Maalem Hamid El Kasri
Morocco
At the age of seven, El Kasri embarked on the path to becoming a Maalem; a Master of the guembri, a three-stringed bass lute found mostly in Gnawa, the North African music of former black slaves. In his hands, the guembri traverses the range of emotions, from mournful and melancholic to uplifting and celebrative. Deceptively simple, the combination of El Kasri’s deep, sonorous voice, complex melodies and hypnotic accompaniment by singer-percussionists, in fact boasts many layers and hidden depths.
Learn more about Gnawa music HERE.
Presented with the generous support of the Moroccan Embassy-Canberra