AMP Concerts - Hassan Hakmoun

Friday, July 11, 2008
Hassan Hakmoun
National Hispanic Cultural Center
Fountain Courtyard (outside!)
1701 4th St SW
8 PM

How To Buy Tickets To This Show

- Enjoy Hassan performing live at the Kennedy Center

Hassan Revisit ¡Globalquerque! 2007 by returning to the outdoor Fountain Courtyard for a night of Gnawan Moroccan trance music featuring the Hassan Hakmoun trio.

Hakmoun, originally from Morocco, is currently a New York-based musician who will take you into the mysterious world of the Gnawa. Former slaves originally from the Sudan who travelled to Morocco and converted to Islam, the Gnawa people of Morocco serve as intermediaries in the spirit world and also as entertainers. Hassan was raised in Marrakech and began to study the healing rituals of tagnawit, the Gnawa-related arts and lore, at a young age; by age four, he performed alongside snake charmers and fire-breathers on the streets of Marrakech. His travels led him to Europe and the U.S., where he has absorbed elements from a variety of popular styles including jazz, rock, funk, and hip-hop, and eventually to participate in several WOMAD tours, recordings with his fusion group Zahar and work with Peter Gabriel.

While still a youngster, Hakmoun chose the sintir as his main instrument. The sintir is a three-stringed lute with a body made of camel skin stretched over nut wood. The strings are pitched low, so the instrument can serve as the bass foundation, much like the Western string bass. But the tone of the sintir is sweet, so it is also well suited to carrying the melodic line of a composition. By drumming on the body, Hakmoun adds his own percussion, while also contributing vocals. Moreover, he is schooled in the traditional trance-inducing dances.

Ticket info:

$20 advance, $25 day of show. $10 for children under 12.
See both Hassan and Quetzal for only $30!

Available at the NHCC Box Office and Ticketmaster (505-883-7800, Smith's stores and other outlets). Tickets will go on sale mid-May.

The NHCC box office is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM and Saturdays from 12 PM to 5 PM. There are no service charges at the box office.