Year of Morocco Performance
(Photo credit: Noureddine El Warari)
When: Saturday, March 16 at 8 p.m. EST
Where: Morgan Concert Hall, Bailey Performance Center at KSU - Venue Details
Cost:
- regular - $20
- KSU students, faculty and staff - $15
- senior/military - $16
- groups - $16
*Concert admission is included in conference registration package.
About the Band:
Innov Gnawa is a Grammy-nominated musical collective out of New York City. The group
dedicates themselves to exploring Morocco’s Gnawa music tradition drawing on the roots
and rituals of the ancient musical artform. They were formed in the summer of 2014
by Samir
Langus, a native of Morocco living in New York City. Master Gnawa Musician, Hassan
Ben Jaafer, provides his expertise and guidance to the group. They have performed
in some of New York City’s hottest music scenes including the Music Hall of Williamsburg
and the Brooklyn Bowl. They are hailed by Brooklyn Magazine as one of the “5 bands
you need to know in Brooklyn’s Arabic music scene.” Innov has mastered the blend of
traditional and contemporary sounds fusing together ancient African tradition with
the
electric aura of New York City.
What is Gnawa music?
Gnawa music, often called “the Moroccan blues,” is the ritual trance music of Morocco’s
black
communities. It originates from enslaved people that soldiers once brought to Morocco
from Northern Mali and Mauritania. The music is defined by its raw, hypnotic power
and has fascinated the likes of many musical greats including the late Jimi Hendrix.
