MAXIME KAROUTCHI

A true tenor and exemplar of the Judeo-Moroccan music scene, Maxime Karoutchi has rhythm in his genes. Dynamic, timeless, generous, and authentic, Maxime is a connoisseur of heritage and modern music, a cinephile, and a faithful reader of old books of poetry. This indefatigable showman easily moves from Andalusian to Melhoun, from Gharnati to Hawzi, from Ayta of Hajja Hamdaouia, to Nass pieces. A graduate of the National Conservatory of Casablanca, Karoutchi left Morocco to pursue a career in engineering in general mechanics, but fate had different plans for him. Coming from a line of great musicians, he rejuvenated his repressed passion to join that of his father and his two brothers: “I never thought for a second that I would make music my job, even if, in the family, we are a line of singers from father to son for six generations. One day, my father found himself without a pianist and asked me to accompany him in a wedding. Little by little, I began to sing and to defend the music of my country. You can’t escape it when you were born in the old Medina of Casablanca, the neighborhood where all the communities coexisted and where the late Salim Halali had installed one of the most prestigious cabarets in the world, the Coq d’Or.” From the heart of Casablanca, Maxime has attracted adoring fans the world over, from Los Angeles to Malaysia. He has produced ten albums in 20 years, including unforgettable musical covers and wonderful new memories. Passionate and powerful, Maxime Karoutchi continues to delight music lovers. Steering clear of “starmania,” Nessim (his given name) still prefers the intimacy and magic of smaller gatherings and performing for family and friends. He performed in 2008, 2010, 2012, and, 2014 at Essaouira, Morocco’s world-renowned Festival des Andalousies Atlantiques, one of the 17 festivals created by Senior Advisor to the King of Morocco and 2017 ASF Pomegranate Award Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Mr. André Azoulay. Maxime is a generous friend of Association Mimouna who has performed at many events in Morocco in support of their mission to preserve and promote the Jewish Moroccan legacy and life today.