SALAAM @ Ballatou

By Luca Petryshyn (aka DJ Spooky) - West African Hour - 07/16/2008

Salaam, a nine-piece band that plays a unique musical style mixing jazz, blues and funk with “gnawa” -- a traditional Moroccan trance musical style, are a fan favourite at Nuits d’Afrique. As for the legend behind genre, the story tells of a big old Moroccan sultan who created an army of slaves from west and North Africa sometime around the sixteenth century, and it was these slaves that ended up jamming the musical styles of their origins into the style we today call gnawa. However, Salaam could not be called old school traditional because they expand on gnawa incredibly, bringing in a saxophone, trumpet, electric bass and more. All these instruments combined over a trance foundation produce a music that everybody can dance to.  

At their show during the festival, Salaam mesmerized the crowd with their dramatic percussive entrance, walking through the crowd in North African garb. Right away, their music had everyone swinging. The rich variety of percussive instruments and the high quality of musicianship make Salaam difficult to ignore; within moments of them hitting the stage, the dance floor filled up with people of all ages. Eventually, halfway through the night, front man, Nazir, who emigrated to Montréal in 1992 and writes most of the songs, played for the first time in public a few special songs with a rare Moroccan guitar. One great thing at their live show was the fantastic trumpet player who, along with the saxophonist, created a thick party dance vibe over the many percussive instruments. The mix up between gnawa and more modern musical forms worked well, and if people weren’t dancing half way through the set, they couldn’t help but feverishly bob their heads.  

Salaam had an intermission in the middle of their show, and when they came back after their first set, the room was ready for more, being even more packed with latecomers who could only find a spot on the dance floor. Festival organizers at Nuits d’Afrique have a great set-up, letting bands play for an hour and half and strongly encourage an encore. Consequently, the show did not go on too long and neither was it too short but ended at a perfect time. Overall, Salaam were delightfully enjoyable and anyone who has an interest in the music of the Mahgreb should make and effort to see one of their many shows.

Tune in to more African music on West African Hour every Wednesday from 12pm-1pm.