Abderrahmane Kirouche, known to the Moroccan public as Abderrahmane Paco, was not a mere member of “Nass El Ghiwane”, but rather the artist who greatly contributed to the international fame of this legendary group and the one who gave it a new boost after the death of its founder, Boujemii.
His name is associated with a number of masterpieces such as “Ghir Khoudouni”, “Narjak ana”, “Zad Al-Hamm”, “Nadi ana”, among other songs which are full of the Gnawa style and whose captivating character is highlighted by his unique way of playing Sentir and the trance which seized him on stage, taking the audience with him into a fairy-tale world which continued until the end of the song.
Abderrahmane Paco was born in Essaouira in 1944. He practiced wood engraving on juniper wood from which he made beautiful masterpieces. However, his passion for Gnawa music and the “Hajhouj” instrument plunged him into the magical worlds of this musical genre of which he was the perfect star. He was then noticed by the group “Jil Jilala” which he joined and in which he became very famous. In 1973, after impressing Boujmii, he joined the group “Nass El Ghiwane”, succeeding Moulay Abdelaziz Tahiri.
Abderrahmane Paco spent the best years of his career with Nass Al-Ghiwane. He was the “Maallem” (the master), without a doubt, as Larbi Batma liked to call him. After listening to him, Jimmy Hendricks nicknamed him “the doctor of ghosts”. In 1993, he left Al Ghiwane after Batma’s death and following his famous disagreement with Omar Sayyid.
Afterwards, Abderrahmane Paco founded his own band, however it was not a very successful one. So he decided to retire from the artistic scene and settle down at home in Essaouira.
Aberrahmane Paco died in 2012, leaving behind him a rich musical legacy of several legendary songs.
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