Traditional Tunisian music blended with other Mediterranean sounds when vocalist Zohra Lajnef performed for the crowds who came to see her in concert on Friday (August 7th) at the 45th International Festival of Hammamet.
In her "Echoes of the Mediterranean" show, Lajnef combined the sounds of unique Tunisian instruments with the notes of Italian pianists and saxophonists to gracefully mix original Bedouin and modern music.
"An interesting show and a truly amazing performance," said concert-goer Sohair. "Zohra Lajnef is really a break from the ordinary commercial trends and what is constantly aired on TV and radio stations."
Tunisia's Hammamet Festival, which runs July 7th through August 18th, celebrates the 100th anniversary of the late Tunisian satirist Ali Douagi's birth. Lajnef's appearance took place amid a stream of performances by theatre troupes from Denmark, Lebanon and Syria, as well as 31 world music concerts by artists from 15 countries.
Audiences responded enthusiastically when Lajnef appeared on stage, dressed all in blue. She then welcomed the Italian musicians to the stage, and later dedicated a song in Italian to them. One fan was so moved by Lajnef's performance that he gave her a wreath of jasmine.
The crowd seemed to enjoy Lajnef's set immensely, as she sang songs from her older album "Rag Rag" and her new album "Shama". After that, she sang crowd favorites "Rag Rag," "Jumlaha Yerbah", "Soud Ndhara" and "Shama". She also performed an Italian song, with musicians from Sicily, one of whom even cut loose with a traditional Italian dance.
The musicians then performed a breath-taking Mediterranean symphony as they merged the sounds of traditional and foreign instruments. A pipe player performed Bedouin tunes from south and northwest Tunisia, which was followed by a flurry of notes from the Italian saxophone player. Tunisian drums blended beats with tamtams (a type of gong) to create a splendid melange of sounds. Such a spectacle is a treat for Tunisians, who only get to hear this type of music during the Ramadan soirees at the Medina festival, or in the Tunisian summer festivals.
Lajnef rose to stardom after she toured in the "Tboou" show in 1998 with the late artist Mohammed Saada. She later appeared in 2007 at the 43rd International Carthage Festival in Tunisia's historic Carthage Theatre. She has always mixed Bedouin and traditional Tunisian music with different genres in her work, often making inroads into jazz, blues and reggae.
"She's managed to carve herself a very special path," said Sohair.
For this artist, performing mostly traditional music does not mean she is musically closed-minded. By fusing a variety of musical styles, Lajnef emphasises that all music has a common root and a common reverence for heritage, and that all music strives to preserve a cultural identity. Her performance in Hammamet is the best proof of this approach, said one member of the audience.
"I hardly found any discord in the fusion between Tunisian music and foreign music from Sicily," said one avid listener.
"It's not easy to opt for that genre of music at a time when Eastern and pop music are widespread," said Ahmad, another one of Lajnef's fans. "However, the true daughter of the Tunisian south chose the tough way and enabled us to get to know about our heritage and to rediscover it with modern, receptive ears."
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