Al Majmaâ
Al majmaa is a Musical Encounter between Mâäk’s Spirit, Ensemble Gnawa Express (Maâlem Abdelmajid Domnati, Morocco), and Baba Sissoko (Mali). Laurent (trumpet player) discovered Gnawa music during one of his many visits to Morocco. He met and became good friends with one of the most eminent Gnawa “ Maâlem’s” (musical master of ceremony) and his Gnawa Express ensemble. Various encounters in Morocco and a residency at Flagey in Brussels in August 2003 led to these two groups of artists creating a first common project, working on compositions together, that privileged spontaneity and improvisation, building new forms around the age old structures of the Gnawa rythms . The residency was followed up with a series of concerts in Belgium and abroad. (Gaume Jazz Festival, Middelheim, Flagey, Nantes…).
A cd that is the result of various live recordings was released in 2004 (Almajmaâ – Igloo 2004). In response to the great interest shown in the first sucessful Almajmaâ project the musical collaboration continued in the summer 2004 : Blue Note Festival (Gent), Festival de Vannes (France)...and in the autumn of 2004 played several phenomenally successful concerts in Tangiers (Morocco).
