Orchestre Chaabi de Montréal

“Here, Algiers resonates. Here, Algiers lives. The notes, like heartbreaking complaints, evoke nostalgic beauty” (La Converse, 2023). Chaâbi is kasbah jazz; unlike art music, it is not written down but rather passed down orally from one chaâbi master to another. It conveys friendship, love and everyday concerns. Algerian mandole, banjo, violine, guitar, mandolin, oud, tar, piano, darbouka… Since 2017, the twenty or so musicians and choir members of the Orchestre Chaâbi de Montréal (OCM) have been performing in harmony in order to share Algeria’s Arab and Kabyle folk heritage. From El Hachemi Guerouabi to Amar Ezzahi, Dahmane El Harrachi, Lounis Aït Menguellet, or Lounès Matoub, the OCM’s repertoire reveals the passion of this beautiful tradition that brings together Maghrebian poetry and Andalusi-Arabic music.