The Sounds of Jewish Morocco
On April 18, 2013 I organized the concert The Sounds of Jewish Morocco with Jewish musicians from Casablanca in a beautiful intimate synagogue close to the medina and close to the Jewish community center which was bombed in 2003.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/The-Sounds-of-J...
The concert, a farewell for Ambassador Samuel and Sylvia Kaplan gathered musicians who currently live in Casablanca and who show the diversity in the musical heritage of Moroccan Jews.
The program stated:
"Moroccan Jewish musical traditions are ancient, varied and complex. Judeo-Berber Ahwash and Judeo-Andalusian liturgical songs mingle with Gharnati, Melhoun and cabaret music from the 1950-60s in Franco-Judeo-Arabic, experimental Gnawi jazz fusion and women’s traditional songs in Haketia (Moroccan Judeo-Spanish). Tonight our desire is to travel throughout the sonorous and historical landscape enjoyed by Moroccan Jews since millenary times and until contemporary Casablanca."
Haim Botbol thrilled us all close to the end of the evening when he chained one song into another and performed in his usual audience-rousing manner. It was quite a treat, since he performs rarely.
I sang a romance from Tetuan in Haketía, Moroccan Judeo-Spanish. This romance is an allegory for the Shechina in exile and exists only in Morocco and Oran in the oral tradition of the 20th century. To end the program I chose the Ein Keloheinu sung at Slat el Fassiyine until the 1960s which is in three languages: Hebrew, Judeo-Arabic and Judeo-Spanish. The audience joined in reiterating the unity in the diversity of Moroccan Judaism!
The program stated:
"Moroccan Jewish musical traditions are ancient, varied and complex. Judeo-Berber Ahwash and Judeo-Andalusian liturgical songs mingle with Gharnati, Melhoun and cabaret music from the 1950-60s in Franco-Judeo-Arabic, experimental Gnawi jazz fusion and women’s traditional songs in Haketia (Moroccan Judeo-Spanish). Tonight our desire is to travel throughout the sonorous and historical landscape enjoyed by Moroccan Jews since millenary times and until contemporary Casablanca."
Haim Botbol thrilled us all close to the end of the evening when he chained one song into another and performed in his usual audience-rousing manner. It was quite a treat, since he performs rarely.
I sang a romance from Tetuan in Haketía, Moroccan Judeo-Spanish. This romance is an allegory for the Shechina in exile and exists only in Morocco and Oran in the oral tradition of the 20th century. To end the program I chose the Ein Keloheinu sung at Slat el Fassiyine until the 1960s which is in three languages: Hebrew, Judeo-Arabic and Judeo-Spanish. The audience joined in reiterating the unity in the diversity of Moroccan Judaism!
The Kaplans both spoke very movingly, congratulating the musicians and speaking to the power of music to move deep emotions. Ambassador Kaplan said he was moved in this synagogue on that evening in a way that he hadn't been moved since hearing his grandfather lead services in his home synagogue during his youth.
Sylvia Kaplan was thrilled to be in a synagogue in Morocco sitting downstairs, and not in the usual "azara" area reserved for women on the second floor. She reiterated how all the musician's talents shone through and that it was a musical testament to what it was like being Jewish in Morocco
Jauk Amram Elmaleh, who is known as the White Gnawi brought his gear in early and set up for his jazz gnawi fusion which he started with a recording as early as 1959. Jauk did his bar mitzvah in this synagogue back in the day...
Haim Botbol, the superstar of Moroccan Jewish music also came early to set up and catch a rehearsal with the accompanists
Maurice Elbaz, producer of Moroccan music since 1999 was comfortably flanked by two masters.
I had many last minute details to arrange, and was hoping everything would go smoothly.
Fortunately Botbol was there to lift my spirits - having met and performed with him and his brother in Tangier in 2007, the Botbol brothers are like musical family in Morocco.
The Karoutchi brothers hail from another Judeo-Moroccan musical dynasty - the one which is currently active in the Moroccan Jewish (and non-Jewish) circuit.
from Left to Right: Jauk Amram Elmaleh, Vanessa Paloma, Maurice Elbaz, Maxime Karoutchi, Haim Botbol.
Pre-concert photos - what a richness of sound, emotion, history and creativity spanning Musical Jewish Morocco!
The youngest member of Kinor David Maroc arrived early, ready to sing Andalusian matrouz.
As the audience was arriving Botbol escaped downstairs to rehearse with Moulay Hachem Slaytine.
The audience started coming early and were seated when the Kaplans arrived from a reception at the historic Consular Mansion in Casablanca.
Jacob Wizman, the paytan who was the youngest student of Rabbi David Bouzaglo, and the current master in Morocco of the bakashot tradition started the concert with an a capella piyyut written by Israel Najara in the 16th century.
When Jacob was a teenager he formed part of a boy's choir of bakashot that met in this very synagogue - he was telling me about their choirmaster and the bread with butter and jelly that he remembers getting as a snack while they practiced liturgical poetry.
Maxime Karoutchi followed in the program with a combination of Arabic and French songs, he and his band had to leave immediately after their set for a gig elsewhere that night - he is currently the Jewish musician who continues the tradition of entertaining scores of Moroccans every week throughout Morocco and the Moroccan diaspora.
This synagogue is a gem which was built in 1927 with vocal acoustics in mind so as to facilitate the projection of the voice during prayer.
Jauk Amram Elmaleh performed a song called "Les trois prophètes" which he composed in the 1970s calling to peace between religions. His percussion and use of sounds transported the audience to a different soundscape to that which is usually expected The audience was enthusiastic.
Kinor David Maroc, a group founded in Casablanca in 2008 was on next with an Andalusian matrouz, and required a major changing of the set.
They work with traditional Andalusian musicians and recruit teenage boys to teach them the Judeo-Moroccan musical traditions of their ancestors.
They handed out the text they were performing and members of the audience were able to sing along in Hebrew and Arabic written out in Hebrew characters.
Some of the distinguished audience members were the director of the Fulbright in Morocco, James Miller; the Political Counsellor of the Canadian Embassy, Carole St. Louis; the US Consul to Casablanca and his wife, Brian and Clare Shukan and the President of the Jewish community in Casablanca, Boris Toledano.
It was a very moving evening for all of those present and thanks to everyone who collaborated in the production: Maurice Elbaz, Coco and Eli Tordjman, Jamal Abdenasser, Mounim Souibi, Nate Evans, Saida Loqmane, and Roy Mittelman's CUNY students of Jewish Morocco.
Vanessa Paloma
Sylvia Kaplan was thrilled to be in a synagogue in Morocco sitting downstairs, and not in the usual "azara" area reserved for women on the second floor. She reiterated how all the musician's talents shone through and that it was a musical testament to what it was like being Jewish in Morocco
Jauk Amram Elmaleh, who is known as the White Gnawi brought his gear in early and set up for his jazz gnawi fusion which he started with a recording as early as 1959. Jauk did his bar mitzvah in this synagogue back in the day...
Haim Botbol, the superstar of Moroccan Jewish music also came early to set up and catch a rehearsal with the accompanists
Maurice Elbaz, producer of Moroccan music since 1999 was comfortably flanked by two masters.
I had many last minute details to arrange, and was hoping everything would go smoothly.
Fortunately Botbol was there to lift my spirits - having met and performed with him and his brother in Tangier in 2007, the Botbol brothers are like musical family in Morocco.
The Karoutchi brothers hail from another Judeo-Moroccan musical dynasty - the one which is currently active in the Moroccan Jewish (and non-Jewish) circuit.
from Left to Right: Jauk Amram Elmaleh, Vanessa Paloma, Maurice Elbaz, Maxime Karoutchi, Haim Botbol.
Pre-concert photos - what a richness of sound, emotion, history and creativity spanning Musical Jewish Morocco!
The youngest member of Kinor David Maroc arrived early, ready to sing Andalusian matrouz.
As the audience was arriving Botbol escaped downstairs to rehearse with Moulay Hachem Slaytine.
The audience started coming early and were seated when the Kaplans arrived from a reception at the historic Consular Mansion in Casablanca.
Jacob Wizman, the paytan who was the youngest student of Rabbi David Bouzaglo, and the current master in Morocco of the bakashot tradition started the concert with an a capella piyyut written by Israel Najara in the 16th century.
When Jacob was a teenager he formed part of a boy's choir of bakashot that met in this very synagogue - he was telling me about their choirmaster and the bread with butter and jelly that he remembers getting as a snack while they practiced liturgical poetry.
Maxime Karoutchi followed in the program with a combination of Arabic and French songs, he and his band had to leave immediately after their set for a gig elsewhere that night - he is currently the Jewish musician who continues the tradition of entertaining scores of Moroccans every week throughout Morocco and the Moroccan diaspora.
This synagogue is a gem which was built in 1927 with vocal acoustics in mind so as to facilitate the projection of the voice during prayer.
Jauk Amram Elmaleh performed a song called "Les trois prophètes" which he composed in the 1970s calling to peace between religions. His percussion and use of sounds transported the audience to a different soundscape to that which is usually expected The audience was enthusiastic.
Kinor David Maroc, a group founded in Casablanca in 2008 was on next with an Andalusian matrouz, and required a major changing of the set.
They work with traditional Andalusian musicians and recruit teenage boys to teach them the Judeo-Moroccan musical traditions of their ancestors.
They handed out the text they were performing and members of the audience were able to sing along in Hebrew and Arabic written out in Hebrew characters.
Some of the distinguished audience members were the director of the Fulbright in Morocco, James Miller; the Political Counsellor of the Canadian Embassy, Carole St. Louis; the US Consul to Casablanca and his wife, Brian and Clare Shukan and the President of the Jewish community in Casablanca, Boris Toledano.
It was a very moving evening for all of those present and thanks to everyone who collaborated in the production: Maurice Elbaz, Coco and Eli Tordjman, Jamal Abdenasser, Mounim Souibi, Nate Evans, Saida Loqmane, and Roy Mittelman's CUNY students of Jewish Morocco.
Vanessa Paloma
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/The-Sounds-of-J...