Sheikhs Shikhats & B’net Chaabi (Zephyrus Records, 2023)
On Friday, March 3 the Sheikhs Shikhats & B’net Chaabi dropped their eponymous debut album. With the release, Laïla Amezian and her colorful extra large ensemble pay tribute to the shikhats and ghanayats, singers who fought for freedom of expression in 19th century Morocco through popular songs.
Inspired by these Maghrebi musical tradition, the Sheikhs Shikhats & B’net Chaabi offer an original and exciting mix of jazz, urban world music and traditional Moroccan songs. To accompany her in this extraordinary creation, Laïla called on Laurent Blondiau for the musical direction. Together they take us on a journey into their personal musical universe, where one can also recognize unique and timeless elements of the traditional chaabi repertoire, such as repetition, lament, or rhythms evoking trance. Moreover, Laïla invited singer-composer Olivier Thomas to give the voices a new and contemporary dimension.
To bring this musical universe to life, Laïla and Laurent called on top vocalists and musicians with very diverse backgrounds. To name but a few: members of the Mâäk collective Michel Massot and Grégoire Tirtiaux, trumpeter Pauline Leblond, trombonist Nabou Claerhout and saxophonist Toine Thys. And to get as close as possible to the power and energy of Moroccan chaabi songs, Laïla invited the singer-percussionists of B’net Chaabi.
Musicians: Laïla Amezian, Emanuela Lodato, Farida Zouj, Marie-Ange Teuwen & Fatou Traoré: vocals; B’net Chaabi – Jamila Akhdim, Karima Arabi, Kawtar Abdoune & Mehdiya Sultana: vocals & percussion; Laurent Blondiau & Pauline Leblond: trumpets; Toine Thys & Grégoire Tirtiaux: saxophones; Michel Massot, Nabou Claerhout & Adrien Lambinet: tuba & trombones; Jean Gnonlonfoun: drums; and Ahmed Khaili: percussion.
Buy Sheikhs Shikhats & B’net Chaabi
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.