Singer and Composer Malika Zarra [Quartertones]
Malika Zarra takes us on a musical journey to discover Moroccan music. She tells about her newest album "RWA (The Essence)" and about who inspires her the most, from Moroccan Hajja Hamdaouia to Lebanese Farid Al-Atrash and Algerian Warda.
Malika is a singer and composer who was born in Southern Morocco and raised in a suburb of Paris. Her musical background is a blend of French and Moroccan influences, with jazz and Arabic music being the most prominent. Her breakthrough came when she started singing in Arabic and writing new lyrics for jazz standards, which evoked a strong emotional response from her audience. In 2004, she relocated to New York City, where she developed her unique repertoire, combining Berber, Gnawa, Chaabi, French pop, and jazz music. With the release of "Berber taxi" in 2011, Malika took her place as a prominent world-jazz artist in New York's multicultural music scene.
About Quartertones
Quartertones is a music show. It is an opportunity to listen to music, across genres, from musicians of and from the Arab world. This series is similar to NPR’s All Songs Considered that is focused on the Arab world. afikra will be inviting musicians of all genres, as well as music historians, to help better understand the music that they perform or study. In this series, the guests will be invited to talk about their work and play their music, whether live or recorded, in three segments. The series will host current musicians who play contemporary and modern, including alternative scene or hip-hop, electronic, classical music, among other genres. The musicians will also be from different geographies.
