Hamid El Kasri
Hamid El Kasri was born in Ksar El Kebir, Morocco, he now lives in Rabat. His last name is an artist name simply meaning "from Ksar El Kebir". He began training at age seven, taught by the Tangier Maâlem Abdelouahed Stitou and Maâlem Alouane initially in the special Chemeli or Northern style of Gnawa music, which is distinctly different from the usual styles of Marrakech.
Also recorded as Hamid Farji
Hamid El Kasri
- Name
- Hamid El Kasri
- Born
- 1961
- Birthplace
- Ksar El Kebir, Morocco
- Nationality
- Morocco
- Occupation
- musician
- Fields
- Gnawa music
- Honours
- Knight of the Order of National Merit
- Languages
- Arabic · Berber
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In this article
Biography
Biography
El Kasri is famed for his deep, intense voice, which has made him one of the most sought-after maâlems, both in Morocco and abroad. In addition to singing, he performs on the guembri (الكمبري), a three-stringed bass instrument. He is noted for having blended the Gnawa rhythms of the north and south of the Morocco.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Hamid El Kasri • Honorific Prefix — Maâlem • Birth Name — Hamid El Kasri • Born — 1961 • Birthplace — Ksar El Kebir, Morocco • Genre — Gnawa music • Instruments — * vocals • guembri
Performances and Collaborations
Performances and Collaborations
Having made a name for himself outside Morocco, El Kasri performs regularly with foreign musicians. Several of these occasions have been at the Gnaoua World Music Festival. In 2004, he played at the festival with Joe Zawinul, later performing there with Karim Ziad in 2010, and Hamayun Kahn and Shahin Shahida in 2011. In 2018, El Kasri opened the Gnaoua World Music Festival with Snarky Puppy, a Brooklyn-based jazz jam band. In 2018, El Kasri performed with Jacob Collier at the BBC Proms, as a part of Prom 7. Later that year, he was featured on Collier's album Djesse Vol. 1, appearing on the song "Everlasting Motion".
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Text attribution
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Hamid El Kasri, revision 1303266205 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 05 October 2026.
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