OffBeat Magazine’s “The OnBeat Sessions” features Moroccan native and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Mahmoud Chouki for an intimate solo set.
Since settling in New Orleans, Mahmoud Chouki has established himself as one of the city’s truly unique performers and composers with his array of instrumental skills and approach to composition. He showcased all of the above in this session, switching from originals to classic compositions and folk songs, handling a variety of traditional string instruments as well as tasteful vocals.
00:00 Mahmoud’s Blues
03:57 Caravan (D. Ellington)
07:55 Sad Smile
09:20 Soudani Manayou
Mahmoud Chouki – oud, loutar, guitar, vocals
Instead of staying three or four days in New Orleans, I ended up staying almost three weeks. And yeah, I started hanging out with the musicians, jamming, and yes, that’s how I fell in love with this city. I remember I went to Austin just to take a flight back.
I moved to New Orleans and a year later I went to Europe for a tour with my band. As soon as I started playing, everybody looked at me and said, “You changed, completely.” I didn’t see that actually, but I feel like when I moved to New Orleans, I removed a lot of chains. I became more free. I don’t calculate my music as much. I grew up in a culture that calculated music, calculated notes. But here, everything is free. Everything is easy. I gained confidence. I began writing music here. Musicians are amazing here. There’s so, so much talent. And I’m so happy to be here, surrounded by these artists. Everything I write, it sounds beautiful, and that’s because of the generosity and the love and dedication that the musicians have here.
It’s an interesting thing, because I don’t play jazz. I’m not a jazz musician. I’m a composer and most of my music, it’s a mixture of many influences, like North Africa and Middle Eastern, Spanish, Latin, and now there’s jazz. It became a part of my music. It gives my music a lot of breathing room. Freedom.
— My Music With Mahmoud Chouki
Recorded by
Gary Giofreda
Deven Raval Maxwell
Landry
mixed by
Gary Giofreda
Shot and edited by Noé Cugny
assisted by Jesy Rae Buhl
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