Mawazine at the Chellah

Mawazine is a 9-day long music festival held here in Rabat with musicians from all over the world playing. Some concerts are free , while others cost money. Even thought there was a number of people I would have like to have seen, most of the performances are late at night hence I couldn't go and then manage to get up at 6 and be in a good frame of mind for work.

Anyway yesterday evening I finally made it to a performance at the Chellah, a great outdoor venue with views of the hills and the white town of Sale behind while trees were along the sides and storks soared overhead.

For about one and a half hours I watched Omar Bashir, an extraordinary player of the Oud, and hid fellow musicians play Iraqi and Anduludian music. The Oud is a traditional Arab stringed instrument like a guitar but has six pairs of strings.

Bashir has been playing the Oud since a young child as his father introduced the instrument the west and popularised it as a solo instrument. Although born in Hungary he has spent time teaching in Baghdad as well as Hungary.

He is an incredible musician and starting with a solo, he made the Oud "talk" then combined his playing with two guitarists and a drummer then later a keyboard, a bass guitar and a percussionist. There was an incredible range of music, from the distinctive eastern rhythms to Spanish flamenco. It was well worth the entrance fee.

Maybe I'll make it back to Jazz in the Chellah festival in June, the 12th to the 16th! Here's the festival website.