Justin Adams Review | talkinggigs

Vieux Farka Toure

Justin Adams & Mohamed Errebbaa

Lifting Spirits - North African Desert Blues and Moroccan Gnawa

Thursday 10th November, Doors 7.00pm

Firth Hall, University of Sheffield

(In collaboration with University of Sheffield)

Justin Adams & Muhammed Errebbaa 2022.11.10-015-22-11-10 1 (2).jpg

Justin Adams & Muhammed Errebbaa 2022.11.10-080-22-11-10 1 (2).jpg

Since the beginning of my tenure promoting and fronting TalkingGigs it has been said this gig was “One of the best”! A sentiment echoed by my colleague at the University Concerts team, Nick Potter. I agree. A great evening!

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed putting the whole project together from start to finish. It has been an eduction, a privilege and a pleasure engaging with, then meeting all the people involved in making this gig such a special one. A really big thanks to Justin Adams for his commitment to the TalkingGigs ethos and for bringing to our attention the magnificent Mohamed Errebbaa. We look forward to their future studio recordings together. I look back to our easy and friendly, and in my case enlightening, conversation over supper together, with fond memories of two masters of their craft enjoying telling stories of their very different musical journeys.

Special thanks to Heather Burns, my friend from Oklahoma, USA, for her suggestion to include some dance in the show and her engagement in making it happen. As a choreographer and dancer herself, with a special interest in North African dance, Heather produced a short dance video and piece to camera for Justin and Mohamed for their OK. The unexpectedly swift response from Justin and Mohamed was “Great..go for it”

Heather then got in touch with Nisha Lall Dance Studio and the Moroccan dance specialist, Nawarra. Their partnership proved fruitful indeed.

I was keen to keep the dancers appearance on stage under wraps for the TalkingGigs audience, as far as possible. The element of surprise seemed to work really well and added and extra dynamic to the great music played by Justin and Mohamed.

I’ll leave Nicky Crewe to complete the picture of the gig with her review. I think the review from Nicky reflects her own, and the audiences, enthusiasm and enjoyment that night. It also reflects all those important and treasured details to give those, who could not attend, an almost ‘real-time’ experience of the event.

There is also a shorter version of Nicky’s review in Now Then here; this appeared about a week or so after the gig.

As ever lots of people to thank. Charles Ritchie, as the unseen hand behind the website and the mailouts. The Talking Gigs volunteers, of course. Nick Potter and the University Concerts team. Heather Burns, Nisha Lall and Nawarra.

Photos from Philippa Richardson, Don Murray and Olivia Cox

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Justin Adams & Muhammed Errebbaa 2022.11.10-285-22-11-10 (2).jpg

“Music has such power to connect and inspire and TalkingGigs continue to play its part with this celebration of music and culture.”

Lifting Spirits was the perfect name for this latest Talking Gig event, held in the serene and cathedral like space of Firth Hall, providing a heady mix of music and dance which took the audience and performers into a new and exciting dimension.

The usual opening conversation between the musicians and Alasdair Dempster was enlightening and fascinating as we learned about what motivates these highly respected musicians and the source of their collaborations. Guitarist Justin Adams is renowned for his connections with desert blues and has worked with many musicians including Robert Plant, Tinarwen, Julde Camara, and recently won Songlines magazine’s Best “Fusion” Album for Still Moving, in collaboration with Mauro Durante of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino.

When Mohamed Errebbaa, a Maalem or master musician, arrived in the UK he reached out to other musicians. When he found Justin he was relieved to find someone that understood his music and tradition, and so a musical partnership was formed.

With musical interludes, the conversation in the first half of the concert gave us all a deeper understanding of Gnawa music and its spiritual aspects. This pre-Islamic music associated with Sufi brotherhoods, is a trance and transcendental form of music, rooted deep in Moroccan culture.

The music is transporting in its effects are used in ceremonies to provide a cathartic space for people with mental health issues such as depression. Colours, percussion, dance, voice and instruments are used in specific ways to invoke a trance state where healing can take place in ceremonies that can go on for many hours. Sometimes the trance state may be induced in the audience as well as the participants.

We learnt that Mohamed began performing with Sufi brotherhoods in Rabat, Morocco, at the age of ten and about his instrument, the Gimbri. Mohamed was given the title of master musician at the age of 28.

Mohamed sang in the first half too and the effect of his soaring vocals, the complexity of the electric guitar, with its effects, and the simplicity of the gimbri was mesmerising.

To everyone’s delight a trio of dancers joined the musicians on stage. In colourful traditional Gnawa costumes they added another dimension to the sensory experience of the night. Nisha Lall runs a dance studio in Sheffield and Nawarra had come over from Leeds where she teaches Moroccan dance styles and organises events and workshops in Morocco. They were joined by Heather Burns from Oklahoma USA, a friend of Alasdair’s, who had made the connections that brought them and the musicians together for this very special night.

It was intriguing to consider the different ways in which these amazing musicians had discovered their instruments as young teenagers and followed their individual paths to success and recognition, one becoming a master musician in the gnawa tradition and the other collaborating with the greats of rock music and desert blues. This contrast was highlighted by their stage outfits, Justin in t-shirt and jeans, Mohamed in white robes decorated with gold braid and covered by a beautiful deep red velvet long sleeveless coat. The result of those different experiences has created a magical collaboration and friendship and it was a privilege to be a witness to it. Hopefully there will be recordings available soon.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who wished it could have gone on all night. Music has such power to connect and inspire and TalkingGigs continue to play their part.

The second half of the show highlighted the music and as the rhythms and sounds flowed and floated through the hall, the audience were inspired to get up and dance. Once more the dancers in a range of costumes and dance styles encouraged both the musicians and the audience to take it higher and lift the spirits.

The music ranged from blues to Gnawa, Opening the second half with a stunning fusion version of Wayfaring Stranger, Justin and Mohamed later gave us their own take on Still Moving, the title track of Justin’s latest award winning album. Sheffield’s own Mim Suleiman also joined them on stage for a song. There was a real sense of celebration as audience and performers raised the rafters. Listening to comments as I reluctantly left the hall, I could hear the enthusiasm from the audience. “One of the best!”.

Nicky Crewe