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AZA
Aza is a musical band that was
founded in Santa Cruz, CA by two
members: Fattah Abbou and
Mohamed Aoualou. Both are from
Morocco and currently live in
Santa Cruz, CA. They’ve played
and studied music for over
twenty years before moving to
the USA seven years ago. Fattah
and Mohamed are Berbers; and the
Berbers or Imazighen (preferred
term) are the indigenous people
of North Africa whose history
records date back to 3300 years
ago. The band’s activities are
not limited to music but also
promoting the Amazigh Culture.
Fattah and Mohamed’s efforts
have always been part of the
Amazigh movement and struggle to
revive a culture that has been
marginalized for centuries. Our
goal is to raise awareness about
the Amazigh culture, that it may
take its place in the network of
various cultures of the world.
Through its artistic activities
AZA has been able to introduce
the Amazigh culture to people of
varying ages and arouse their
curiosity to know more about it.
Fattah Abbou was born and
raised in a small Moroccan
village before moving to the
city of Marrakech. He has played
Tamazight and other traditional
Moroccan music for over 23
years. He is proficient in many
stringed instruments (banjo, oud,
lotar, bouzouki, sentir, gimbri,
mandolin, violin, and guitar),
and an array of Moroccan
percussion instruments. Fattah's
passionate voice delivers the
impact of AZA's powerful vocal
section.
Mohamed Aoualou is from
Ouarzazate, Morocco, and has
been a singer and guitarist for
16 years. Before moving to the
United States, he performed and
recorded with the band Imdiazen
(with Fattah), and with Mallal,
a Berber poet. Mohamed is a
prolific songwriter with a
gripping vocal style that helps
define the dynamic energy of AZA.
He is skilled in both
traditional Moroccan and modern
Western music.
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Patrick Richey is a
percussionist currently pursuing
his masters in ethnomusicology
from University of CA. Santa
Cruz. He is well versed in world
percussion including jazz,
drum-set and especially the
percussion of India. He performs
regularly on tabla and various
other percussion instruments. He
is the recipient of several
award grants in pursuit of
musical excellence.
Kevin DiNoto has been
studying and performing
Afro-Caribbean, Brazilian, and
American music for 15 years. A
versatile musician, he currently
performs on drum-set,
percussion, and steel-pan with a
number of Bay Area ensembles.
Joel Ford began his
musical studies at the age of
twelve on the clarinet.
Currently an arranger and
composer, he has studied and
performed many forms of music --
from classical to jazz, funk,
Afro-Cuban, and African. Joel's
breathtaking solos on clarinet
and various saxophones help
drive the dense melodies within
AZA's music.
Peter Novembre has been
cultivating a unique bass sound
for the past 15 years. Born and
raised in New Jersey, Pete
received a degree in Literature
and Music Theory from Rutgers
University in 1995. Over the
years, he has performed and
recorded with a multitude of
different musical acts and has
played nearly every musical
style imagined while maintaining
numerous recording credits to
his name. Today he is an
integral part of the sounds of
AZA.
Aza Links:
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