Sous le Haut Patronage de Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI, la cinquième édition du Festival Rawafid a été organisée à Casablanca du 23 au 27 juillet 2004. Cette manifestation a connu un grand succès vu la communion qu’il y a eu entre les troupes participantes et le public casablancais. Portrait d’un artiste à cent pour cent marocain.

Né à Méknès en 1965, précisément au quartier «Sidi Amer», Amir Ali de son vrai nom Ali Al Ajraoui est un passionnant passionné. Très jeune, il va découvrir son amour pour la musique: «Je fuyais l’école pour suivre des cours de musique. Mon amour pour la musique était un don du bon Dieu.». Il s’inscrit en cours de solfège et du violon au Conservatoire de sa ville natale. Il est l’élève des Professeurs Moulay Driss Ouwazzani Chahidi, Mohamed Wahhebi, Mohamed Lachheb. Cette aventure d’apprentissage musical va durer huit ans avant qu’il ne décide en 1986, de s’embarquer pour les Etats Unis. Il avait 20 ans. Amir Ali (Le prince Ali) a fait partie du célèbre club de natation qui fait la fierté de la ville de l’olivier, Méknès «J’étais très dynamique, j’adorais jouer au foot, nager, mais ma grande passion, c’était le violon». Son rêve était de devenir violoniste soliste et compositeur. Et le rêve fût réalisé. Avant son grand voyage à la découverte de lui-même, Il devient soliste dans l’orchestre du Conservatoire. Il a composé une chanson pour Hassan II «Ya layali al bichri oudi bilhana» , mais qui n’a jamais vu le jour. Aux Etats Unis, il va travailler au restaurant Marrakech, au pavillon marocain, au Walt Disney World en Floride. Ali interprétait les oeuvres des grandes figures de la chanson arabe (Oum keltoum, Mohamed Abelwahheb... Nouâman Lahlou, chanteur-compositeur, était son compagnon de fortune. Il va animer les soirées du restaurant Marrakech pendant 14 ans: C’est alors qu’est née l’idée de créer son propre groupe: «14 ans après ma carrière musicale aux États Unis, je voulais créer mon propre groupe. Je ne voulais plus dépendre des autres. Je voulais créer mon propre style. Le Festival Rawafid, est une chance énorme. Pour moi c’était l’occasion de retrouver mes racines. Je remercie, le ministère de la Culture, les organisateurs et toutes les personnes qui m’ont permis de chanter devant le public casaoui que je trouve adorable «. Le premier rêve réalisé, ce fut la création de son propre groupe baptisé «Mo’Rock in», (beaucoup de rock au Maroc), composé de deux américains, un espagnol, une danseuse et chanteuse marocaine: «Nous étions le premier groupe a avoir enregistré des chansons de Sting, avec notre propre arrangement, en payant bien sûr les droits d’auteur». Disciple du grand maître du Melhoun Houcine Toulali, Amir Ali est un authentique interprète de ce patrimoine musical. Au milieu d’une ambiance politico-idéologique née juste après le 11 septembre 2001, Ali a réussi à se frayer un chemin dans le monde du Show bis. Il s’est imposé d’abord en tant que Marocain et en tant que citoyen américain: «Avant de venir au Maroc, il a fallu convaincre mes musiciens que le Maroc n’était pas un pays terroriste, que c’était un pays où les gens sont d’une générosité absolue, d’une bonté sans limite, accueillants...Une fois au Maroc, tout ceci s’est confirmé, les artistes américains qui m’ont accompagné, ont été séduits dès qu’ils ont posé le pied sur le sol marocain». Dimanche 25 juillet 2004 à 21h, à la place des Nations Unies, Amir Ali a fait vibrer une énorme foule en interprétant des ksaid du melhoun.

Ilham Khalifi

One World
Produced by Amir Ali, to be released
Review by Nina Costanza

Moroccan born Amir Ali, a premier violinist, vocalist, arranger, and composer, is releasing his first solo album entitled One World. The album features original cuts of newly arranged traditional music and popular songs as well as new compositions, all performed by Ali’s orchestra, Mo‘Rockin. The music, surnamed “the real world music,” blends melodies, lyrics, and rhythms of the Maghreb, North Africa, the Middle East, Spain and America. Ali has deftly combined various musical idioms from hip-hop to world beat to produce a high energy fusion rooted in Middle Eastern feel.

How many times, though, have we spoken about the new Middle Eastern music in these terms? Western-Eastern; world beat in Arabic sensibilities, crossing over, Sting with whomever, Shakira does a belly roll, Alabina, blah, blah… There are plenty of Cds out there venturing in the same playing field, naturally, as that is where Arabic music and the popular ear is going. One World and Amir Ali seem to be a hallmark for something different. One World has not been released yet, but the advance copy and promo video reveal a tremendous new talent. The music is exciting. It is raw and polished. It is theatrical and, most important, genuine. Amir Ali remains true to his voice. He does not mix in anything unnecessary or false. His compositions are clean and cohesive. Now being an American, his voice is Middle Eastern with a multitude of other influences which he handles with the sophisticated hand of a trained and natural musician.

Ali is able to incorporate differing musical influences without diverging from the essential Middle Eastern structure and tone. One may hear idioms from other musical forms such as a jazz riff or a sudden hit and release of an electronic chord familiar in orchestrated hip hop; but there is no question that this is Middle Eastern music. The different implementations are only employed to enhance the musical intention and not as a device to make the music sound modern or Western. The components, whether instrumentation or a stylistic idiom, which may be defined as not being specifically Middle Eastern, are played and written so inside the integral structure of the music, that it becomes unnecessary to segregate which items are Arabic and which are not.

Each one of the ten tracks is different which makes for a complete CD. There are no down segments. Whether Ali is presenting his own compositions, traditional pieces or re-arrangements, the result is always interesting. Trigue Lycee, written by Khaled Hadj Brahim, utilizes sounds of brass, electric violin and piano reminiscent of soft jazz with percussive interludes. Amir Ali wrote Mina which is one of the finer selections. Starting slowly with a mahwal-like vocal line, it develops into a moving and seductive upbeat melody punctuated with those percussive accents and orchestral interludes. "Alwan" is a traditional piece, featuring violin and tabla (includes a violin taksim) and modernized through its orchestral arrangement. Ihab Tawfik’s "Allahalek Ya Sidi," written by Ahmed Shata and Mahmoud Khyami, is also one the best compositions of the CD. It is hauntingly sexy, hypnotically earthy. The melody is beautiful and it ends in whispers and a return. "Aicha" sung in French is the familiar pop tune written by Khaled Hadj Brahim and Jean Jacques Goldman. It is a more typical rock rendition. "Marco Polo" by Loreena McKennitt is presented here is mostly instrumental with a more Oriental sound of the emblematic violin and tabla accents. The arrangement includes alternating between the oriental sounds and modern chords with an underlying rhythm line culminating in a larger orchestral finish. "Lilit Hob" by Mohammed Abdel Wahab is a contemporary version of course modernized through changes in rhythmic line but maintains the essential shape and drama of the original. It includes a short drum solo and violin taksim.
Mo’Rockin’s version of "Nour El Ein," written by S. Ahmed and E.M. Nesser and made famous by Amr Diab, emphasizes the Spanish flavor with a Spanish piano underneath. It is more energetic than the Diab version with the piano and rhythmic flourishes and orchestral embellishments. "Simarik" composed by Sezen Aksu and Tarkan Ozanogola again differs with orchestral embellishments and tabla interludes ending many of the phrases. "Habibi Dah" written by Aymen Bahjat Amar and Riad El Hamchari, ok
Mo’Rockin consists of Amir Ali also known as Ali Ajraqui, vocalist, violin, oud, arranger and composer; Fouad Ezzair (Morocco) on percussion, back-up vocals; Ilham (Morocco), dancer and backup vocals; Keith Wilson (CA,USA) on zendrum; Rene Zayas (Puerto Rico) on keyboard and piano; and David Lowry (USA) on electric bass. Amir Ali founded the band in 1998. In 1999 they were hired for the Moroccan showcase at the Epcot center in Walt Disney World, Florida where they perform daily. All the performers have illustrious backgrounds in their fields including Ilham who performed as the featured dancer at the Marrakesh Restaurant at the Epcot Center. As individuals, the players are virtuosic and as a whole the band works tightly together. Ilham, by the way, is a beautiful dancer to watch. She is musical, rhythmic, elegant, and simple.

Ali has his own irrepressible voice both in original works and those he has re-worked. He is a genuine artist, a musician who can improvise as well as write intricately considered compositions. He is worth watching out for in future productions. It is a pleasure, an inspiration, to find that rare new musician who puts the music first and allows his artistic intent to guide his elocution. His music stands out amongst the many more lightly composed pieces that stick in drum machine tracks or a rap riff or whatever, as a device to sound hip or to effect a response, rather than actually being hip and actually being that response. Ali’s music is of this generation because it is genuine.