Rachid Halihal and His Orchestra
Musical Journey in the Arabic Music: From Moroccan to Andalusian Music. Many surprises!
As a world-class musician, Rachid Halihal brings to the community the true character and spirit of musics from the classical Egyptian repertoire which is much loved throughout the Middle East; from the Fertile Crescent; from diverse regions of Morocco and North Africa; and also the mesmerizing music of the Arabian Gulf.
Rachid Halilal — Journey in Judeo-Arabic Songs: from Andalusia to Moroccan Classics
February 26th at 8 pm.
Part of the American Sephardi Music Festival.
Center for Jewish History
15 w 16th St
New York NY 10011
BIO
As a child, growing up in Fez, Morocco, Rachid played the nei and sang, imitating the famous singers of the time. At age fourteen he entered “Dar Aadyil” the Conservatory of Music in Fez. At first he studied Western classical and Andalus music on piano and violin. He soon expanded to include a variety of other instruments in order to better express his native music. In addition to his voice, which is best featured in the Andalus style, his strongest instruments are the oud (similar to a lute without frets) and the violin, which he plays in both the classical manner and upright resting on the knee for Moroccan folkloric music.
Until 1986, Rachid played in an Andalus orchestra in Fez, and at various occasions throughout Casablanca. Then, over a span of fourteen years, he presented his music to a more varied audience. This included an extended stay in the Ivory Coast; one year in Sweden; one year in Finland, where he and his seven piece band played at the Helsinki International Music Festival sharing the bill with Cheb Khaled; and in the coastal city of Agadir, Morocco, Rachid fully managed a night club, its musicians, and folkloric troupe for seven of those years, playing his music every night for the clubs primarily touristic and Arabian clientele. On his violin, he accompanied many of Morocco’s well known singers who toured to Agadir. On many occasions he played with Mohammed Abdo, one of the Arabian Gulf’s most loved singers. During two years, Rachid was invited numerous times to the Arabian Gulf as a singer and oud player in his own right.
In Summer 2004 Rachid toured the USA with The Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble playing Moroccan Andalus music with Abdelfattah Bennis, including Genesis at the Crossroads Festival in Chicago. He was presented at Columbia University in concert with visiting Israeli singer, Michel Cohen, with Moroccan singer Pinhas in New York and Miami, as well as other ethnic concerts and events throughout New York City. In 2003-4, Rachid was presented with his band at Denver’s Global Groove World Music Festival, with Nawang Kechong in Aspen, in two separate Mid-East Dance concerts at the Boulder Theater, Colorado, with Souhail Kaspar in Denver, Boulder, Portland, and Los Angeles. Rachid also played at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for the inaugural King Tut exhibit in the US on June 15, 05. In Summer of ’05 Rachid toured the USA and Canada with Rachid Taha (Algerian/French) Rai-rock band.
The music which Rachid Halihal presents is soulful and poetic as well as very danceable to the point that not an empty spot can be found on the dance floor wherever he plays.
A few bars into a song and you feel immediately that this is an extraordinary musician. Even at an early age, Rachid Halihal received serious respect from his extended family as if he were an elder musician.
Relocating from Morocco to the United States in the new millennium, he makes his home base both in Denver and New York City. Rachid Halihal brings forth the true character of musics from diverse regions of Morocco, the Andalus, Sufi spiritual tradition; the full classical and pop Egyptian repertoire; and also the mesmerizing music of the Arabian Gulf.
Rachid was presented at MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in Manhattan, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art, as well as Columbia, Yale, and Stanford Universities, U of Northern Florida, and CU Boulder, CO; and one tour with the late Rachid Taha.
He had the honor of directing ASWAT, Arabic music orchestra of San Francisco comprised of American and Arab-American musicians. He taught them new songs to play with him at the Tutankhamun exhibit at De Young Museum, and conducted ASWAT in a concert at College of San Mateo Theater. Rachid has led his previous band, Layali el Andalus playing in Revels, at the Kennedy Center, and recently at Revels in CA.
Rachid teaches at various ethnic music & dance workshops throughout mainland US and Hawaii, teaching melody as well as those elusive North African rhythms.