five years writing music inspired by it.
Photo: Supplied
grinding blues-rock music when he passed away this week, but his final statement will be an ambitious, Moroccan-inspired, For the last five years of his life, Tangier was Thorpe's labour of love. He started it in March 2000 after meeting Who lead Symphony concert. They became good mates and their families travelled to Morocco together later that year.
Tangier, Morocco, that May, the sounds that gave birth to my current work in progress, Tangier, came floating up from the Kasbah and through an ancient window like a dream," he wrote of the project. "Something called me that day and it won't let go."
Morocco had a profound effect on Thorpe, leaving him with a passion to tell the world about it.
"That passion quickly turned better part of four years," he said on his website.
dance rhythms and a modern rock feel. Musicians from Morocco, Turkey, India, the US and Australia performed on the project, made at great expense.
Thorpe had planned to return to Casablanca this and topped the charts in Texas, but barely registered here.
fusion concept album with a peaceful message. "We were in Morocco with Billy and his wife Lynne about five years ago," Chugg said.
"For Lynne's 50th birthday, he arranged to throw a surprise party Royal Moroccan Orchestra to play. None of them could speak English, he couldn't speak Moroccan, but it was magic, and it all took off from there. Roger Daltrey was going to put some vocals on the recording but I don't think it ever got done.
"
people of Morocco will always be friends with the Thorpe family," he said.
Thorpe had been testing the material at his shows, including his last gig at San Remo's Westernport Hotel on Sunday night. The reaction was, it seems, universally warm.
" Tangier definitely hits a musical nerve," he wrote.
Thorpe's former Aztec drummer, Gil Matthews, said the project meant a lot to Thorpe. "He saw it as re-inventing his career," he said.
"It was him wanting to branch out into something different, (sic) every night." Thorpe was obsessed with the project, he said. at the Sydney Entertainment Centre tomorrow afternoon.
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