Master of the guembri. Ambassador of Gnawa music.
Bridging ancient Moroccan traditions with the world stage.
Born September 16, 1963 in Marrakech, Morocco, Hassan Hakmoun is a master musician recognized as a global ambassador of Gnawa music. By age 14, he was an established m'allem (master) performing at all-night trance rituals.
Since moving to New York in 1987, he has fused traditional Gnawa with jazz, rock, and world music, collaborating with Peter Gabriel, the Kronos Quartet, and performing at WOMAD and Woodstock '94.
Read Full BioThe sintir — a three-stringed bass lute with a body of camel skin stretched over nut wood — is Hassan's voice. Its deep, resonant tones form the foundation of Gnawa music, a sound that has echoed through centuries of spiritual ceremonies.
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Tracing the extraordinary path of a Grammy-nominated Gnawa master whose music transcended continents and gave rise to one of Morocco’s most anticipated cultural events.
Exploring the centuries-deep roots of Morocco’s most spiritually potent musical tradition, and how one master musician became its most influential living guardian.
A deep exploration of the three-stringed bass lute at the heart of Gnawa music — its construction, its technique, and the spiritual philosophy that transforms a piece of wood and camel skin into a vessel for the divine.
