#mothenavigator

[mantras-in-motion-blog]

16 Days…

I didn’t manage to do a post yesterday… too many pancakes! So I will make up for it today with a special Moroccan treat… thanks to Mo The Navigator from Viveylate for these.

The first delicacy to feast your ears upon is ‘L’étoile au Sahara’ by Samarabalouf. Samarabalouf are a gypsy band who are actually from France but I had to make an exception for this one after assuming it had to be from North Africa… It’s beautiful.

The next two are from Moroccan multi-instrumentalist, composer and teacher, Majid Bekkas. He has been the co-director of the Jazz au Chellah festival in Rabat since 1996 and has participated in many international pazz projects and festivals over the years.

He became familiar with the music of the desert from a young age and with the rhythms of the aqallal and roukba dances, a cross breeding of Arabo-Berber cultures and sub-saharan Africa. He is a particular fan of merging traditional Gnaoui music and Afro-American blues, as can be heard in his music…

And here are some stunning photos taken by Mo taken during his adventures around Morocco...