Bab Al Makina of Fes, where the Fes Festival of Sacred World Music’s 27th edition is taking place from Mai 24 to June 1st, was honored on Saturday evening to have on its scene British Sufi singer Sami Yusuf who enchanted the audience with an array of his best songs, drawing on the spiritual depths of each work.
Yusuf brought to the scene the best of the best Moroccan voices that smoothly and perfectly matched with the spiritual atmosphere that reigned that evening in Fez. Who else besides Diva Nabila Maan can delight lovers of soulful music, or anyone other than the master of the Nahawad Mawal scale, Ismail Bouija, with one’s graceful voice?
The incomparable international star enchanted attendees from several Moroccan cities and from other countries with an evening of distinguished artistry, where spiritual depth mingled with the mellowness of melodies and the beauty and splendor of the voice.
Sami Yusuf, who had performed at the Fes event twice before, was hailed by Time Magazine as “the greatest musical star of the Muslim world,” offered an anthology of immortal songs, including new compositions never before performed, such as–“Ya Zaman Al-Wasl”–and others drawn from the rest of the world, particularly those from Andalusia.
Ya Zaman Al Wasl (Jadaka Al Ghaithu) is an Andalusian poem dating back to the 8th century, written by the poet/doctor Lissan Eddine Ibn Al-Khatib, who was renowned for his sensual Muwachahat (plural of Muwachah), which means “embroider.” Alternatively, it signifies what binds individual pearls together in a necklace, and is an Arabic word that describes a free structure poem, either in Arabic or in the Hebrew language. Its origin dates back to the end of the 8th century in Muslim Andalusia, the golden age of Islamic civilization.
During this lively concert, which lasted around an hour and a half and featured a mix of voices in different languages, the audience also enjoyed songs from Sami Yusuf’s rich repertoire (Ilahana ma aadalak, Madad…), as well as extracts from Moroccan heritage, notably the famous traditional Andalusian Arabic Muwachah “Lama bada yatathana” and the Sufi poem “Fiyachiya.”
The artist added that the group accompanying him included well-known musicians from many countries with whom he had never sung before, praising the group’s artistic talents.
In a statement to the press on this occasion, international star Sami Yusuf said he was proud to be performing again in Morocco in general and in the Kingdom’s most spiritual city in particular, expressing his admiration for the receptive audience who turned out in large numbers to see his show.
Moroccan star Ismail Boujia pointed out that the artistic concert was distinguished by the fact that it combined authentic Moroccan heritage with Andalusian heritage, by virtue of the participation of a Spanish singer from Seville, the “Chamayel Mohammadia” group, along with other artists and musicians.
The BBC has labeled Sami Yusuf a “megastar” and placed him among the top 30 most renowned British talents.
This should come as no surprise when over 45 million albums are sold, one-billion-plus downloads are seen, sold-out shows at Wembley Arena and the Royal Albert Hall occur, and an audience of over 250,000 are drawn to an open-air show in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, making it one of the largest concert crowds ever.
Yusuf is also a composer and is regarded as one of today’s most prominent artists in the World Music genre. His song “Nasimi” (My Breeze) has more than 67 million views on YouTube, not to mention Ilahana (our God), and the famous poem of Ibn Arabi “Araftu Al Hawa” (I only knew love).
His diverse accomplishments are a testament to his understanding of numerous varieties of music and proficiency in languages, having been trained in Western and Middle Eastern classical music at a young age.
Sami Yusuf’s strength is his ability to move smoothly and genuinely between genres, as exemplified by qawwali (popular in India and Pakistan), Middle Eastern Sufi music, Persian and Western classical music, and flamenco.
The 27th edition of this festival, a privileged moment for the spirit of living together, dialogue, and tolerance, is marked by a musical program bringing together several artists and troupes from both countries, who will express through their fusions and performances this particular dimension of openness, harmony and coexistence for a better future.
This not-to-be-missed event, which has become one of the world’s premier cultural happenings, will also feature the participation of artists representing many nations.
These include singer Naïssam Jalal (Syria), Nedyalko Nedyalkov Quartet (Bulgaria), Khadija El Afrit (Tunisia), Walid Benselim, the Young Musicians European Orchestra, and Madalena (women’s choir), as well as Sufi nights.