Moroccan Hotel Piano Bars, and Introducing Meisha

April 20—One cultural element that I noticed in our hotels in both Rabat and Casablanca is likely not Moroccan at all, but perhaps Moroccan hotel culture for foreigners.  Piano bars.  When I told several people I would be in Casablanca for part of my trip, they immediately mentioned the movie Casablanca.  The film is, I believe, known in part for its many piano bar scenes and the famous line, "Play it again, Sam."  One key location in the film, Rick's Cafe, features a piano player and has become, it seems, synonymous with the city of Casablanca for some (perhaps many?)  In fact we learned that the first Rick's Cafe was on a studio set in Hollywood and only in the past 20 years did Rick's Cafe open in Casablanca.  Wrap your head around that one for a moment.  And now, not surprisingly, Rick's Cafe is a stop for many foreign tourists when they come to Casablanca.  We even did a drive by and lightning stop as we tooled around the city during our visit.

And while we didn't go in, I did visit on a previous trip to Casablanca back in 2009.  Here's a flashback photo of my visit to Rick's Cafe with my college friend Debbie.  We ended up at Rick's in part because we were in Casablanca during Ramadan and primarily tourist restaurants were open.

Ok, enough about Rick's Cafe.  Now, back to piano bars and Moroccan hotels in 2024.  I noticed one in Rabat, first.  Here's a short 1-minute video of our hotel, the Tour Hassan Palace, in Rabat, leading up to my discovery of the piano bar, about 55 seconds in.

Next, upon arrival in Casablanca, another piano welcomed us to our hotel, the Idou Anfa.  It wasn't long before we found that this was not the only piano in the hotel.  When we stepped out of the elevator onto the top floor of the hotel on our first full day, another grand piano welcomed us.  While the view out the window of the Hassan Mosque II, with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop, my amazing colleague Meisha made a beeline for the piano.  Meisha, a music teacher in South Carolina, stepped up to the piano and gave us all an impromptu concert on the 16th floor of the Idou Anfa hotel.  She teaches elementary school music (think herding cats), and I learned she currently teaches in a rural town with a single stop sign (not even a light.)  But that's not all.  She has taught and performed in cities - actually continents - around the world.  We're talking Europe, Africa, Australia.  I often feel like I’m with a humble celebrity when I pose in photos with her! Here's one just before lunch one day.

Anyway, Meisha has worked as a pianist and musician in a range of positions that are eye-popping.  She's  accompanied  opera singers in Italy as they prepared for performances, she spent a summer in Ghana as a musician, she's taught music in Philly, and she's worked as a artist in residence in Australia.  Wow.   Well, now she can add "Piano Performance on the Penthouse in Casablanca" to her CV!  Here's how it played out (absolutely no pun intended):

Notice the wall display informing visitors that the legendary Nina Simone played this exact piano - and that the piano still remembers her.  Sigh.  Nothing like good-old personification to help one befriend an inanimate object immediately.

Here's what happened next:  Meisha removed the giant case of flowers, put the lid of the piano up, and sat down. 

She graciously agreed to pose for photos with some of her fans (me, for one.)

Later that evening, after a much needed power nap, I rushed through the hotel lobby in a to meet my colleagues at a restaurant.  Despite my panic about being late to dinner, yet another pianist's tunes paused me in my tracks.  A man in a fedora sat at the hotel piano and played a familiar tune.

The piano culture may stem from the famous "Play it again, Sam" scene and piano storyline from the Humphrey Bogart/Ingrid Bergman film Casablanca. While this piano-in-a-hotel culture isn't really Moroccan, no complaints from me about walking through a space and hearing live piano music each evening!  My brother-in-law, a huge piano fan and brilliant musician, wouldn’t be able to contain himself!

​I don’t expect a hotel piano bar once I arrive in my host teacher's city Fés, but I’ll keep you posted.  I’ll also ask Meisha what the musical landscape is in her host teacher's city.  Like me, she'll be heading to one of Morocco's four former imperial cities, the city of Meknes. 

Meknes, above, is known for its imperial past and historical monuments.  Fés, Marrakesh, and Rabat are the other three imperial cities.  I'm not sure I will make it to Meknes on this trip, so I will have to get the full report from Meisha.   I also know she is itching to find out how Moroccans study, learn, play, and pass down the art of music.   I know she will come back and share what she learns.  Updates to come!