Hassan Erraji is in the house! We've been promised an album for a while now and its finally here, Awal Mara on the World Village label. A collection of chaabi-esque love songs with a rock kick. Erraji is also teaming up with a hot new band, the MoRoccan Rollers and will be on tour in the UK from 26th September. Read the press release and tour dates in the full article.

Press release: ‘steeped in ancient Berber culture and yet delivered with an undeniable rock’n’roll aesthetic’ (Songlines: Oct 2010) the internationally acclaimed blind veteran master-musician from Marrakech Hassan Erraji and his hot new band of young jazzy MoRoccan Rollers take to the road to launch a set of sensational new pieces featured on his long-awaited landmark September 2010 album release Awal Mara (World Village WV45007)

Hassan Erraji is back with a brand new album, full of cracking new songs produced by Kaiser Chiefs and Embrace producer Dave Creffield, and with a fantastic dynamic young band to show that he is still one or the most important and influential artists on the world music stage. Hassan Erraji is a sightless Moroccan Master Musician - a singer-songwriter, multi instrumentalist, entertainer, arranger and composer with a highly respected international reputation and an inimitable stage presence..part oud-flailing Hendrix, part transmitter of ancient culture. He first rose to prominence as part of the UK’s nascent world music scene in the early 80s, and released a trio of seminal albums with his then band Arabesque on the Riverboat label. Hassan has graced major stages in many countries worldwide. Awal Mara (Love at First Sight) is a collection of love songs, an extraordinary outpouring of emotion, of love of life, that would be exceptional in a young man just starting out on life’s adventure and which are all the more poignant and powerful coming from the mouth and pen of one with such depth of experience. Love allows the blind man sight.
‘Erraji is a virtuoso performer’ (Robin Denselow:Guardian)

Tour dates

Sept 26 Sun 2pm Barnsley Diversity Festival
Mayday Green, Barnsley Centre, S70 1SX
info: 01226 787979 www.barnsleylive.co.uk/event/755/taste-of-cultural-diversity

Oct 1 Fri from 8pm Huddersfield: World Groove for Oxfam (solo set)
Little Buddha Bar, 7 Railway Arches, Viaduct St, HD1 5D01484 768986
info: 07887 566841 / vesna6280@hotmail.com

Oct 5 Tues 7.30pm Alnwick Moroccan Arabesque
Alnwick Playhouse, Bondgate Without, Alnwick NE66 1PQ
info: Full-screen01665 510785 www.alnwickplayhouse.co.uk

Oct 6 Weds 8pm Nottingham University Lakeside Arts Centre
Janogly Theatre, University Park, NG7 2RD
info: 0115 846 7777 www.lakesidearts.org.uk

Oct 12 Tues 8pm Manchester Band on the Wall
25 Swan Street, The Northern Quarter, M4 5JZ
info: 0161 834 1786 www.bandonthewall.org

Oct 19 Tues 7.30pm Sheffield University Firth Hall
Firth Court, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, S10 2TN
info: 0114 222 0499 www.sheffield.ac.uk/concerts

Oct 21 Thurs 8pm London Chilli Fried Special @ Passing Clouds
1 Richmond Road, Dalston E8 4AA CD LAUNCH GIG
info: 07951 98 98 97 www.myspace.com/passingclouds www.chillifried.com

Oct 22 Fri 6pm London Ray's Café at Foyles CD Launch Event
Foyles Bookshop, 113-119 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EB
info: 020 7440 3205 www.foyles.co.uk/raysevents

Oct 23 Sat 4pm Bridlington Spa Musicport Festival mainstage
The Spa, Bridlington, East Yorkshire, YO15 3JH
Info: 01947 603475 www.musicportfestival.com

Oct 27 Weds 7.30pm University of Leeds Clothworker Centenary Hall
Clothworker Centenary Concert Hall, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS6 7PD
info: 0113 343 2583 www.leeds.ac.uk/music/concerts/calendar2010