From June 22 to 24, Jazzablanca will be back at Anfa Park and Place des Nations Unies. For this 16th edition, the festival presents a program where talent, passion and emotions will be present.
Between jazz, fusions, Mandinka music, blues, pop and soul… This year’s line-up brings together multiple musical universes, and brings together 18 Moroccan, African and international groups and artists.
The public will thus have an appointment with Beth Hart, Mika, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Aloe Blacc, or even Antibalas & Mehdi Nassouli, Kamaal Williams, La Femme, Sarah McCoy, Sona Jobarteh and many others…
The president of Jazzablanca, Moulay Ahmed Alami, who spoke at a press briefing on Tuesday evening to present this new edition, affirmed that this festival has participated since 2006 in the diversity of the musical and cultural scene in Morocco and knows constant growth, attracting thousands of more numerous and enthusiastic festival-goers each year, adding that Jazzablanca’s journey is marked by highlights, concerts by legendary artists and musical discoveries from all walks of life.
The anchoring of Jazzablanca in the city, with its locations in Anfa Park and Place des Nations Unies, the unique atmosphere that the festival offers, as well as its unwavering commitment to the influence of Casablanca, constitute the singularity of the festival in the cultural landscape. Moroccan, he said.
And to add that by offering a unique atmosphere, steeped in greenery, conviviality and encounters, Jazzablanca shows a festival setting in its own right, where musical and human experiences come together.
For the second consecutive year, Jazzablanca will extend over the generous space of Anfa Park. The Village, much appreciated by festival-goers, will continue to reinvent itself and will offer new activities and entertainment, which are the originality of the Jazzablanca experience. In addition to the many restaurateurs present, the village will host, as every year, a gaming area, a chill zone, a Jazzablanca shop, as well as the creators’ market which attracts many local and national brands at each edition.
With 4 concerts per evening in Anfa Park, the artists of the festival will perform on two stages: Stage 21 (6:00 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.), placed under the sign of the discovery of world sounds while offering different forms of jazz and the Casa Anfa (9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.) which will bring together the headliners of the 16th edition.
On Stage 21, Gambian-born British multi-instrumentalist Sona Jobarteh will kick things off. An exceptional technician imbued with Mandinka music, she will be able to impress the public with her stage presence and her astonishing mastery of the kora. Kamaal Williams, musical genius who pushes the limits of contemporary jazz, will surprise the public with his latest album “Wu Hen”.
This innovative and visionary Londoner is one of the leaders of the world jazz-fusion scene. Friday, June 23, the evening will begin on notes of jazz, signed Ismail Sentissi. Prodigy of Moroccan jazz and talented pianist, he will perform -in a quartet- his first album “Genoma”, conceived as a true initiatory journey through the sounds of Morocco. The evening will continue with the Ghanaian musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, pioneer of afro-jazz and highlife. On Saturday June 24, Stage 21 will open to the blues and soul notes of American singer, pianist and revelation Sarah McCoy. With her flamboyant style and powerful voice, McCoy will present her second opus “High Priestess”.
The British group GoGo Penguin will then offer an electrifying concert. This innovative collective combines electronic culture with minimalist, jazz and rock influences. Championed by acclaimed musicians such as Gilles Peterson and Jamie Cullum, GoGo Penguin are currently the fastest rising stars in European jazz.
On June 22, the Casa Anfa stage will open with the creative and daring sounds of the French group La Femme. This formation embodies the rebellious and crazy spirit of the new French rock scene. Their music is an intoxicating fusion of psychedelic rock, pop, electronica, and punk, which shakes up musical conventions and invites you to dance.
That same evening, Nile Rodgers & CHIC will meet the public to celebrate the disco-funk and the legendary groove of the outstanding guitarist.
On Friday June 23, the queen of American blues-rock Beth Hart will be on stage to win over the Jazzablanca audience with her powerful voice and breathtaking piano playing. She will perform her most famous hits such as “LA Song” and “Am I The One”, as well as her latest album “War on my mind”. The evening will continue in a soul register with world star Aloe Blacc. At the same time singer, lyricist, rapper, producer, musician and American philanthropist, the one to whom we owe the world hits “Wake Me Up” and “I need a dollar”, will present his latest album “All love everything”, released in 2021 .
On Saturday June 24, Jazzablanca will present a unique concert which will bring together the prodigy musician of Gnaoua music Mehdi Nassouli and the New York collective Antibalas, a fan of Afrobeat. Together, they will offer a surprising fusion guaranteeing a memorable evening. The singer Mika, musical genius and key figure in current pop, will close this 16th edition in a torrent of colors, charisma and emotions. The British-Lebanese artist will perform his most famous titles.
In addition, Jazzablanca and the BMCI Foundation work each year to promote and highlight national talent. Thanks to this partnership, the BMCI stage continues to emerge on the Place des Nations Unies. Free to access, this stage embodies the urban and inclusive dimension of a festival deeply attached to its city, which aims to be accessible to all.
The BMCI stage will welcome 6 Moroccan groups, whose registers and musical sensibilities give pride of place to music from the South. These musicians will take the audience on a journey to rhythms that are both ancestral and resolutely modern, reflecting the richness and cultural diversity of Morocco today.
These are Izouran N-Sahara, Sound of Mint, Khmissa, Tarwa N-Tiniri, Badil and Jubantouja.