(Featured Image Courtesy of Michael Coglan)
Every year, in the port city of Essaouira, Morocco, thousands gather for an international music festival. However, they’re not listening pop, rap or EDM . They are listening to the traditional music of the Gnawa people, an entrancing yet exciting music led by masters called Maalems. One such Maalem with a striking voice and who is a joyous performer is Hamid El Kasri.
Born in Ksar El Kebir, he left home at age seven to study Gnawa music in Tetuan (Medio Oriente e Dintorni). However, even though he began serious study so early, he did not always have support in his pursuit. In an interview with Aljazeera in 2011, he said that his family discouraged him from Gnawa music. He got his start as a child after following a band around town until the leader invited him to join them. He got paid well for this, and thus El Kasri’s family was persuaded. In Tetuan, he was taught by Maalem Abdullah al-Wazzani, and in Tangier, he was taught by Maalem Abdul Wahid Stitu before finally becoming a Maalem of his own. (Aljazeera Interview) .
One notable feature of Gnawa music is its micro rhythm. Micro rhythms are precise rhythms that can take years to master and are not easily written in Western musical notation. Hamid is exceptional in that he manages to incorporate both the rhythms of the northern and southern regions of Morocco. (Essaouira Festival).
Since he joined that band as a child, he has performed abroad in London for the BBC proms, and he is highly sought after by international Jazz musicians having performed with the likes of Jacob Collier and Snarky Puppy. He continues to work and further enrich the Gnawa art.
Hamid El Kasri performing at a BBC Prom (Screenshot Courtesy of BBC)
Works Cited:
Benbachir, Simo. (2019, June 26th). Hamid El Kasri… the King of Gnawa Music. https://www.mjtnews.com/2019/06/26/hamid-el-kasri-the-king-of-tagnaouite/
Maâlem Hamid El Kasri. https://www.festival-gnaoua.net/en/artistes/maalem-hamid-el-kasri-0
Valisi, Khalid. (2020, January 23rd). Maalem Hamid El Kasri. https://mediorientedintorni.com/index.php/2020/01/23/maalem-hamid-el-kasri/?lang=en
Miller, Sam. (2021, October 21st). World Swing Microrhythms. https://musescore.com/user/4534311/scores/7075742
(2011, May 19th). Hamid el-Kasri. https://www.aljazeera.com/program/next-music-station/2011/5/19/hamid-el-kasri
Beyond the Single Story 