François Raulin, Majid Bekkas et Emile Biayenda

Majid BEKKAS : oud, guembri, voice

Straddling the line between tradition and modernity, Majid skillfully merges Gnaoua music with Afro-American blues. In addition to his musical pursuits, he imparts his knowledge as a music teacher at the Rabat Conservatoire and has held the position of Artistic Director for Rabat’s Jazz au Chellah Festival since 1996. Through collaborations with various musicians, Majid has been able to infuse each project with a distinct personality. His boundless creativity and dedication were recognized in late 2010 when he received the prestigious Al Farabi prize, one of the most significant accolades in the Arabic-speaking world. One of his notable works is the CD Al Qantara, which was released in the spring of 2014. He has met many jazz musicians on international stages: Joachim Kühn, Ramón Lopez, Archie Shepp, Hamid Drake, Peter Brotzman, Pharaoh Sanders…

Emile BIAYENDA: percussions, drums

Drummer, percussionist and composer born in Congo Brazzaville. Founder of a training workshop intended for young Congolese from the neighborhoods of Brazzaville, which will become in 1991 “the drums of Brazza”. He played with Biks Bikouta and Zao for 8 years. He reconciles traditional rhythms, notably those of the Ngoma drum, with modern music. He has lived in France since 1993 and has met many people with very different aesthetics. As comfortable in the pure African tradition as in improvised European music (he plays in particular in a trio with Benoit Delbecq) he makes Africa an inexhaustible source of his inspiration.