from the outside sunshine, and the furnishings are deep burgandy and white. The whole effect is pleasing to the eye and mind and room is welcomingly cool.
It's a new hotel, built into the old city walls and in the riad tradition of floors built around a central, open area. Doormen man the doors. It's spotlessly clean and restful and the staff are highly professional and extremely friendly. In fact, friends now.
I've been lazing about on the roof-top terrace in the afternoon, chatting with Hisham in terrible, stilted French (most Moroccans speak fluent French), but want to see how the opening ceremony is shaping up. It's due to start at 6.30 so there's about an hour or so to go. John is already out, ready to film.
I open the balcony doors. A fresh breeze hits me - it's always windy in Essaouira. The sun is shining brightly, reflecting brilliant whiteness from the Bab Marrakech Square in front of me and the new buildings opposite and to the left. To the right I catch a glimpse of the sea. I can't see the beach from here but I know it will be like a massive, informal area of dozens of impromptu football matches - the Moroccans love football. Le football, in French.
The stage is already set up, ready for the performances which start here tomorrow. The vast square facing it is not empty, though. There, in front of me, is a huge semi-circle of magnificantly dressed horses with Arab horsemen already mounted. These are the Fantasia Allems - five groups altogether, led by Abdellah Annouze, Abdelkrim Haddar, Moulay Allal Idrissi, Hadj Ahmed Machtoune and Moustapha Dalam.
The tradition of Fantasia, born in the 15th century, simulates military cavalry attacks thus displaying the skill of the horses and horsemen. In present days, these displays are often used to celebrate special events - like the Essaouira Gnaoua and World Festival.
It might be windy but I know it's hot out there but these horses and horsemen barely move. There might be an occasional nodding of a head or small side-step (the horses, I'm talking about!) but otherwise they are stationary. The discipline is tangible.
And along the road below me, cordoned off, are the brightly dressed Maalems and their Gnaoua groups. They are waiting, too. There is much greeting of friends and press interviews. It's a beautiful scenario.
I grab my valued press badge and make my way outside. I have to weave through the crowds from the hotel entrance and the twenty or so yards to the large gateless gate that marks the exit from the old fortress city to the vast Bab Marrakech Square.
There's a woman sitting just before the gate, with a small boy and a bundle, which I later discover is a beautiful baby sporting a black and white head-scarf. She has been sitting there all day, holding out some tattered documents, and quite clearly begging.
I've passed her so many times without stopping but this time I just can't pass. I sit next to her on the ground and she shows me her baby. John and I have so much in comparison, she so little. We're about to enjoy the festival; she desperately needs money for food and shelter. It's that bitter-sweet aspect to life that I've written about in an earlier Xmas blog.
I dash back into the hotel and the room, scoop up what money we have on the table, dash back down and give her the money. It's only a small gesture - about five pounds or so - but I feel I have to do something. (She's gone when I return and I don't see her again, so hopefully what I gave her will have kept her going for a few days.)
Then I push my way through the crowd for about twenty metres and come to one of the many security checks. This is the first time I've used my badge. I am let through and there I am, among all the performers and press. I take out my little Lumix and start taking photographs. It's magic. Just magic.
These are pigeons which will be released later but I miss this bit plus the cannon shot, which I do at least hear from the room and has me almost jumping out of my skin.
I manage to say hello to Maalem Mahmoud Guinea but I don't think he recognises me at this stage. (We went to his home for a special Xmas Night Lila a few years ago.) He must be thinking :'Who's this mad English woman?!'
(The dancer in the foreground is the spitting image of Michael in 'The Wire' although it can't possibly be him.)
Later on, I go back into the room and onto the balcony and take photographs as the Gnaoua groups start their procession, making music and dancing as they go along. They make their way in a winding spectacle of colour and noise around the edge of the city walls, the horsemen following, to arrive at Moulay Hassan, the large square close to the sea and within the city walls on the other side of Essaouira. I don't follow: I need to prepare for the first performance at Moulay Hassan later in the evening (i.e. have a drink, some cake and a ciggie.)
CONCERT D'OVERTURE AT MOULAY HASSAN
It's nearly eight and still light and very warm. I've taken my usual short cut, using alleys within the city walls, to avoid the crowds. I arrive at the first check-in point near the stage to get me into the VIP area. My badge is scrutinised and I am let through. Then I come to the next check-in, where my badge is digitally swiped. I'm let through there (phew!).
The VIP area is set up with chairs in formal rows for VIPs, friends and families. An official is giving a speech in Arabic in front of a photograph of King Mohammed VI, who helps sponser the festival. I'm new to all this, so I don't ask who he actually is. Great journalist I am! Anyway, I'm eager for the music to start.
After the speech and the introduction from the stage of yet another official I don't get the name of (!), wearing a very distinctive top (the type I might have made in my knitting/sewing days), I attempt to procede into the photographers small enclosure in front of the stage. My badge is checked again for the camera symbol and then, wonder of wonders, I'm through. I'm very impressed with the security. I position myself on one of the plinths with the other photographers, hardly believing that I'm actually there.
I peep through the partially open curtain at the side and spy several male Georgian dancers waiting to go onto the stage. They look so dashingly handsome that I'm thinking: this has to be a dream, surely....a fantastic dream... a best thing in the world dream...a what have I done to deserve this? dream.
The first set starts in a typical Gnaoua flurish...fast playing symbols, ryhthmic druming, the distinctive deep resonations of the gumbris (Gnaoua guitars) and the crisply melodic voices of the Maalems. There are two Maalems (brothers) and their groups: Maalem Mohamed Kouyou and Maalem Said Kouyou. I'm enthralled and start clicking away.
Then they are joined by members of The Sukhishvili Georgian National Ballet. I count five in all but they move so quickly it's hard to tell. And the two sets of dancers -The Georgians and the Gnauoans - challenge each other with their different styles of dancing. It's very exciting, breathtaking stuff as they leap higher than would seem humanly impossible (not evident in these photos so you'll have to take my word for it).
This is far, far better than watching from a balcony. I can see clearly the interaction between the dancers and musicians plus their physical strength and their facial expressions. They are quite clearly loving performing as much as we (the audience - particularly beyond the VIP area) are loving the performance. This is real quality...joyous music and dancing...highly professional and skilled. Eat your heart out Take That.
I had expected the Georgians to be women, dancing in a semi-circle as if their feet are on wheels, but these are some of the men, dressing and dancing like Cossacks (think great Russian novels like Doctor Zhivago and War and Peace.)But the Gnaoui are more than a match for them. In fact, I claim here and now that the Gnaoui are the best dancers in the world. Not only is the Gnaoua dance so complicated and unusual (try as I may, I can only emulate just a few random steps), but they can dance in many other styles when there's a fusion session.
The Armenian Navy Band are due to be part of the act but they aren't there. I am intrigued by such a group and do actually get to see them later and they're not at all what I expected. But very, very good.
Most of the VIPs are sitting rigidly, particularly the military/police chiefs on the front row (I suppose it's not cool for them to show too much enthusiasm) but I can see heads moving in tune with the beat and the beginnings of body movements. The audience behind, though, are going wild.
I can't help it, I start to dance to the music and eventually I'm asked to leave the plinth. Fair enough. I've learnt one of the many lessons I've learnt this year about conducting myself appropriately as a member of the press. For the rest of the festival, I move down into the VIP area if I want to dance.
Step Africa
Not a very good photo, unfortunately, but these are just some of the Step Africa dance team in the VIP area. I meet them quite by chance. I am making my way through the VIP crowd when I spot a man with a Hiati emblem on his sleeve. Me being me, I launch into a 'How are things going in Hiati?' kind of thing because the earthquake was so horrendous. Turns out he is Dan Cassanova from the Step Africa team.
I tell him about the disruption caused by the invasion of Cyprus and we chat about the dance team. They are due to perform with Maalem Mustapha Bakbou at Moulay Hassan on the Saturday evening. John goes over there to record them while I am at Bab Marrakesh.
John and Hisham(from 'Hotel L'Heure Bleu')
Hisham buys us drinks after the first set at the cafe next to the VIP area. We have a much needed rest and it is a delight to share our love of the music with Hisham. To see other photos of Hisham, look at my previous festival posts. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met and very handsome, too. Just wish my French was better.
MAALEM HASSAN BOUSSOU
By now I am pretty wacked, so I don't take many photos (both body and mind in revolt). Maalem Hassan Boussou is a young, powerful Maalem with a voice like clear honey. He's fast becoming John's favourite. See John's daftnotstupid site for John's interview with Hassan. This isn't a fantastic photo but it's the best I took.
I go back to the hotel shortly afterwards and collapse onto the bed. Exhausted but happy.
THE AUDIENCE
Without the audience, the show would mean nothing. I've written about this before but I'll say it again. The audiences at the festival are so enthusiastic, vocal, responsive and obviously delighting in the music that sometimes it's a joy to turn round and photograph them. It's a sign of recognition of their importance. Here are just some of the shots I took:-
FRIDAY - BAB MARRAKECH
For the next two evenings, I cover the performances in Bab Marrakech, whilst John concentrates on those at Moulay Hassan. And I'm going to post my photographs rather than describe in lots of words: Gnaoua is so visual that photographs really do reveal more than the written word. I'll only add comments when I've something special to say. ALL the performances were fantastic so take that as read.
Maalem Abdullah Guinea
I'm pretty sure that this is Mahmoud's brother. There are a number of brothers performing here: just goes to show how the Gnaoua tradition is carried down from father to sons. (Not sure about daughters!)
I am very impressed with this dancer, who seems to be part of several Gnaoua groups. He's got this wonderful ability to dance in a crouching position and often his robe swirls around him, forming a magically coloured material cylinder.
Daby Toure
Daby Toure has a great rapour with the audience: he has us eating out of his hand, directs us as we sing to his music and makes us feel as if we're part of the performance. Certainly a performer to learn more about.
Maalem Mahmoud Guinea
This is the best peformance by Mahmoud that I have ever seen: he's certainly in top form. I'm learning to recognise the differences between Gnaoua Maalems; they each have their own style and sound. Mahmoud displays such authority, totally in charge and directing all his dancers and musicians that I'm quite in awe. This is certainly the best performance of all that I see during the festival.
Hassan, his apprentice, has a leading role - he's learnt his craft well. And to my pleasure, both of Mahmoud's sons are in the group and what talent they already show. They dance with such ease, such fluidity as if the music is flowing through them...and always with serene smiles, obviously loving the experience. I am captivated.
Maalem Mahmoud Guinea and Daby Toure
Instead of adding individual photos to the post, John has created a slide show on Flickr with photographs from this set. He says it makes the page faster to load and the post easier to read. (Just click on the playlist to make it play. Click on the bottom-right icon on the playlist to make it fullscreen.)
FRIDAY EVENING - BAB MARRAKECH
Fatima Tabaamrant
I am sitting on the balcony when Fatima comes on the stage. I am intending to wait a while before tripping down to the press area but as soon as she starts to sing, I am off my chair, grabbing my badge and key and rushing along to the lift. (By now, I am just using the lift to conserve energy - I usually prefer the stairs but there are a lot of them and when you've got important work to do...)
From a distance, she looks like a female matador but up close she is all woman...very glamorous...very attractive...and with a deep voice that projects itself right into the distance. This is what I call a woman with balls but oozing femininity, as do her three dancers.
She courts the photographers, kneeling down and singing to us so we can get a good photograph. I've never seen this before and I appreciate the gesture.
I have no idea what she's singing but I find myself singing quietly to the rhythm. No I idea what I'm singing but it just feels right...exciting...joyful.
Maalem Aziz Bakbou with Daniel Zimmerman and The Armenian Navy Band
John and I only have a few days before the festival to research some of the performers. Daniel Zimmerman is one that I chose. I have learnt from the internet that he is German, speaks English and is a heavy rock musician. I have even requested an interview with him.
But when we read our special press reviews about the festival, John says to me:'It says here that Daniel Zimmerman is French and is a trombone player.'
Apparently, there are two David Zimmermans who are musicians. Bet you didn't know that! Anyway, the one I see now is very good but I have already cancelled the interview. I don't like to interview people if I haven't done my research.
And now for The Armenian Navy Band. I think I can be forgiven for expecting them to be a formal group sporting white naval costumes and playing traditional band music. But, in fact, they are jazz musicians. When I talk to their director, Artak Gevorgyan, I am driven to express empathy because of our countries misfortunes with Turkey. So, yet another person who must be thinking : 'who's this crazy English woman?'
Saturday
Amazigh Kateb
This has been a wonderful evening. I cannot remember enjoying myself as much as this. It has been magical. As well as taking photographs of the artists performing on the stage, I have danced, chatted, laughed, and been befriended by a group of charming young Moroccan children in the VIP area. I am calling them "Les enfants".
Unfortunately, after the set photographed here, I do not realize that my camera has ran out of space. Therefore, though I take lots of photographs of the next sets - Amazigh Kateb, Maalem Abdeslam Alikane, and Amzigh Kateb with Maalem Abdeslam Alikane and Tyour Gnaoua, I have absolutely nothing to show for it. All I can say, is that they were excellent. So much for the budding photographer!
Sunday
Concert de cloture
This is the last evening of gnaoua. There are just two sets to be played. Firstly Iguadar at 5:30, and then Maalem Hamid El Kasri and a number of guests to follow at 6:30. I have an osteopathic appointment that afternoon and am delayed. In fact I am so delayed that I am convinced that the whole performance will have ended. As I make my way along the back streets with a very sore back and holding a cushion to sit on, I mutter to myself because I am sure that I have missed this final concert. There are many people walking away from the area which seems to me an indication that this is so. I can actually feel tears salting my eyes.
However, as I approach the back of the stage, I am delighted to hear that there is still music playing. I have missed Iguadar, but Maalem Hamid El Kasri, on of my favourite gnaoua maalems, is now playing. I rush through security and take my place on one of the plinths. Because this is the last set of the festival there are many photagraphers jostling for a place.
I have given my white cap to one of the children yesterday and so am wearing my white straw hat with a flower in it. This is not a good piece of headware to wear when photographing on a plinth with an eager audience just behind you wanting to watch. Eventually I am shooed to one side by some of the audience and I can't say that I blame them. I shall not make this mistake again.
I sit on the edge of the plinth to catch my breath after all the excitement of the evening, and then I am tapped on the shoulder by an official. "oh dear!", I think, "what have I done now?" However, the official is pointing to our good friend Hisham who has managed to get himself yet again into the VIP area. It is a delight to see him and I take these photographs.
Maalem Hamid El Kasri
By now, my battery is dead so I can't take any more photgraphs. Time to sidle away, squeeze our way through the dancing crowds, and haul ourselves up the steps to our favourite restaurant - Bab Lachour - with the terrace that overlooks the square.
We sink gratefuly onto chairs and listen to the rest of the music from there.
This is the sad part. The sun has now set and we are near the end of the 11th Essaouira Gnaoua and World Festival. We are absolutely shattered and have much work to do when we go home. But ... words cannot express just how glorious this has all been and we hope,insh'alla, to come back next year and to watch some more of this incredible music. You really don't know what you are missing.
Acknowledgements:
Ibtissam Alaoui from The Festival Office, Essaouira, who issued both John and I with press badges. And also for acting as translator for John in his interview with Hassan Boussou.
Docteur Charif Toufelaz,Essaouira -osteopath - for not only keeping me mobile but enabling me to continue to take photographs (and to dance - probably not advisable but I just couldn't help myself!).
The staff at Hotel L'Heure Bleu, Essaouira.
The staff at Villa Des Orangers, Marrakech
John Knutson of daftnotstupid for posting my photographs using flickr.
and finally
Aziza and Khadija of GIPSY SURFER
Gipsy Surfer is a beach/surfwear shop at 14, rue Tetouan, Essaouira which sells modern, chic beachwear, sunglasses, bags, etc.
I usually make at least one purchase every year and this year was no different. After a good chat and discussion of the festival, I came away with a vivid orange beach top - loosely fitting and nicely flattering - and a delightful cotton bag with a bright green, orange, brown, and white floral pattern. It's special feature is brown, beaded webbing at the front and brown wooden handles.
Lou took one look at it and it became hers. She's not to be seen without it, now.
So, thank you Aziza and Khadija. I love coming to your shop and enjoy your excellent service. Insh'alla, I shall see you next year at festival time.
Aziza and Khadija of GIPSY SURFER
Afterthought
My nail beautician, Claire, at New Midas in Winchester, used to be a bouncer at big UK festivals. She tells me of horrific stories about guarding the stage from 'crazy' fans.
Apparently, there are two rows of bouncers at the front. The first row - nearest the crowd - catch 'surfers' who use the crowd to propel their horizontal bodies towards the stage. The second row - in front of the stage - gives the extra protection. But these bouncers have to be changed every 15 minutes because the noise from the amplifiers is so loud that their hearing could be permanently damaged if they stay there too long. Nice job if you can get it. As in NOT!
So pleased, therefore, that the audience at the Essaouira Festival don't need such drastic management. This, I think, is a trbute to the Moroccans.
