Singer Malika Zarra was born in the South of Morocco, on the edge of the Sahara Desert. With her family, she moved to Paris at a young age, where she navigated between two worlds: that of the French metropolis on the one hand, and her traditional family at home on the other. Raised on Moroccan and Arabic music, her attention was soon drawn to jazz, where improvisation was the common denominator.
She became an in-demand singer, but found her unique and personal sound when she began translating jazz standards into Berber - which she says she did because she was tired of forgetting English lyrics. In 2004, she moved to New York, where she experienced even more musical freedom. RWA is an album on which all sides of her musical personality converge. She is assisted by a host of top musicians from the New York scene. We hear a mix of North African rhythms, high-quality jazz improvisation and her voice that moves flexibly between her traditional background and a modern jazz sound. At times, she also sounds like a downright soul diva. RWA is a highly varied album that builds many bridges at once. (JV)more
