Gnawa Beats from the North

Michy Mano

The Cool Side of the Pillow  (Justin Time/Enja, 2006)

Moroccan musician Michy Mano has been living in Oslo (Norway) for a few years. There, he has been researching his Moroccan roots and specifically Gnawa music. The Cool Side Of The Pillow presents Mano on vocals and sintir (the famous Gnawa bass lute, also known as guimbri).

Backed by Norwegian jazz musicians and fellow Moroccans, Michy Mano plays stimulating music that defies categories. At times, it sounds like what seems like Gnawa jazz, but other times, the world grooves take the listener on a trip through global electronica and funk, using synths, dance beats, world percussion and other acoustic instruments.

The musicians featured include Michy Mano (vocal, sentir); Bugge Wesseltoft (keyboards, programming); Paolo Vinaccia (perc, loops); Hassan Shoukat (tabla); Bendikt Hofseth (tenor sax); Audun Erlien (bass); Dozzy Njava (guitar); Oystein Trollsas (soprano sax, ney); Nikai Bielenberg Ivanovich (guitar); Issa Tobi (vocals).

Buy The Cool Side of the Pillow.