Majid Bekkas

Majid Bekkas studied at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Rabat and learnt Gnaoua music through the teachings of the master Ba Houmane. Gnaoua came originally from West Africa, the cradle of the Blues, and were deported along with the slaves to Morocco. Bekkas started in the 80s to combine Jazz & Blues with different Moroccan music styles. Since then, he performed with his own band as well as with famous artists such as Joachim Kühn, Archie Shepp, Bassekou Kouyate, Klaus Doldinger and Louis Sclavis around the world.

Photo Majid Bekkas by Omar-Mhammedi

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Sandhya Sanjana

Sandhya Sanjana was born in Bombay, India where she studied Hindustani vocal music from several gurus. She discovered jazz and blues and her compositions combine these various elements. She sings in several Indian languages. Currently she lives in Amsterdam where she has three bands featuring varied genres of music. Her greatest joy is in combining diverse streams into a cohesive musical language. 

Photo Sandhya Sanjana by SONY DSC

Prince Moussa Cissokho

Prince Moussa Cissokho is one of the great Kora players and singers from Senegal. Born and raised in an influential Griot family, he was taught early by his father, traveled with him and played at traditional ceremonies in Senegal, Guinea Conakry and Guinea Bissau. Moussa Cissokho belongs to the Mandinka family, the people of medieval Mali, the largest West African empire in history. According to his tradition, he learned to play the Kora and the dances and chants from childhood. Moussa Cissokho was a member of the Ballet National de Senegal for 6 years. Today he lives in Austria and plays with musicians from Europe and Africa.

www.princemoussacissokho.com

Aly Keita

Aly Keita has earned worldwide recognition for his mastery of the balafon. While rooted in tradition, Keita’s Afro-pop, funk-fueled rhythm section and taste for complex jazz-oriented arrangements set him far apart from most balafon players.
The way he plays is just spectacular. The sticks in his hands seem to dance on the wooden keys of the instrument. He has played alongside artists like Joe Zawinul, Amadou & Mariam, Pharoah Sanders and Rhoda Scott. Aly Keita lives in Berlin today, where he met the Dutch drummer Marcel van Cleef and the Italian Bass player Roberto Badoglio. The Trio combines the West African rhythms with elements of jazz and creates a fantastic soundscape. 

www.alykeita.org

Stefan Bauer

Stefan Bauer, vibraphonist, marimba player and composer, is active in a wide-ranging field of music between tradition and avant-garde. Inspirational journeys and memorable collaborations with many fantastic musicians resulted in his nine CD releases to date under his own name. Bauer sees himself as a musical narrator who uses various stylistic means and the “voices” of a large group of individualistic musicians for his compositions. Stefan Bauer has performed at festivals from Abidjan to Zurich over decades and is an established jazz musician in Germany, Canada and in his home town of Brooklyn, NY.

“Bauer is a player of no uncertain gifts, strong in the technique and introspective feeling, whose instincts suggest a Euro-Canadian jazz connection.” Josef Woodard, Jazziz

 

Photo Stefan Bauer by Volker Beushausen

http://www.stefanbauer.net/

Rhani Krija

Drummer Rhani Krija was born in 1971 in Essaouira, Morocco, in the heart of Gnawa culture. As a teenager he began to listen to traditional musical styles from North Africa, the ones that form the basis of his music today. Known for his knowledge and ability to play authentic Andalusian, Arabic, African and Latin American rhythms, Rhani has become a sought-after international drummer. Rhani, who lives in Germany, has recorded some fine percussion samplers for major record labels in recent years and performs all over the world. Rhani has recorded, toured and shared the stage with: Sting, Dominic Miller, Herbie Hancock, Al Di Meola, Placido Domingo, Peter Gabriel, the WDR Bigband, the SWR-Bigband, et. al.

Photo Rhani Krija by Jürgen Bindrim

http://www.rhanikrija.com