MAALEM HASSAN BENJAAFAR

Maalem Hassan Benjaafar is a Maalem or Master of Gnawa music.  He is the son of the esteemed Maalem Abdullah Benjaafar of Fes, Morocco.  He was raised and educated in Al Azhar Association for Culture and the Arts, an officially recognized zaouia (Gnawa school) his father founded and ran in the Medina of Fes jdid.  As a youth he travelled throughout Morocco, living, studying and performing with Maalems in every region, including Maalem Sam of Casablanca, Maalem Ahmed Bakbou and Maalem Abdelatif of Marrakesh, Maalem Boujmaa of Fes, Maalem Abdelouahed Stitu and Maalem Mbarek Kasri of Tangier, and Maalem Hmida Boussou of Marrakesh and Casablanca.  He learned the entire Gnawa music and dance repertoire, including regional variations and the Moroccan Jewish repertoire, as well as how to build and repair instruments.

While still a teenager, he was accorded the title of Maalem, which can only be bestowed by a consensus of other Maalems.  He continued to travel and perform extensively as a featured singer, musician and dancer in hotels, private homes and other venues throughout Morocco, Spain and France.  He also performed lilas or ceremonies in which participants are healed through music.

In 1999 Maalem Hassan Benjaafar came to the United States as the leader of a band of 10 Gnawa musicians. He relocated to New York City and has performed in clubs, festivals, museums, universities, schools and other venues. He has performed and recorded with musicians such as jazz great Randy Weston and Balkan Beat Box.  He conducts lilas in various venues. He has trained musicians in Gnawa instruments and repertoire.  

Maalem Hassan Benjaafar is the lead singer and Artistic Director of Innov Gnawa.  As Maalem he teaches the other members of the band. They perform in clubs, festivals, museums, universities, schools and other venues in the New York area and throughout the USA, including Coachella, Lincoln Center and Red Rocks Amphitheater. They also perform internationally, including La Renaissance Theater in Rabat, the Ganga Gnawa Festival in Taroudant, Morocco and the Amare Gnawa Festival in The Hague. In November, 2017 Maalem Hassan Benjaafar and Innov Gnawa were nominated for a Grammy in Dance/Electronic for Bonobo Featuring Innov Gnawa: Bambra Koyo Ganda, a song that the Maalem adapted from traditional repertoire.

Maalem Hassan Benjaafar is also the co-leader of the innovative group, Saha Gnawa, along with drummer and composer Daniel Freedman. Saha Gnawa brings North African futurism to the U.S., uniting the founders of Innov Gnawa with leading figures from New York City's jazz and contemporary music scenes to reimagine modern Gnawa music. Saha Gnawa’s self-titled debut album will be released by Pique-Nique in Spring of 2025.