nanimusic.com
3 years ago I was invited to play at Tanjazz Festival Morocco with my own songs. It was at the same time when a cartoon parody about Islam was released in Egypt and many performers cancelled their participation in the festival. I decided to go. My clearance visa wasn't even approved but I decided already in advance to go even if I don't receive the visa. What's the worse that can happen, that they will send me back? Well I went, and I did my waiting in a small room with an officer who asked my questions but they did let me in eventually.
So I arrive in this amazing castle and into a booming, rich jazz festival and give 2 solo shows at the lounge venue. On the first night the venue was almost full. The 2nd night the venue was exploding with people. There was no room to stand or move around. Just before I went on stage, someone came to talk to me. He said he was Jewish and lived in Morocco and that it touched him deeply to see an Israeli artist perform in a festival where all the American artists cancelled their arrival. We had a little chat and I told him the story about the visa. Then he asked me if he could say a few words before I went on stage. I agreed and when he did, I was amazed, as he spoke to the audience, fluently, in 4 different languages, telling his own story entwined in mine and how he is honored to be in this presence. During the show I dedicated a Hebrew song for him. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a journey.
When the festival was over, I took the opportunity to visit the cities of my grandparents, Fez and Casablanca. During one of my many walks down the narrow streets of Fez's medina, I heard a familiar melody behind me, people were singing in the street. I made way for them and there came more and more, women, men, children, singing, playing instruments and all to a melody that my grandmother used to sing for me in Ladino (an old Spanish-Jewish dialect). I was surprised to revisit this melody and continued to walk towards the square, now humming along with the singing people on the street. When I arrived at the square, I saw it filling up and rapidly there was no more room to move around. And as more and more people came to sing together, it became clear to me that I just might have to do something with this music.
It followed a long search for roots, ways and music and the right people to work with. I'm so happy to have found them and excited for our new work together. This weekend is going to be the premier of this project: NANI, the nickname that was given to me as a child by my grandmother. Which also means "a little girl" and is often used in a lullaby to help kids fall asleep. I hope the sounds of this project will give you a taste of what this music was, 500 years ago and how it has evolved to meet us today.
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