
Hamid Ajbar Flamenco
Hamid Ajbar Flamenco was founded in Granada in 2016 by the singer of Moroccan origin Hamid Ajbar, graduated from the conservatory of Rabat as an expert in Andalusian and oriental music, and first national prize of Andalusian singing. The project was born with the idea of delving into the Arab-Andalusian music and flamenco, to discover the shared history between the Andalusian who one day was forced to leave his home and cross the shore to North Africa, and flamenco, which came to Al Andalus when it ceased to be called as such. Through intoxicating melodies and fascinating rhythms, both traditions achieve an authentic fusion. The project includes some of the best artists from the flamenco scene such as singers Alberto Funes and Vicente Gelo, guitarists Lolo de la Encarna and Puchero, dancers Eva Manzano and Rocio Molina, amongst others, as well as musicians Aziz Samsaoui, Fathi Ben Yakoub, Mouhssine Koraichi and Khalid Ahaboune.
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Dos Historias, un Camino
Dos Historias, un Camino (two stories, one way) is a musical encounter between two cultures, Arab-Andalusian and Flamenco. Although they were originally from different eras, they coincide in time and place where both were marginalized. With this show they unite the depth of flamenco singing with the lyrical poetry of the Andalusian moaxajas and zejeles and oriental rhythms, in a "jondo" fusion, of exquisite flavor, with a fragrance as fresh as the breeze of the summer nights of the Alhambra.
Gardens of Al Andalus - From Ibn Arabi to Santa Teresa
"Al Andalus - a land of many colors, textures and flavors. In the light of current events, we find ourselves dreaming more vividly than ever of those blessed times when, in Granada and Cordoba, Jews, Christians and Muslims coexisted in peace. Singer and violinist Hamid Ajbar, originally from Chauen in Morocco and now living in Granada, embodies this sublime blend of sound, heart and spirit. In 2015, he founded an ensemble combining oud, violin and flamenco guitar, where the poetic heritage of the Sufi masters of Spain, North Africa and the Middle East and the mystical work of Saint Teresa of Avila, who, in the heart of her Catholic Castile, did not hesitate to translate into Christian terms the teaching of tolerance given at the time of the greatness of Al-Andalus.
The “Gardens of Al-Andalus” program, mingled with flamenco and oriental harmonies, is the expression of this ideal: the term “Djinnan” - gardens - designates both the sumptuous gardens we admire at the Alhambra in Granada, the Alcazar in Cordoba or the Goutha in Damascus, and the heart - the soul: this cauldron of feelings, this receptacle of beauty. “I've known love since I've known your love”, said Rabia Al Adawiyya in 8th-century Iraq, “blessed be the heart in love”, replied Thérèse d'Avila eight centuries later. Quite a symbol.