A Jazz Night Is Coming to The Oberoi Marrakech This May 23 & 24
There are evenings that simply happen, and then there are evenings that transport you entirely. On the 23rd and 24th of May, The Oberoi Marrakech opens its doors to a world where time folds back on itself, where the air hums with saxophone and the glasses are filled with something carefully, beautifully poured. Jazz Nights is not merely an event. It is an atmosphere, a mood, an invitation to step inside the golden myth of 1920s America and never quite want to leave.
A Speakeasy Reborn Beneath the Moroccan Sky
Inspired by the clandestine bars that once thrived behind closed doors in Prohibition-era Chicago and the legendary jazz clubs of Harlem, Jazz Nights at The Oberoi Marrakech pays tribute to the Roaring Twenties in all its contradictory glory: rebellion dressed in elegance, secrets served with style. The speakeasy was never just a place to drink. It was a sanctuary, a statement, a place where music said everything that could not be spoken aloud. At The Oberoi, that same spirit finds a home beneath the Moroccan sky, where the light at dusk turns the city to amber and anything feels possible.
The Cocktails: An Art Form in a Glass
No speakeasy worth its name exists without its drinks, and the signature cocktail menu crafted for Jazz Nights is nothing short of theatrical. The Kasbah 75 opens with saffron-infused Tanqueray shaken alongside Palmare gin, lime, and a finish of Laurent-Perrier Brut, a nod to Moroccan terroir wrapped in the spirit of a French 75. The Vue Carrée stirs together Fernet Branca, an eight-year Havana rum, Angostura bitters, cinnamon syrup, and Roger Groult Calvados, a brooding, complex glass for those who take their evenings seriously.
For something cooler, the Mint Merse brings Tanqueray with fresh mint, cucumber, and lime in a julep glass, light and precise. The Hush Honey whispers with Gin Mare, thyme-infused honey, and orange blossom water, a scent that is unmistakably Moroccan. And the Tribute to Duke, a cognac and Cointreau coupe with a twist of orange, closes the menu with the grandeur its name demands. Each cocktail is a small story. Together, they compose an entire era.
The Food: Canapés for a Glamorous Night
To accompany the evening, the kitchen offers a menu of canapés that match the occasion in both craft and ambition. Mini lobster rolls, smoked salmon blinis with lime cream, tuna tartare tacos with sesame oil, Angus beef and foie gras sliders, truffled croquetas, and seared scallops with cauliflower and yuzu mousseline. These are not snacks. They are small masterpieces, designed to be savored slowly between songs, held in one hand while the other keeps rhythm to the music.
The Sound of the Night
At the heart of Jazz Nights is the music, and the talent assembled for these two evenings speaks for itself. Hervé Meschinet de Richemond, one of France’s leading jazz saxophonists and flutists, won the prestigious Django d’Or in 1998 for his album Cannonblues and has performed alongside Henri Salvador, Claude Nougaro, Charles Aznavour, and Ray Charles. A collaborator of Michel Legrand’s Big Band and a sought-after voice in international film scores, his presence alone transforms any room into something worth remembering.
Alongside him, Ivan Espenon, a French jazz pianist who has made Morocco his stage, brings a deep familiarity with both the music and the audience. A fixture of the Casablanca and Marrakech cultural scenes, he has collaborated with internationally recognized artists through the French Institutes of Morocco and performs regularly within the quartet of celebrated French vibraphonist Pascal Bivalski. Together, the two musicians form a partnership that is as intuitive as it is extraordinary.
An Invitation Not to Be Missed
Jazz Nights at The Oberoi Marrakech is the kind of evening Marrakech deserves and rarely gets, where luxury, culture, and artistry converge without apology. Whether you arrive for the cocktails, the music, or simply the feeling of being somewhere that matters, you will leave with something that stays. Two nights only. The doors open, and inside, the Twenties roar again.
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