New setting, new experience. That's what the artistic co-directors of the Jazz à Rabat festival delivered in this 27th edition, now renamed and relocated to Hassan II Park in the capital. Through their affinities and collaborations, Majid Bekkas and Jean-Pierre Bissot continue to push the boundaries of jazz. By striking the right balance and upholding the same high standards as always, the duo brings every kind of music to the stage, from Gnawa to Balkan rhythms, and even rap. At the crossroads of artisan expertise and world music connoisseurship, the diversity-driven approach of Jazz in Rabat's artistic co-directors carefully steers the 27th edition (September 25–27, 2025) toward a universal style where no note is left to chance. Renamed and relocated from its former setting to Hassan II Park in the capital, the festival has inspired Majid Bekkas and Jean-Pierre Bissot to push boundaries, weaving jazz with a wide array of musical expressions, from the most traditional and local to the most contemporary and international. This is the duo's bold wager, one that has strengthened over the years and proven that jazz is no longer confined to a niche of devoted aficionados. Together, the co-directors thread jazz across eras, generations, and harmonies. After blending it with aïssaoua, gnaoua, African, Andalusian, European, and Balkan sounds, they now dare a contemporary leap, inviting a rapper for the first time to the Jazz in Rabat stage: Tchubi. On Friday, Hungarian artists Sara Bolyki & Petra Várallyay combined voices, violin, piano, and charango with the Tchubi Sextet, a young Moroccan ensemble led by the rapper. For Bekkas and Bissot, this fusion is just the beginning of what music, «inscribed in the quest for human dignity, democracy, and civil rights», as UNESCO defines it can achieve. It is this inexhaustible power of jazz, as a «force of peace, dialogue, and mutual understanding», that unites heritages in one genre. For the festival's conductors, the goal is clear: to keep Jazz in Rabat open and inclusive. Rapper Tchubi, September 26, 2025 / Ph. Karim Tibari - Jazz in Rabat We are now at the 27th edition of the Jazz in Rabat festival. The older generations still remember it not as Jazz at Chellah, but first as Jazz at Oudayas. Could we one day see a true «Jazz in Morocco»? Majid Bekkas: It is true that in the past, American jazz was the best known in Morocco. When the European jazz festival began in 1996, the Moroccan public started to discover other sounds besides those from across the Atlantic. Ultimately, there is jazz in every country. It blends the traditional music of one region or another with the classic rhythms and improvisation of jazz. I believe Morocco, like other countries, can also have its own jazz. In my view, Moroccan jazz is this diverse repertoire, drawing from traditional Moroccan music — whether gnaoua, hmadcha, Andalusian, Amazigh, gharnati, or malhoun — combined with improvisation and jazz harmonies that are recognized worldwide. If the artistic demands are met, I am convinced that Moroccan jazz can truly emerge from these sound experiments. Many groups have already started working in this direction. Jean-Pierre Bissot: It may seem paradoxical that the European Union chose jazz as a genre, which many believe to be an American musical expression, when in fact it is not. Jazz first originated from Africa before reaching the Americas. It was first played by African and Afro-descendant communities, whose music in the Americas encountered instruments brought from Europe. It is from this triangulation, African musicians arriving in the United States and European instruments, that jazz emerged as a musical expression of freedom, emancipation, and encounter. And it wasn't until later that it was introduced to Europe. Majid Bekkas and Jean-Pierre Bissot, September 25, 2025 / Ph. Karim Tibari - Jazz in Rabat As my colleague and friend Majid just explained, there was a European jazz built on the classical jazz model, but infused with particular sounds from the regions where it developed, from Portugal to northern Finland, spanning the Mediterranean and the Balkans. I find these artistic dynamics, rooted in both tradition and modernity, remarkable. At this festival, audiences have grown accustomed to discovering musical encounters as rich as they are memorable. You mentioned groups exploring jazz from Morocco. You yourself support some and have trained both Moroccan and foreign artists, introducing them to an approach that blends local and global heritage. Is this the vision you bring to Jazz in Rabat? Majid Bekkas: Indeed, I am first and foremost a great fan of blues and jazz. I especially appreciate the musical era of John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Bill Big Broonzy... As a musician, I began experimenting with this diversity approach myself, exploring possible combinations between jazz, Moroccan rhythms, and Moroccan music, notably gnaoua, African, and desert music. I also had the chance to do so with great jazz names, including those who shaped the foundation and development of American jazz: Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Randy Weston, as well as leading European jazzmen like Joachim Kühn. In Morocco, many ensembles are now taking the same path. I think it's a very positive development, and that even more of us should be doing so. Ph. Karim Tibari - Jazz in Rabat It also seems that the Moroccan public increasingly admires jazz, especially jazz fusion, as shown by the success of previous concerts at Jazz at Chellah and now at Jazz in Rabat, where artists perform to sold-out audiences. The public is there, and it shows they are eager for this kind of event. You are also a musician and artistic director of other jazz festivals in Europe, notably in Gaume. You led the Jeunesses Musicales of the province of Luxembourg (Belgium) and collaborated with Majid Bekkas in numerous concerts abroad. Is this eclecticism what you like to bring to Jazz in Rabat? Jean-Pierre Bissot: When I was director of the Jeunesses Musicales of the province of Luxembourg, the goal was to promote both young musicians and music to young audiences. I combined these two objectives in 1985 when I created the Gaume Jazz Festival in my region. I quickly specialized in creation and European jazz. I hold this event in a small venue. To attract a larger audience from the big cities, I needed to offer alternatives to what was already found in large concert halls. That is how I embarked on a continuous search for original projects. I made many discoveries through concerts everywhere, and in this way, I created an audience for discovery. I have always been drawn to artists with unique projects. Outside of musicians I programmed in the school environment, my first contact with Moroccan music was at the Gaume Festival, when I invited aïssaoua musicians around 1996–97. I was fascinated by the flexibility that jazz offers as a language, allowing the integration of world rhythms, especially Moroccan music. It was through this initiative that I was noticed and invited to Oudayas, where I first met Majid Bekkas. Majid, who is himself an eclectic musician of encounters and a very knowledgeable musicologist, is always on the lookout for original projects. We pooled our energies, and it quickly became evident to me to regularly invite him to my festival, within the framework of different projects, each unique in its own way. That's what I love most. I also like to program projects that are close to my heart and always rooted in a human relationship. It's a way of giving music the ability to put humans back at the center. For me, that is essential, because otherwise we might as well let artificial intelligence do it and we risk ending up with a world that is completely artificial, which is not my choice. Ph. Karim Tibari - Jazz in Rabat I would say that we have developed a great friendship, which has now grown into an artistic complicity through the collaborative projects we present at this festival, now relocated to this magnificent park. You are also a passionate advocate of musical encounters. This past summer was particularly eventful for you, with concerts in Morocco and abroad showcasing an artistic project close to your heart with the London-based group Waaju. How do you experience this balance between performing on stage and artistic direction? Majid Bekkas: I engage in artistic direction once or twice a year, as co-artistic director of Jazz in Rabat and also as artistic director of Jazz under the Argan Tree in Essaouira, which has now had seven editions held each year at the end of December, from the 27th to the 29th. Beyond that, I am a full-time musician. I travel and meet people as diverse as they are different. Playing and sharing with jazz musicians from Morocco and abroad has always been my passion. Moreover, I continue to meet local and international musicians. From these human connections, new artistic projects emerge, as was the case with Manuel Hermia, whom I first met in Belgium and who later came to Morocco. Together, we presented the album Al Qantara, recorded in 2014. The collaboration with Khalid Kouhen developed in the same spirit, after I discovered his repertoire when he came to perform here. When I had the chance to record my first album in Europe, African Gnawa Blues in 2001, I called on him, having first met him at Oudayas. The encounter with Rachid Zeroual happened under similar circumstances, when I discovered him as an excellent musician. It must be said that Morocco has exceptional artistic talent. Yet these musicians are not often given the role of improvisers where they can truly shine. In orchestras, they are usually there to accompany a singer. But when we highlight one of these musicians through a jazz encounter, we discover the full depth of their artistry. This has been a hallmark of our festival for years. Beyond these borderless artistic collaborations, the festival also attracts both music lovers and non-professionals through introductory workshops. Jazz even spills into the city of Rabat itself. How did this idea of bringing jazz beyond the conventional concert hall take shape? Majid Bekkas: The idea was to bring jazz musicians to audiences who cannot always make it to a concert venue. We've done it in schools, several times in Salé prison, and even at the ar-Razi psychiatric hospital. The opening of this 27th edition was marked by a free-access concert at Bab El Had. It was a moment of sharing with local residents, a way to spark curiosity among passersby and invite them to discover music within their own city. It also allows everyone to feel a sense of ownership of the festival as part of their community. Ph. Karim Tibari - Jazz in Rabat In the same spirit, the festival has offered workshops, such as the percussion session held on September 26 with Stéphane Galland at La Scène café in La Renaissance cinema. The Jazz in Rabat program also includes «the off», a series of parallel activities that bring music into different spaces, creating moments of exchange with the wider public, beyond festival-goers alone. Jean-Pierre Bissot: The beating heart of the festival is the artistic program. But beyond that, the after-sessions are just as important. They offer another way for audiences to meet musicians in a friendly, accessible atmosphere. It is also part of the mission of the artistic direction, in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union to Morocco and the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication. Together, we carry a vision rooted in peace, encounter, and mutual respect. When asked how the evolution of the public over 27 years has influenced the festival's direction, he continued: Jean-Pierre Bissot: We've become very sensitive to the idea of keeping jazz young, joyful, and open. The reality of our audience is changing — it's increasingly young. And I'm proud and happy to see that. Ph. Karim Tibari - Jazz in Rabat There is also the influence of programming, promotion, and the visibility created by the journalists who follow us. But beyond that, the audience itself is in search of musical discovery. As long as we don't completely disrupt their cultural codes, they remain highly receptive to what's new. This approach, integrating music that complements rather than clashes with the cultural life the public already knows, has allowed us to broaden our listeners and, as Bertolt Brecht put it, move from «a small circle of enthusiasts to a large circle of enthusiasts». Majid Bekkas: Since the very beginning of Jazz at Oudayas in 1996, when I was part of the artistic direction, I remember the audience being made up almost 80% of the diplomatic corps. Today, in 2025, things have changed a lot. We still welcome high-ranking personalities, but above all we welcome young people, Moroccan compatriots who are eager for musical discovery in the setting offered by Jazz in Rabat.
