Maalem Moktar Gania - Gnawa Soul

MOKTAR GANIA -- "GNAWA SOUL" –

As a worthy heir to the Gania dynasty which counted so much in the culture of Morocco, Maâlem Moktar Gania from Essaouira has self established himself as an essential player in the today Gnawa music scene.

Nurtured by these pillars of the Gnawa tradition, namely both late father Boubker and brother Mahmoud, Moktar has performed all over the world with the Gania family but also with such figures as Randy Weston, Carlos Santana and many others ...

Today with the upcoming release of his "Gnawa Soul" album, Moktar opens a new chapter in the Gnawa tradition saga. The album was born following Moktar decisive meeting with musicians Anoir El Khabouche and Yacine Ben Ali.
Recorded in Essaouira, the "Gnawa Soul" album has been mixed in the United States and mastered in London - the cover being shot by Pop Art photographer Hassan Hajjaj.

While UNESCO recognizes and registers Gnawa art as part of its intangible heritage of humanity,
the "Gnawa Soul" album glorifies this music connecting Maghreb to West Africa and offers the world this unique new fusion of the spiritual with the temporal.