Sensational Sounds of the Tangier Jazz Festival

The fascinating city of Tangier in northern Morocco, lies at the western entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar where the Atlantic and Mediterranean Oceans meet. This multi-cultural city has served as an inspiration to renowned artists, writers and musicians throughout its long history, making Tangier the perfect venue for a music festival. The annual Tangier Jazz Festival, “Tanjazz”, has been a great success each year since it first started in 2000, and Tangier is gearing up to welcome musicians and music lovers from around the world to the 9th Tanjazz Festival, which is set to take place from 28 May to 1 June 2008.

Jazz lovers can look forward to a Tanjazz program packed with listening pleasure ,which includes free and paying concerts at a number of superb venues, as well as street parties, exhibitions, films and be-bop dancing lessons. Concert venues include the Italian Palace, Comarit, Veolia, BMCI, Castel Palace and the Glenfiddich Tanjazz Club. Each day of the festival includes street jazz gigs, free be-bop dance lessons at the RIF and Spa Hotel as well as Expos at the Italian Palace. The evenings are filled with performances from top jazz musicians and each night of the festival, from midnight to the early hours of the morning, the Glenfiddich Tanjazz club will be hosting jazz jam sessions.

The Tangier Jazz Festival kicks off on Wednesday 28 May 2008 with the film “Frank Ténot the man who loved Jazz” at the Cinémathèque de Tanger at 4:00 pm. The evening entertainment includes free concerts by French brass band Le Gros Tube and Morocco’s Numydia, a group of musicians who take their inspiration for their original compositions from the many facets of Moroccan life, culture and tradition. Paying concerts include the Enzo Favata Trio with their style of music which is strongly influenced by Favata’s musical heritage from his home, the island of Sardinia, Italy, as well as a performance by Spanish pianist, Isaac Turienzo. The Puissance Jazz Big Band consists of a 21 musician orchestra from France.

The following four days of the Tangier Jazz Festival are a non stop party with performances by jazz greats including Boney Fields and The Bone’s Project, Fouad Hani and Yabato Nakimya, the Julien Brunetaud Quartet, Jazz Me Do, Mokhtar Samba and Black Label Swingtet. Films that will be screened at the Cinémathèque de Tanger include ‘The Sound of Jazz’, ‘A History of Jazz in Pictures’ and ‘The Top of the Top’.

Morocco is an exciting country to visit and the throngs of jazz lovers who will be descending on Tangier for the Tangier Jazz Festival can be sure that their visit to Morocco will be a memory-making trip.