JAM: February/March 2007 Issue: Feature Story

By Ed Fenner

Morocco is an enigma. Its influences are largely the accident of geography. Sitting on the northwest corner of Africa, only nine miles across the Mediterranean Sea from Spain, it is a part of the northern area of Africa called the Maghreb—made up today by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. The area is shrouded in mystery, and the origin of the Berbers—the Maghreb 's primary inhabitants—is unclear. Evidence indicates that the ancestors of the Berbers settled in the area some ten thousand years ago.

The US Contingent - dinner in a Riad Dar El Ghalia.

Subsequently, invasions and wandering nomads continually changed the makeup of the region culturally, linguistically, religiously, and politically. Far removed from our youthful comprehension, when we learned about this part of the world in school, the exotic and romantic names and places of this region evoke recollections that are familiar to all of us. The seafaring Phoenicians established trading posts and their capital at Carthage (now Tunis ) in the first millennium BC. The Berbers tended to simply acquiesce and adjust to the presence of their new visitors.

Later, as we all remember, there occurred the Punic Wars pitting the Phoenicians in Carthage against the upstart Romans. Remember a guy named Hannibal ? Well, the Italian cats won, and in 40 BC Roman Emperor Caligula—you all remember him—declared the end of the Berber autonomy in the Maghreb (this northern region of Africa ). They went to work to break down the Berber tribal society. Well, guess what, after too much vino and too many orgies, the Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th century AD. That sort of opened things up, and the Byzantines, and others, attempted to fill the void and take over the hood—didn't work.

Well, in the last half of the 7th century, the followers of a prophet by the name of Mohammed emerged out of the Arabian Peninsula to sweep across the Middle East . They established Islam's first capital in the region in today's Tunisia . The result was that the Berbers embraced Islam for reasons of political and military realism and, thus, peaceful coexistence. Things were pretty quiet for a few hundred years. One guy would beat up on another guy—nothing major. Then, in the 15th century, Portugal , just across the Straights of Gibraltar, decided to cut themselves in on Morocco 's lucrative trading—silks, spices, slaves, and gold. Spain got in on the act—they still own two enclaves (cities) on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Morocco . Some Moroccan guys thought that turnaround was fair play, so they headed up to Spain and Portugal . This was also the time of the infamous Barbary Pirates who used the Atlantic coast of Morocco as their home base. From there they took ships at sea—mostly for slaves—from the 15th through the 19th century.

Abdou Jaouhari & Soussi Abdul
outside the gate into the Medina

The 19th century was the Age of Empire. The Europeans started staking out claims in Africa . The end result was what came to be known as French Morocco in 1912. Some folks didn't like the idea of being ruled by those guys from the north. During WW II, Morocco was an outpost for Nazi sympathizers—remember Rick's place in Casablanca ? This fostered additional resistance. Finally, on March 2, 1956 , Morocco became an independent nation.

Morocco is a land of rhythm—in their music and everyday life. For centuries, music has been the soul of their culture. Because their culture was primarily based on oral, not written, communication, music and storytelling were the primary means of passing on their history. Today's Moroccan music has its roots with the Berbers, later influenced by Arab styles and instruments. This music had its roots in sub-Saharan Africa . Influenced by Andalucian music, it, in recent years, has evolved into Rai, a blend of jazz, hip-hop, and rap. One now finds a blending of Moroccan beats with Western soul.

As they emerge into a mature member of the world of nations, they are expanding their musical horizons and international outreach. This year, 2007, will be the 13th year of Morocco 's internationally famous and attended Sacred Music Festival. It is an eight-day event that attracts participants from around the world. Now they plan to do the same thing with jazz. That is what took me to this ancient land of mystery and intrigue—“Jazz in Riads”—a jazz music festival in Fes , the cultural center of the country.

Several jazz musicians from Kansas City and Washington , DC , were invited to travel to Fes to perform at “Jazz in Riads,” along with jazz musicians from France and Morocco . From Kansas City , we had vocalist Ron Gutierrez, pianist Charles Williams, and bassist Craig Akin, plus classical pianist and Gershwin aficionado, Carl Bobbish. Also, our “Mother Hen” (leader) Laurel Milton and her brother, David Hone, added some vocals. In Morroco we were joined by tenor saxman Jeff Hollie from Amsterdam , originally from Topeka , Kansas . From Washington , DC , was the great Al Williams Trio. Al blows all of the saxes and flute; pianist Jon Ozment knows every song ever written; drummer Andy Hamburger, a vegetarian, really kicks butt and is quite a “techie.”

Al Williams, John Oxment, Craig Akin
and Andy Hamburger

We all stayed at the westernized Jnan Palace Hotel; it had all of the amenities. I might mention that, although Arabic is the official language of Morroco, French was the common language of the people with whom we came in contact. And, one can get along easily in these circles with English. A quick note about the food: it was abundant, tasty, well spiced, and served with elegance. Lastly, as it relates to our personal experience, I must say that our hosts were most gracious and accommodating; anything that you needed, just ask. Thank you very much Dr. Abdou Jaouhari for attending to our every need and Soussi for your expert guidance—you walk too fast. Our major tourist experience was visiting the “old town” of Fes, first settled in 789 AD, known as the Medina . It is full of little shops and markets, as well as living quarters and craft-type production facilities. There are no motorized vehicles—some of the streets are only 3 feet wide. The primary mode of transport, other than humans, is the heavily laden burros. When one heard “balek” (look out), one would hop into a shop to avoid being run over by a burro.

I must say that our trip and visit were not without their trials and tribulations. They started with three of us missing our connection on Royal Air Moroc to Casablanca in NYC due to a flight delay out of Cincinnati . A later flight on Air France to Paris , and then Casablanca , got us in later than expected. Then, our luggage didn't catch up with us. So we had to buy some necessities, and I had my first meal in Morocco —Pizza Hut. The luggage didn't make it until Thursday, a night that called for the tux. Thanks to the foresight of “Mother Hen” Laurel, her brother Dan Hone, a sound/computer expert, accompanied us. He didn't get his luggage until Sunday. Without him we would have been using megaphones. We practiced at the venues and in the bar at the hotel. There might be a bass and piano and, then again, there might not. After one afternoon of practice at a venue, and setting up the sound, in comes another group to practice. Upon our return that night for the gig, all of the sound settings had been changed. Some upset stomachs, fatigue, and a fall by one of our group when leaving the hotel at 4:00 on Monday morning, added to our cares. The good news is that it all came together, and your jazz representatives from the good old USA “did themselves proud.”

Jeff Holly, Craig Akin, Andy Hamburger
and Charles Williams

“Jazz in Riads” was organized differently than most jazz festivals. Gigs were held, simultaneously, in various venues around Fes —a plaza, a palace, a nightclub, and riads. A riad is a townhouse. Several have been converted into small restaurants or up market guesthouses that are somewhat comparable to our B&Bs. They are beautiful. As one enters through the plain wall fronting the street, there appears a house surrounding a garden courtyard. The magnificent mosaic tile work throughout the house with its high ceilings, accentuated by real and faux arches, is a sight to see.

The festival kicked off on Thursday evening with a concert by our folks at the Riad Dar El Ghalia, followed by Ton Ton Salut from France . Carl started it all with some Scott Joplin followed by four numbers of various members of our group. We then went to the Majestic. This was the major venue for the festival. It is only a few months old and is just like a club here in KC. Scheduled to start at 11 p.m. , we got going at 12:20 a.m. due to sound issues. Carl introduced the audience to some classic Gershwin, including “Rhapsody in Blue.” Again, the guys formed groups and blew for a couple of hours. Ron Gutierrez and David Hone, Laurel 's brother, each sang a couple of tunes.

Friday it was back to the Majestic at 11:30 . This was Ron Gutierrez's night to shine. He wowed the crowd with his vocalizations. This was a great night. The crowd really got into it and listened. Our guys really “owned the room.” The cameras were flashing, the feet were stomping, and the bodies were swaying.

Craig Akin, Ed Fenner and Ron Gutierrez

Saturday was the closing concert featuring the US contingent at Palais El Mokri. Some 500 folks attended, and it was covered by Moroccan TV. It was a great ninety-minute show. The Al Williams Trio kicked off and finished the concert. Jon, Craig, and Andy teamed up for some great sounds. Carl played some Bill Evans and “Take Five.” Laurel sang her rendition of “Summertime” followed by Ron, with Jeff and Al, doing his rendition of “Summertime” and “Moroccan Moments,” written by Carl's wife, Ruth Bobbish. Laurel and David then thrilled the crowd with “Bless Morocco ,” another song written by Ruth. This gala evening ended with the presentation of Certificates of Merit to all us by the head honcho, Driss Faceh, President of the Fes Regional Tourism Council, aided by our host, and by now friend, Abdou Jaouhari. It was a fabulously received ending to a great three days when Kansas City took jazz to Morocco .

I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Faceh after the concert. His answers were in French through an interpreter, and therefore, I don't have any quotes. A summary of his comments would be that this was their second festival and it was better than last year. They intend to continue with the same format and make it grow. They look forward to being able to attract some internationally known headliners in the future. King Mohammed VI likes jazz. He, Mr. Faceh, likes jazz. Moroccans, of all faiths, come together and like jazz. He invites all of you to come to Fes and enjoy their city, jazz, and “Jazz in Riads.”

Upon our return I asked our jazz folks about their impressions of the trip. There were many. Craig “Slapfiddle” Akin said “Playing American jazz in a 9th century Muslim town is a surreal experience.” Carl “Gershwin” Bobbish related that it “was a joy to see how the audiences responded warmly to the individual performers and their skills.” Ida McBeth's pianist Charles “Brains” (inside joke) Williams summed it up when he said that he “sensed a hunger and a love for jazz” and that he “could tell that the hearts of the people in Morocco received the spirit of the jazz openly and truly embraced it.”

Well folks, that's “ Kansas City in Morocco ”—a musical ambassadorial undertaking, a life-enhancing experience, a cultural exchange, a bonding of new friendships, a feather in Kansas City 's jazz hat. Aren't we fortunate that we don't have to lose our luggage to hear it?