MAÂLEM HAMID EL KASRI

An essential figure in Gnaoua music, Maâlem Hamid El Kasri stands as one of the most popular artists of the genre, both in Morocco and internationally. Born in 1961 in Ksar El Kébir, he was initiated into the art at the age of seven by Maâlems Alouane and Abdelouahed Stitou. However, it was through his grandmother’s husband, a former Sudanese slave, that he developed a deep and lasting passion for this ancestral art, shaping an intimate connection to the Gnaoua tradition.

Gifted with a distinctive talent, he succeeds in blending the Gnaoua rhythms of northern and southern Morocco, forging a unique musical signature carried by a deep and powerful voice. A pillar of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival of Essaouira, Maâlem Hamid El Kasri has been performing there for many years. His performance alongside the legendary Joe Zawinul in 2004 left a lasting mark on the festival’s history, followed by collaborations with renowned artists such as Karim Ziad, Hamayun Khan and Shahin Shahida in 2011.

In 2018, he opened the festival in a remarkable fusion with Snarky Puppy, the acclaimed jam jazz band based in Brooklyn. As Vice President of the Yerma Gnaoua association, he is also actively involved in the transmission and preservation of this musical heritage.

Considered one of the greatest Maâlems of his generation, Hamid El Kasri continues to captivate audiences around the world through the power of his playing, his virtuosity and his unmatched charisma.