Abdelmajid Guemguem (9 March 1947 – 22 January 2021), known professionally as Guem, was an Algerian percussionist, dancer and composer.
Biography
Guem lived his youth in
Batna. He performed in several musical troupes as a percussionist and was a footballer, playing for
CA Batna
Chabab Aurès de Batna (), known as CA Batna or CAB for short, is an Algerian Association football, football club based in Batna City, Batna, founded in 1932. The club colours are red and blue. Their home stadium, 1 November 1954 Stadium (Batna ...
. He permanently settled in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in the 1970s.
On 14 July 1966, he first took stage at a ball. In 1970, he was hired by the , and would accompany jazz musicians such as
Steve Lacy
Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya (born May 23, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He gained recognition as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet, which he joined in 2015. His self-produced debut EP, '' ...
and
Michel Portal
Michel Portal (born 27 November 1935) is a French composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He plays both jazz and classical music and is considered to be "one of the architects of modern European jazz".
Early life
Portal was born in Bayonne on 27 ...
. He then recorded several albums and made international tours, increasing his notoriety. He released his first album, ''Percussions Africaines'' in 1973, followed by ''Guem et Zaka'' in 1978. At that time, he also composed ''Le Serpent'', re-recorded in 1996 for the program ' on
France 2
France 2 () is a French free-to-air public television channel. The flagship channel of France Télévisions, it broadcasts generalist programming including news, entertainment (such as dramas, films, and game shows), factual programmes, and sp ...
. In 2011, he composed ''Mon Paris'', an album with one track dedicated to each arrondissement, and he summed it up by calling it the "most beautiful city in the world".
Guem's daughter, Sarah, sometimes accompanied him on stage as a dancer. Guem also gave lessons in percussion and dance at the Centre des arts vivants. His motto as an instructor was "Rhythm is life, and rhythm belongs to everyone. When you have a passion, you have to share it."
Guem died in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
on 22 January 2021 at the age of 73.
Discography
*''Percussions Africaines'' (1973)
*''Guem & Zaka Percussion'' (1978)
*''O Universo RÃtmico De Guem'' (1981)
*''Félin'' (1983)
*''Possession'' (1985)
*''Danse'' (1993)
*''Musiques de transe'' (1995)
*''Baobab'' (1995)
*''Voyage'' (1996)
*''Rhythm'n'ball'' (1997)
*''Percussions'' (1997)
*''Royal Dance'' (1999)
*''Libertés'' (2001)
*''Live à l'Élysée Montmartre'' (2001)
*''Rose Des Sables'' (2003)
*''De la danse à la transe'' (2004)
*''Caméléon'' (2004)
*''Couleurs Pays'' (2007)
*''Guem
érémy Soudant' (2009)
*''Mon Paris'' (2011)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guem
Algerian musicians
1947 births
2021 deaths
People from Batna, Algeria
Algerian emigrants to France