Sheikhs Shikhats & B’net Chaabi

This sprawling 18-piece Belgian ensemble combines Sheikhs Shikhats and B’net Chaabi, the former a horn-dominated band fronted by a female vocal quintet, the latter a foursome of percussionists who also sing. Laïla Amezian initiated this stirring fusion, its music springing from the old Moroccan traditions of ghanayats and shikhats, troubadour women from the urban north and the rural south. Members of the Mâäk collective make up a core part of the ensemble, coming from a vari-sized crew who customarily combine improvised jazz with street band parading. For such a complex construction this united gathering has no difficulty focusing the invariably extended compositions. Trumpeter Laurent Blondiau arranges the twinned or triple horn rows: trumpets, trombones and saxophones, with Michel Massot providing a crucial tuba underbelly. The first three songs, or even just the opening ‘Happy Tune’ demonstrate the tactics to come. The vocal, percussion and horn sections can work as one, or break up into sequences where each part is emphasised. The singers criss-cross through highly distinctive melody-lines, heightening the tension and release of horn solos, vocal-percussion-clapping outbreaks or staccato themes. A crisp production style also delineates all of the spread, adding to the music's power. A ten-minute song duration allows ample time to amass energy, as exuberance works together with precision and imagination.