Chronic

Bab El West's Joe Jazz

Bal El West. © Pierrick Guidou

12/16/2019

Where does the blues come from? Historians have the reflex of geolocating it in the southern United States at the start of the 20th century. 100 years later, intercultural exchanges have reshaped an expressiveness that plays with borders. The Bab El West group demonstrates this brilliantly today.

Defining the contours of a musical genre is always a perilous exercise, because, even if it is useful to understand the origin of an art, to name it limits, in fact, its possible evolution. The blues is no longer just the cry of black Americans seeking an escape from their daily vicissitudes. Nowadays, it takes very diverse forms without, however, having lost its social and claiming dimension. Bab El West's album Houdoud is the perfect example of this artistic research that extends our horizon. This openness could only come from altruistic and generous musicians whose respective roots push them to reach out.

Founded by two Breton instrumentalists (Clément Vallin and Marc Dupont) attentive to the sound convolutions of their time, Bab El West very quickly enriched itself with the Moroccan sap of the singer Habib Farroukh. Curiously, or perhaps not elsewhere, their ancestral traditions have found a common space of unbridled creativity. If their tone matches the era of time, it is based on strong regional identities. The communion of these different sources of inspiration creates a new melodic texture that instantly seduces any listener attached to the authenticity of the music. Could it be the blues? One can reasonably think so especially since, since the first album Douar released in 2017, the musicality of Bab El West is reinforced by the rough electric guitar of Hamza Bencherif and the qanun (a millennial oriental harp appeared in the 8th century) revitalized by the virtuoso Nidhal Jaoua.

Mixing the differences

In 2019, Bab El West pushes the boundaries of the impossible a little more. By welcoming the Celtic ornaments of the Shiels family (Tracey, Ruby and Erwan), the fusion between Irish, Breton, Gnaouas and Chaabi notes, magnified by the saxophonist Yannick Jory and the flautist Jean-Luc Thomas, becomes natural, obvious, limpid . This vow of musical celebration is not a simple posture for these valiant craftsmen, it is a commitment while withdrawal is too often the norm. Hear Habib Farroukh's wise words, read their translation, and soak up this sensible, meaningful, inspiring poetry. Houdoud is not a trivial album. He speaks to us, calls us, requests us. Let's not oppose our differences, let's combine them! This is the promise of Bab El West…

Certainly, geopolitical reality has nothing to do with wishful thinking. However, the spiritual strength of artists can sometimes influence speeches, positions, tensions. Paul Eluard said: "The word border is a one-eyed word, man has two eyes to see the world" . This absolute truth guided the writing of the Houdoud album. Made on armorical lands, this disc breathes history, the legend of the ancient peoples who looked offshore with the burning desire to brave the elements to discover the planet. In the Maghreb as in Brittany, going beyond the seas, crossing obstacles is a constant. Habib Farroukh said at the end of his musical journey: "I want us to escape by riding the winds. Up there, no border separates us" .

A breath of crossbreeding and hope

Sometimes we like to imagine the harmonious concert of nations. It would take a little listening, appeasement, sharing and understanding. Human adventure should be rewritten. The blues should be happy, full of hope and vitality. Isn't the Bab El West group on this path? The freshness of a repertoire does not make it naive. He even raises his point. It is never futile to believe in a better future. And when this laudable intention becomes a work of creation, it is heard and often respected. Houdoud is therefore obviously only a stage in the journey of Bab El West. What will be the ultimate frontier? We prefer not to think about it as we hope for other great productions from these brilliant musicians. Success is however a perilous limit to be crossed. We bet that modesty will lead them beyond this invisible line, but immediately palpable. Now they just have to sail from continent to continent to carry this fraternal word while ignoring the borders.

Appointment on December 05 at the Studio de l'Ermitage in Paris, then in Montreuil, Le Blanc-Mesnil, Saint-Nazaire, Nantes, etc ...

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Bab El West Houdoud (Big Banana / Inouïe Distribution) 2019

By: Joe Farmer

Bab El West

Jazz - Blues - album - Morocco - France

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