Influences
Jazz in Rabat: When European Sounds Meet Moroccan Rhythms
From September 24 to 26, the Hassan II Park amphitheater will host the 28th edition of “Jazz à Rabat.” Six European formations and an equal number of Moroccan projects will come together around original creations, between jazz, fado, flamenco and national musical heritage.
Organized by the European Union in Morocco, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication as well as the wilaya of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, the festival will offer three evenings of concerts and unprecedented artistic encounters. The event aims to make music a space for dialogue, diversity and shared creation.
The opening evening will begin with Amara Quartet, a Portuguese all-female ensemble that revisits fado through a contemporary approach, driven by voice, accordion, classical guitar and cello. The formation will share the stage with Moroccan percussionist and composer Khalid Kouhen, whose career embraces several traditions, from Indian tablas to Brazilian percussion.
The program will continue with Thérapie de Couple, a Franco-German sextet that explores the relationship between the two countries with humor and inventiveness. The group will meet the Mohamed El Menjra STVNK Quintet, a project situated at the crossroads of Moroccan musical heritage, jazz, improvised music and Latin influences.
The second evening will welcome the Herak-Bulatkin Quartet, whose universe combines Slavic and Gypsy traditions, impressionist classical music and Balkan rhythms. The formation will perform alongside Hicham Telmoudi, a violinist, composer and arranger recognized for his work in promoting Moroccan musical heritage.
The Belgian group NØ Steam will then offer a fusion of jazz, funk and hip-hop. Its universe will engage in dialogue with that of the Sara Moullablad Quartet, whose compositions combine Moroccan Darija, jazz, Brazilian samba and chaâbi influences.
For the closing evening, Ulrich Drechsler’s Azure Trio will champion a “jazz for dancing,” inspired by club music and driven by powerful improvisations. The Austrian trio will meet the Younès Fakhar “Tamzaj” Quartet, a project built around dialogue between Moroccan heritage and world music.
The festival will also conclude with a creation bringing together Antonio Lizana Quintet, a prominent figure on the Spanish jazz-flamenco scene, and Abir El Abed Sextet. Arab-Andalusian traditions, flamenco, blues and Gnaoua sounds will intersect in a performance placed under the banner of cultural cross-fertilization.
Alongside the concerts organized at Hassan II Park, two masterclasses will be offered at the Les Étoiles de Sidi Moumen cultural center. These sessions will provide spaces for transmission, exchange and practice around jazz and its intersections with other musical worlds.
