Anouar Kaddour Cherif / Djawla

Originally from Sétif in Algeria, charismatic band leader and multi-instrumentalist Anouar Kaddour Cherif is steeped in the classical music traditions of North Africa from his time performing with various ensembles in Eastern Algeria, where he developed his love of Arab-Andalusian music and honed his talents as a composer and singer.

Djawla is the culmination of Anouar’s wandering life over the last three years since he left his native country at the age of 24 to settle in Switzerland, a place which in his words has become “a refuge for his ear and musical fingers to find multiple possibilities of expression.” These nine Arabic jazz-infused tracks showcase Anouar’s sublime mandole playing and see him team up with Clément Meunier on bass clarinet, Hannes Junker on drums and Antoine Brochot on double bass. Anouar also adds heartfelt vocals to ‘Call Of The Night’ and the closing track ‘Amiret Erriyam’, adding a further dimension to these wonderfully crafted compositions.