Daniel Freedman- Saha Gnawa

NYC Radio Live's 2025 Album of the Year was the self-titled Saha Gnawa, an inspiring project that combines tradtional Morrocan trance music (embodied by co-founder Maâlem Hassan Ben Jaafar) alongside amazing jazz/contemporary musicians such as Jason Lindner, Guilherme Monteiro, and Gilad Hekselman. The result is incredible!  We have a great conversation Saha Ganawa's co-founder Daniel Freedman about the magic of groove, trance, and capturing this fresh, electric sound.    Here is the full lineup of the album/ensemble: Maâlem Hassan Ben Jaafar // guembri, vocals Daniel Freedman // drums, percussion, Amino Belyamani // qraqebs, backing vocals David Lizmi // qraqebs, backing vocals Ahmed Jeriouda // qraqebs, backing vocals Naoufal Atiq // backing vocals Jason Lindner // keyboards, synthesizers Guilherme Monteiro // guitar Gustavo DiDalva // percussion Gilad Hekselman // guitar (A1, A2, A3, A4, B4) Roman Diaz // congas (A2, B2, B4) Nels Cline // guitar (A1, A3) Abraham Rodriguez Jr. // vocals, (B2) Gilmar Gomes // percussion (B2) Donny McCaslin // tenor saxophone (B4) Photo Credit: Justin Lane