The show may begin in the evening, but for many musicians that precious performance time comes on the back of tough practice during the day.
The music world is full of artists renowned for explosive live shows, but not much media attention is given to their pre-gig ritual of the soundcheck.
Normally held a few hours before the gig, the soundcheck has the artist and technical crew arriving to the venue to test out its technical facilities (sounds and lights) to ensure the best possible live performance.
That time — sound-checks normally run for a couple of hours — is also used by artists to test out a new song or work on certain musical arrangements.
The latter is what the Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango and the South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela did on Friday afternoon before their performance at Morocco’s Mawazine Festival in Rabat.
Despite both being pioneers and legends in their own right, their intense practice session revealed that a perfectionist streak is also responsible for their successful careers.
For more than an hour, the 80-year-old Dibango and Masekela, 75, jammed numerous numbers to be played that evening; even Dibango’s address to the crowd got a working over.
“This is the place where I will be talking,” Dibango shouted to the band as they got into a summery lounge groove.
“Here, it will be talk, talk, talk and then we go back to the other part.”
Since Dibango’s performance was a special joint session with Masekela, both worked hard on gelling together on numerous tracks.
It was Dibango’s 1972 single Soul Makossa receiving the most attention, particularly its vibrant bridge which required both jazz men and band to lock into a muscular funk groove.
Dibango was relentless, demanding at least a dozen takes of the bridge until he was satisfied.
At the session’s conclusion, Dibango and Masekela hugged and shared jokes, proving that no feelings were hurt or egos bruised.
Naturally, their performance that night went down without a hitch as the big crowd danced and sang along to their classics.
Both artists confirmed an enduring lesson: practice indeed makes perfect.
Keep checking back on the Scene & Heard blog for all the latest news from the Mawazine festival. For details, visit www.festivalmawazine.ma
sasaeed@thenational.ae
UK record temperature
38.7C (101.7F) set in Cambridge in 2019
The BIO
Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.
Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.
Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.
Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
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