Slow, Rhythmic, and Hypnotic. That was the first thing I felt when Moneka Arabic Jazz entered and began playing for a mosaic of people at the TD Jazz Festival. They were the headliners that night and even though the rain should have stopped many people from showing up, it didn’t.
People walked in with blankets and spread them on the ground like they were in a giant living room waiting for something special to happen. As I looked around the people of the world were there to witness a band that truly comes from around the world.
The members of his band came from Iraq, Cuba, Greece, Peru, Sudan, Brazil, Turkey and one all the way from North York! This truly is a World Class Band. This is simply another reason to be a proud Nation. In fact the singer Ahmed Moneka said he came to visit Canada for a short time and stayed 8 years.
The band was here to be promoting their new CD, “Kanzafula”. Their sound is as warm and inviting like a fireplace in the wintertime. It feels good and safe. Speaking of safety, one of their standout songs is called”Aman” which translates into safety. It is a call to arms but in a peaceful way. They were singing this to all the war-torn countries of today like Palestine, Sudan, Congo and Ukraine and so on and so on…
The band then went into another extended piece of music that had a bit of a psychedelic flavour to it. I guess it would be best heard if you were microdosing. Well, this one reminded me of the times when I used to see Santana in concert. His Latin pieces would stretch out and bring you to a new place. Moneka Arabic Jazz has the power to do that.
In fact, I noticed a lot of people who were sitting on their blankets itching to get up and dance, but maybe they felt they would block the view of the audience, How Canadian is that! Once Ahmed brought his sister up to the stage to sing some songs, the people couldn’t hold back any longer and jumped up and the party was in full swing. The level of joy was exploding, and the power of music filled the courtyard with positive vibes.
To learn more about this amazing band go to Ahmed Moneka Arabic Jazz | Be first
Here are the images from Moneka Arabic Jazz