The world becomes smaller and much more friendly and compassionate when you listen to the performance of Moroccan guembri and oud master Majid Bekkes, known for his collaborations with Joachim Kühn, Archie Shepp, Pharoah SandersPeter Brötzmann, and Goran Kajfeš, French-Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Lê, a collaborator of Dhafer Youssef, Markus Stockhausen, Paolo Fresu, and American free jazz drummer hero Hamid Drake. Bekkas played with Lê and Drake before, but Gnawa World Blues is the first recording of the trio, recorded live at Philharmonie Berlin in November 2024.
The albums’ title tells about its open, inclusive spirit, embracing Gnawa spiritual trance music, desert blues, Middle Eastern jazz, psychedelic rock, and Far Eastern serenity. Bekkas sets the course, but this is an egalitarian trio that does not know, or respect geographical boundaries, or genre conventions. Africa melts within Europe and America, as these individuals sketch intuitive, new musical maps and infectious grooves. Greek-Cypriot, Stockholm-based pianist Joel Lyssarides joins the trio for the encore.
The performance begins with Bekkas’ «Gore Blues» and soars with the traditional Gnawa chants of «Mrahba», intensified by an addictive funky rhythm section of Lê and Drake. John Lee Hooker’s «Boom Boom», with its hypnotic pulse, sounds now like the most natural evolution of the African desert blues. Lê and Bekkas’ «Ascending Dragon» introduces a sensual, exotic Far Eastern mixed with Middle-Eastern vibe, just before the trio explodes with a cover of Jimi Hendrix’ «Purple Haze». The performance ends with Bekkas’ «Tair», a free improvisation on the oud that patiently gravitates into a duo with Lê. The encore, Gnawa «Sidi Bouganga» ements the deep kinship of these gifted musicians with the hypnotic incantations and groove of this traditional song, augmented beautifully by pianist Lyssarides.
Eyal Hareuveni
Majid Bekkas (guembri, oud, vocals), Nguyên Lê (guitar, Backing vocals), Hamid Drake (drums), Joel Lyssarides (piano)
