Tariqa

The Moroccan Said Tichiti was the first to introduce gnawa music to Hungary and make it known in musical circles through his band Chalaban. Gnawa, in its native Morocco, is part of the culture of slaves and their descendants and is closely linked to healing trance rituals. This ancient, sacred, trans-musical form was described by William Burroughs as "the oldest 4,000-year-old rock'n'roll in the world". Gnawa is based on magical rhythmic formulas that are both unchanging and ever-changing. Although the basic rhythm is unchanging, the ever-changing accents add a new pulse to the music, which slowly but steadily accelerates and intensifies during the improvisations. Thanks to this unique and rich rhythm, gnawa has influenced many important rock and jazz musicians around the world (e.g. the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Ornette Coleman, Pharoah Sanders, and Archie Shepp).

Said Tichiti, who has been present on the Hungarian world music scene for 20 years, works with well-known and highly creative musicians of jazz and Hungarian folk music, and is a regular performer at world music festivals around the world. The rhythm section of the ensemble is very familiar with gnawa music: Said Tichiti brought this knowledge from his homeland, and András Halmos studied the genre for years on the advice and regular guidance of American jazz drummer Hamid Drake. The orchestra, taking advantage of the freedom of music, shapes the musical material in its own way from concert to concert, successfully creating the strong emotional impact of gnawa music, traditionally performed in healing and ceremonial rituals.