Rabat – Free Groove, the United States Army’s premiere jazz ensemble in Europe and Africa, is touring Morocco between June 17 and 28, as a part of the 2022 African Lion military exercise.
The US military band is holding free and open to the public concerts in six Morocco cities, including Kasbah Mehdia on June 19, Rabat on June 21, Tangier on June 23, Agadir on June 26, and Taroudant on June 28. The first concert took place in Casablanca on June 17. All concerts start at 7 pm.
According to the US Embassy in Morocco, the Free Groove band comprises “highly-skilled Soldier-Musicians” who perform “music from a wide range of jazz styles, including straight-ahead, bebop, cool-jazz, and Latin.”
In addition to entertaining US troops, the band performs in front of high US Army officials and their diplomatic guests, added the embassy.
Free Groove is part of the US Army Music Program, whose mission is “to provide music throughout the spectrum of military operations to instill in our soldiers the will to fight and win, foster the support of our citizens, and promote our national interests at home and abroad,” notes the embassy’s statement.
Organized in cooperation with the US and other international partners, this year’s African Lion drill will take place between June June 20 and July 1, in the Moroccan regions of Kenitra, Agadir, Taroudant, Tantan, and Mahbes.
The 2022 African Lion training primarily aims to help member countries develop interoperability capabilities and exchange knowledge in several fields, including cybersecurity, legal forensics, medical planning, as well as the evaluation of joint military techniques.
The military exercise will see the participation of representatives from 18 countries, as well as military observers from thirty other countries.
