Malika Zarra

Last updated
Malika Zarra
Born Ouled Teima, Morocco
Genres Jazz, World music
Occupationsinger
Years active2006–present
Labels Motéma Music
Website https://www.malikazarra.com/

Malika Zarra is a Moroccan singer, composer, and music producer based in Paris. She is known for singing in Moroccan Arabic, Berber, French, and English in a broad range of jazz and world music.

Contents

Biography

Zarra was born in Ouled Teima, the eldest of five children to a Berber mother from the High Atlas and a father from Tata. Her family moved to Paris when she was young, but remained culturally Moroccan at home. In school, she studied clarinet. She became interested in jazz because it was similar to Arabic traditional music in the core importance of improvisation. She studied at the jazz conservatories at Tours and Marseilles and studied privately with Sarah Lazarus and Françoise Galais. Zarra relocated to New York City in 2004. [1] She returned to Paris in 2019. [2]

Career

Zarra has performed with Makoto Ozone, Gretchen Parlato, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Tommy Campbell, Will Calhoun, Lonnie Plaxico, Andy Milne, Michael Cain, Jason Lindner, Omer Avital, Brad Jones, James Hurt, Keith Carlock, David Gilmore, Aaron Heick, Brahim Fribgane, Harvie S, Kenny Davis, Jerome Harris, Francis Jacob, Manu Koch, Sachal Vasandani, and many other artists. [3] [4] [1]

Zarra, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, Sofia Rei, and Sara Serpa were the four vocalists of John Zorn's 2009 project Mycale. [5] She was also featured on the Arturo O'Farrill album Virtual Birdland, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2021. [6] [7]

In addition to solo appearances in front of a backing band, Zarra performs with Aruán Ortiz’s ensemble Flamenco Criollo, and Les Sahariennes, a vocal group that includes singers from Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania. [8]

Music

Zarra's music is influenced by traditional Berber music, Gnawa music, Chaabi, French popular music, jazz, house, funk, dance, and traditional African music. Specific personal influences include Haja El Hamdaouia, Rais Mohand, Farid al-Atrash, Um Kalthoum, Warda Al-Jazairia, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin, Thelonious Monk, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin. She is a mezzo-soprano. [1] [9]

Discography

As leader

Collaborations

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Malika Zarra Musician - All About Jazz". All About Jazz Musicians. 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  2. ↑ Romero, Angel (2023-03-07). "Artist Profiles: Maghreb Jazz Pioneer Malika Zarra | World Music Central". worldmusiccentral.org. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  3. ↑ Scotney, Sebastian (2023-09-18). "Mothers in Jazz: Malika Zarra - UK Jazz News" . Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  4. ↑ "'I always believed in the power of music and art': Malika Zarra on 'RWA (The Essence)'". WBGO Jazz. 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  5. ↑ "The Singers of Mycale Blend Voices in Zorn's 'Book of Angels' (Published 2015)". 2015-09-09. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  6. ↑ "Arturo O'Farrill & ALJO to Release: Virtual Birdland". Latin Jazz Network. 2021-03-19. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  7. ↑ "64th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  8. ↑ Romero, Angel (2023-03-07). "Artist Profiles: Maghreb Jazz Pioneer Malika Zarra | World Music Central". worldmusiccentral.org. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  9. ↑ "Malika Zarra preview: Multilingual singer mixes elements of jazz and North African music". nj.com. 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
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