Hamid El Kasrii

• Date: 31 October
• Time: 20:00
• Location: Koninklijke Schouwburg, Grote zaal

Hamid El Kasri is a Moroccan Gnawa musician traditionally regarded as a maâlem, or “master musician.” He is a legend in Gnawa culture and is praised for revitalizing the genre while keeping its authenticity alive. He is to the guembri what Jimmy Page is to the guitar.

His charisma, powerful voice, and mastery of the guembri instrument have become his trademark, recognized and respected by all his contemporary fellow musicians. Maâlem Hamid El Kasri is one of the best Gnawa artists when it comes to blending genres. He can effortlessly improvise on his guembri with jazz, afro-beat, reggae, rock, qawwali, and other musical styles.

Hamid El Kasri was born in Ksar El Kebir, from which his surname—a stage name—is derived, meaning simply “from Ksar El Kebir.” Gnawa music was not in his family, but he grew up immersed in the culture. He looked up to his grandmother’s husband, an elderly man of Sub-Saharan descent who had been enslaved, who taught him much about the magical instrument that only true masters are allowed to play: the guembri.

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