Amar Ezzahi
Amar Ezzahi | |
---|---|
Born | Amar Ait-Zaï 1 January 1941 Ain El Hammam, Tizi Ouzou Province, Algeria |
Died | 30 November 2016 Algiers, Algeria | (aged 75)
Resting place | El Kettar Cemetery |
Occupation | Singer |
Amar Ezzahi (1 January 1941 – 30 November 2016) was an Algerian singer and mandole player. He was the figurehead of Chaabi, the traditional music of Algiers.
Early life[]
Amar Ezzahi was born as Amar Ait-Zaï in Ain El Hammam, a village of Kabylie, Algeria, on 1 January 1941.[1][2][3] He grew up in the Casbah of Algiers.[2][3] He was orphaned as a child.[1]
Career[]
Ezzahi was a singer and mandole player.[1] He started recording songs in 1963.[2][3] In 1976, he recorded two albums.[1] He only gave one concert, on 10 February 1987 in Algiers.[1] Instead, he performed in open spaces like cafes and terraces, mostly during family gatherings.[1] Moreover, he shunned the media and turned down copyright checks.[2] He was the figurehead of Chaabi, the traditional music of Algiers.[2]
Personal life and death[]
Ezzahi lived an ascetic life: he was not married, and had no children.[2][3]
Ezzahi died on 30 November 2016.[2][3] Upon his death, Azzedine Mihoubi, the Algerian Minister of Culture, visited his house to pay homage to him.[2][3] His funeral was held in a mosque the following day, 1 December, and he was buried in the El Kettar Cemetery.[2][3]
A celebration in honour of Ezzahi, with performances by Abdelkader Chaou and , was held at the Arab World Institute on 3 December 2016 in Paris, France.[1]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Labesse, Patrick (December 2, 2016). "Le chanteur algérien Amar Ezzahi est mort". Le Monde. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Narduzzi, Guillaume (December 1, 2016). "Décès d'Amar Ezzahi, icône de la chanson populaire algéroise". Le Figaro. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Le chanteur algérois Amar Ezzahi s'est éteint". Le Parisien. November 30, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- 1941 births
- 2016 deaths
- Kabyle people
- People from Algiers
- Algerian male singers
- Algerian mondol players
- 20th-century Algerian singers
- 20th-century male singers
- 21st-century Algerian singers
- 21st-century male singers
- Algerian people stubs