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All Music Guide:
One of contemporary Moroccan music's most notable figures, New York-based Hassan Hakmoun was born in Marrakesh in 1963. At age seven he began to study tagnawit, the traditional arts, folklore, and rituals of the Gnawa tribes, former slaves originating from the Sudan whose arrival in Morocco was marked by their conversion to Islam. The Gnawa people act as intermediaries in the spirit world and also as entertainers; Hakmoun initially studied their dances and songs, later graduating to drumming, litanies, and chants. He left school at the age of 14 to travel in the pursuit of other Gnawa masters, eventually ending up in France; upon returning to Marrakesh, Hakmoun's repertoire continued to grow -- later including songs of Arab and Berber descent -- and he performed as a m'allem, or master musician of the derdeba, a trance ritual held to placate the spirits. In 1987 he made his U.S. debut, and remained in New York, absorbing the sounds of the city's urban music into his own style; Hakmoun later joined several WOMAD tours, and worked with Peter Gabriel in addition to recording with his own fusion band, Zahar. From the mid-'90s to the end of the decade, he concentrated on solo efforts like 1995's Fire Within and 1999's Life Around the World. He continued his work into the next century, releasing The Gift in 2002.
Wikipedia:
Hassan Hakmoun (Arabic: حسن حكمون) (b. 1963 in Marrakech) is a Los Angeles-based Moroccan Gnawa musician.
Early life
Hakmoun was born to a family of musicians who introduced him to the musical world of the Gnawa. By age four, he performed alongside snake charmers and fire-breathers on Marrakech streets. His mother is known throughout the city as a mystic healer. At the age of fourteen he left school to concentrate on music.
Career
Hakmoun's U.S. debut was in 1987 at Lincoln Center with the band Trio Gna & Nomadas Dance Group. He later resided in New York City before moving to Los Angeles. The composer and producer Richard Horowitz helped Hakmoun to adapt to his new life.
In 1993, Peter Gabriel introduced him to Real World Records, where he would release his Trance album produced by Simon Emmerson. All this influenced Hakmoun's Gnawa music by fusing it with new styles such as Jazz and psychedelic music. He also performed alongside musicians such as Paula Cole, Don Cherry and Jamshied Sharifi.
One year later, in 1994, he performed at WOMAD'94 tour and Woodstock '94 along with Peter Gabriel.
In August 2008, he performed at the American Folk Festival in Bangor, Maine. He was married to Paula Cole until the couple divorced in 2007. His mom was a practitioner of black magic which involves sacrificing goats, chickens, and wearing different colors for spiritual dances. Gnawa music was the Moroccan slaves music. Slaves were allowed one night of freedom a year, to dance and play music, they wore red and other colors like black or purple. Each color and music was a spiritual communication with spirits. They practiced black magic seeking supernatural powers to free themselves, put curse or try to heal. Lyrics used are a repetition of Allah instead of African spirits. It's like chanting Voodoo or Santeria. The night of music is usually tense with dancing, passing out, pretending to be empowered by spirits.
