Majid Bekkas, Nguyên Lê und Hamid Drake feat. Manuel Hermia - Gnawa World Blues

Three musical citizens of the world, three cultural perspectives, one common musical vision: in this extraordinary encounter, Majid Bekkas, Nguyên Lê and Hamid Drake merge their artistic roots into an impressive universe of sound between tradition and modernity. The combination of Gnawa trance, desert blues, jazz, rock and Asian influences results in music of trance-like intensity and great sonic depth.

At the center is the Moroccan multi-instrumentalist Majid Bekkas, whose distinctive voice as well as oud and guembri make the spiritual dimension of North African music tangible. The Franco-Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Lê expands this spectrum with virtuosic joy of playing and stylistic openness, while Hamid Drake shapes the musical flow between meditative serenity and powerful dynamics with his characteristic rhythmic language.

Together, the trio develops a haunting cultural dialog, carried by improvisational freedom, musical sophistication and great emotional expressiveness. Special guest Manuel Hermia adds further colorful nuances of sound and poetic accents to the ensemble with his clarinet, saxophone and Indian bansuri flute.

Cast
Majid Bekkas - guembri, oud & vocals
Nguyên Lê - guitar & backing vocals
Manuel Hermia - reeds
Hamid Drake - drums