The famous American pianist Herbie Hancock, in an interview with Agence France-Presse in Morocco, where he participated in the activities of the World Jazz Day, saw that this music, of which he is one of the most prominent faces, is a link capable of promoting “unity” and “diversity.”
On Tuesday, Hancock took part in a concert held in the city of Tangier, which was chosen by the international organization to host World Jazz Day, along with several of the most famous stars. Prominent of this music, including bass guitarist Marcus Miller and singer Dee Dee Bridgewater. , who surprised the audience with their joint performance.
“Playing in a group involves expressing and unifying the life experiences of a group of people,” Hancock said in his interview with AFP “This collective experience, this kind of unity this, is an integral part of the jazz identity. “
The artist, who has previously won 14 Grammy Awards in his career, said, “When people come to listen to music, they can feel the joy that comes from us and that’s why that they are filling the halls, because they want to have this experience.”
“It means we can give an example of what we should be, where we should be, and the music tells that,” he continued.
Herbie Hancock, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, was behind the creation of World Jazz Day, which was launched in 2011.
The 84-year-old artist, the author of the famous album “Head Hunters”, believed that jazz music “works in a way that allows people to recognize and promote diversity.”
Artists from Chile, Cameroon, Brazil and Japan were also present on the stage of the Palace of Arts and Culture in Tangier, as well as the Moroccan Gnawa music “teacher”, Abdullah El Kord, who started the concert .
– ‘Magic Effect’ –
This genre of Sufi music, popular in Morocco and whose roots go back to slaves deported from West Africa, was included by UNESCO in 2019 on his list of intangible heritage.
The stay of the famous American pianist Randy Weston in Tangier between 1967 and 1972 marked the history of this music and the coastal city, which hosted several major jazz artists of the twentieth century.
Cooperation and friendship arose between Weston and the Kurds, and the American artist, who died in 2018 and is considered a historic figure in the world of jazz, was able to establish bridges between this music and Gnawa.
Hancock, who discovered Gnawa music himself when he visited Morocco in 2015, said: “Weston brought (to the United States) what he helped develop here in Tangier and other Moroccan cities.” , “Everyone liked the taste of this climate and the people here.”
He noted that the rhythm of the Qaraqab (a type of cymbal) gives the listener a “magical effect on being” to this music.
Almost ten years later, the effect is still the same. In Tangier, which became the first city in Africa to host an International Jazz Day celebration, Hancock shared a musical session with “teacher” Abdullah El-Kord, which was “so deep” and that the eyes of the American artist were “filled with tears. ,” according to the author of the 1983 musical “Rockit.”
In response to a question about whether he would soon have a new creative project inspired by Gnaoua’s music, the pianist replied, “No one knows!”
