Articles by Mehdi El Mouden
Noa Lur: badakit
by Mehdi El Mouden
Noa Lur is a force of nature. From Bilbao, the Spanish singer/song writer is a dreamy feminine soul that celebrates the majesty of jazz through a proud demeanor and a dominating voice. With such character Lur's phrases are suave, feathery and strong. In her debut album badakit, she makes her vocal talent stand out through original compositions and revisited classics played mainly on piano. Except “Throw It Away," where bass and saxophone are audible, and “Bobira" a dual ...
read moreAnouar Brahem at Jazzablanca Festival 2015
by Mehdi El Mouden
Anouar Brahem Hippodrome Anfa Jazzablanca Festival Casablanca, MoroccoApril 20, 2015 Tunisian oudist/ composer Anouar Brahem is widely acclaimed as a pioneer of the fusion between Middle Eastern music and jazz, with a career spanning over thirty years. In the beginning of the nineties he contributed to the oud celebration spreading in the western world through a music that brought together evasive poetry with elegant arrangements. Well-versed in classical Arabic tenets, his solos ...
read moreMoFrancesco Quintetto: Piedra Solar
by Mehdi El Mouden
Piedra Solar--the second album of the MoFrancesco Quintetto--is deeply rooted in Mediterranean and latin influences. Highly structured yet with a pint of improvisation, the songs reveal deep consideration of past influences, familiar themes, and novel straight ahead jazz. In the Quintet's words, the album pays homage to the Iberian Peninsula where Italian bass lead player and composer Francesco Valente has dwelled for eighteen years. An ethnomusicology graduate and currently a Ph.D candidate, Valente along with a group of ...
read moreJosh Maxey: Completing The Cycle
by Mehdi El Mouden
In the midst of the numerous sounds any jazz listener can be exposed to, it's hard for a performer to distinguish themselves from the crowd. Guitarist Josh Maxey ,in an undoubtable effort of seeking original sounds, has taken up that challenge since 2011 and composed ten albums. The ninth in this series, Completing the Cycle, sounds like a quest coming to a close. The sounds are profound enough to give food for thought. Their complexity lies in their agreeable touch ...
read moreMarcus Miller and Mustapha Baqbou at Essaouira Festival 2014
by Mehdi El Mouden
Marcus Miller and Mustapha Baqbou Place Moulay El Hassan Essaouira Festival Essaouira, Morocco June 14, 2014 On Saturday a rebirth was being prepared at Essaouira Festival. The most awaited artist of the festival, bassist/composer Marcus Miller was going to play with accomplished gnaoua vocalist and guembri player, Mustapha Baqbou. At the conference room, and on his birthday, Miller confessed that he felt not the least uncomfortable about this fusion. To this end, he explained ...
read moreHot 8 Brass Band at Mawazine Festival 2014
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by Mehdi El Mouden
Hot 8 Brass Band Rabat Streets Mawazine Festival Rabat, Morocco June 4-7, 2014 From New Orleans, down to Rabat, The Hot 8 Brass Band crossed the Atlantic to revive the tradition of the marching band in an African spot. Part of the street program in Mawazine Festival Rhythms of the World, Hot 8 Brass band played for four days in four different parts of the city. Marching down the hot and even mean streets ...
read moreJazzablanca Festival 2014: Casablanca, Morocco
by Mehdi El Mouden
Hippodrome Anfa Jazzablanca Festival Casablanca, Morocco March 29-April 3, 2014 Jazz breathes new life through the Jazzablanca Festival. Rethinking Jazz culture is a difficult process, as no findings about jazz audiences in Morocco exist. Jazz is only brought to the fore of discussion at festival time. The media does not publicize jazz the rest of the year otherwise, only partnering with festivals for coverage purposes. Hence, the elitist question around jazz ...
read moreIbrahim Maalouf at Jazzablanca Festival 2014
by Mehdi El Mouden
Ibrahim Maalouf Hippodrome Anfa Jazzablanca Festival Casablanca, Morocco March 31, 2014 Before composer and trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf stepped onto the stage, the audience of Jazzablanca Festival was already cheering wildly. There was a general feeling that his concert would be a memorable one, for fans eager to attend this performance. Scheduled on the third day of the festival and subsequent to Joss Stone and Stacey Kent, Maalouf drew crowds. On the eve of the ...
read moreChina Moses: Crazy Blues
by Mehdi El Mouden
Pouring old wine into new bottles has become a specialty of vocalist China Moses and Pianist/Arranger Raphael Lemonnier. Rejuvenating classics with a pint of spirited innovation is a landmark of the duet, who, for their first encounter revisited the best of Dinah Washington, This One's for Dinah. For their second collaboration they pay tribute to great dames of blues and soul, and reexamine how 'blues' can be so jazzy. As such, Crazy Blues is unchained and blurs the dividing line ...
read moreMarco Sanguinetti: 8
by Mehdi El Mouden
From jny: Buenos Aires, pianist and composer Marco Sanguinetti digs art from numerous sources to create a feeling which is unique. Quite inspired, Sanguinetti along with his Pibe A group did a remake in 2010 of Radiohead's album Kid A, retorted in 2012 with a remake of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, and was behind several compositions for dance works. Sanguinetti's original work includes Improvisiones (MDR 2005), Los procesos de Franz (Acqua records 2011) El ...
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