Saha Gnawa – Saha Gnawa (Pique-Nique Recordings, 2025)
Saha Gnawa is a Brooklyn-based ensemble that combines transfixing Moroccan Gnawa music with jazz, from New York’s scene, and electronica. This is their fantastic self-titled debut album on Pique-Nique Recordings.
The band was founded by Maâlem Hassan Ben Jaafer and drummer-composer Daniel Freedman. The group stemmed from Innov Gnawa, Ben Jaafer’s ensemble that collaborated with Bonobo on “Bambro Koyo Ganda” (2017). Saha Gnawa continues this evolution, fusing trance-inducing rhythms with contemporary jazz and subtle electronics.
The album was composed through late-night sessions in Brooklyn, New York. It offers a contemporary extension of centuries-old traditions. Gnawa music’s spiritual foundation remains intact, but the delivery opens toward irresistible dancefloor beats and improvisation. Tracks often emerge from tight, polyrhythmic interplay between guimbri and spellbinding karkabas, then expand through layered synths, electric guitar, and live drums.
The first single, “Baba Mimoun,” exemplifies this fusion. This piece is based on an invocation of protective spirits.
Gnawa music, often labeled “Sufi blues,” traces its lineage to enslaved West Africans brought to Morocco by Arabs. Over generations, their spiritual and rhythmic traditions merged with Islam and local Berber culture to form a distinct religious-musical community. Ritual songs, typically call-and-response prayers, invoke saints and spirits for healing, trance, and liberation. Revered across Morocco, the music functions both as ceremony and as communal expression.
Ben Jaafer was raised in Fes within a recognized Gnawa family. Trained by his father, Maâlem Abdellah Ben Jaafer, and other masters throughout Morocco, he earned the title of maâlem (master) in his teens. He performs vocals and guimbri and has collaborated with jazz great Randy Weston. Freedman, his co-leader, is known for work with David Byrne and Angélique Kidjo and brings a broad rhythmic fluency influenced by African, Middle Eastern, and Latin traditions.
The ensemble includes several collaborators from Innov Gnawa, such as Amino Belyamani and David Lizmi on karkabas and vocals. Jason Lindner (David Bowie), Guilherme Monteiro (Forró in the Dark), and Gilad Hekselman contribute on keyboards and guitars. Special guests include Román Díaz (percussion), Gustavo Di Dalva (percussion), Nels Cline (guitar), and Donny McCaslin (saxophone).
The name Saha Gnawa draws from the Moroccan colloquialism b’saha, meaning “to your health.” It is often used to express wellness, joy, or communal blessing.
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.