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