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Ibrahim Maalouf

Kalthoum

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Ibrahim Maalouf - Run The World (Girls) / Official
Ibrahim Maalouf - Kalthoum (TV5MONDE) EUROPE
Interview with Ibrahim Maalouf
Wynton Marsalis & Ibrahim Maalouf @Jazz_in_Marciac 2018
IMPRO GEANTE 2019 Musicora ? La Seine Musicale
1 Introduction - Alf Leila Wa Leila
2 Overture I - Alf Leila Wa Leila
3 Overture II - Alf Leila Wa Leila
4 Movement I - Alf Leila Wa Leila
5 Movement II - Alf Leila Wa Leila
6 Movement III - Alf Leila Wa Leila
7 Movement IV - Alf Leila Wa Leila
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KALTHOUM is a celebration of women who overturned the course of history, women whose artistic influence has had an impact that reaches all the way down to our lives today. So I chose an emblematic figure, a genuine monument in the history of Arab people, and incidentally someone whose voice is the one I've listened to the most, ever since I was a child: Oum Kalthoum.

She was known as the Star of the Orient, and my father was a great fan. He was fond of many sublime voices - Feiruz, Abdel Wahab, Wadih El Safi, Souad Mohamed - but for him, Oum Kalthoum reached the heights of the art of the "Mawal", the tradition that consists of improvising at length for many minutes. It calls for all the technique and virtuosity that belong to the historical Arab styles.  He taught me to sing her best-known songs, and always took care that I should sing them as correctly and precisely as possible. He made me pay so much attention to those songs that they have had a long-lasting effect on my vision of lyricism and vocal performance. And because I'm not a singer myself, I try to use my instrument to convey the love I have for an art that, in the end, is hardly practised at all: the "Tarab".

Obviously, trying to explain the "Tarab" in music is a very complex matter; it is not only an emotion and a sensation of ecstasy, but also an art of living one's life with happiness, and so I thought it would be wiser to attempt an experiment, and translate this into music as a stylistic exercise.

Pianist Frank Woeste and I have "transcribed" one of the Egyptian diva's greatest songs, "Alf Leila Wa Leila" ("The Thousand and One Nights"), translating it into jazz that respects the conventions but, hopefully, innovates in the way it mixes cultures.

This song dates from 1969 and was composed by Balighe Hamidi; it takes the form of a suite lasting around an hour (as was often the case in those days with works of this type), with a three-minute chorus and verses of between five and twenty-five minutes.  A large part of the piece, both in the original version and in this one, is reserved for improvising, but this suite is above all a series of tableaux, and the way they are set up was very exciting to transcribe.

Because our version is exclusively instrumental, the poetry of the original song has not been reproduced, but this leaves room for a much freer performance in terms of style. With this piece, as far as it would allow, my aim was to intensify the contemporary aspirations of music that is anchored in a tradition from which it continuously seeks to free itself.

  • Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf is nominated for the GRAMMY Awards / lbcgroup.tv
    Posted At: December 13, 2022 12:00 AM
    Ibrahim Maalouf is already a genuine star in France and his reputation is spreading worldwide. A trumpeter and also a composer/arranger/producer, Ibrahim enjoys extraordinary popularity for an instrumentalist.After a prestigious classical career with several international awards (France, Hungary, Finland, USA), the First Prize of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and after having coll...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf on the virtues of classical music improvisation / The Times Hub
    Posted At: January 15, 2022 12:00 AM
    “We can talk about any subject, I bring everything back to improvisation”, laughs Ibrahim Maalouf. The Times Hub - Natasha Kumar writes…..The trumpeter is about to inaugurate the Free Spirit Ensemble, Maalouf continues…..“the first classical orchestra whose specialty is to improvise”, he declares. Omnipresent in his work, essential in jazz, this technique inspired him to write a book, Little philosophy...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf has Nice Jazz Festival sing along to his powerful energy / Hello Monaco review
    Posted At: July 23, 2017 12:00 AM

    The capital of the Côte d'Azur actually hosted the world's very first Jazz Festival in 1948. It was in February right after the carnival when Nice welcomed the performers, who shared their catchy music that made people want to dance as though nobody else was around. The legendary Louis Armstrong and jazz violinist Stefan Grappelli, performed at this premiere on the Nice Opera and City Casino stage,...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf brings a bold, brassy sound to his first Montreux Jazz Festival appearance / Reuters
    Posted At: July 14, 2017 12:00 AM

    French-Lebanese trumpet player Ibrahim Maalouf brought his bold, brassy sound to his first appearance at the 51st Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland on Thursday July 13, 2017. Moving from trumpet to piano solos as he blended jazz with melodies influenced by the Orient. Maalouf followed veteran George Benson who performed for the 25th time on the famed Swiss stage. Maalouf, born in Beirut to ...
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  • For Ibrahim Maalouf, improvisation is a way of life / Daily Mail
    Posted At: May 27, 2017 12:00 AM

    For trumpet player, teacher, composer and arranger Ibrahim Maalouf, famed for his award-winning film soundtracks and jazz-inspired mixing of eastern and western sounds, improvisation is "a way of life". "Improvisation is a discipline that people don't understand well," the Franco-Lebanese musician told AFP. "For me it symbolises and sums up perfectly the best way to live, alongside each other," ...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf wins Cesar award / step FEED
    Posted At: February 28, 2017 12:00 AM

    Ibrahim Maalouf, the Lebanese-born, French-bred trumpeter and composer has finally won France's equivalent to the Oscars, the César award, for his work on the movie "Dans les forêts de Sibérie." The musical pioneer, who is credited with becoming a reference for oriental electro-jazz, received the award this week in a lavish ceremony. It is his second César nomination. In 20...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf joins Sting in Bataclan reopen
    Posted At: November 16, 2016 12:00 AM

    Almost exactly one year to the night that ISIS-affiliated terrorists attacked the Bataclan, killing 89 people, Sting reopened the Parisian concert hall that he first played decades ago during the early days of the Police. The singer, who asked for a moment of silence in fluent French, told the crowd, "In re-opening the Bataclan, we have two important tasks to reconcile. First, to remember and honor those...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf - Red & Black Light / Wall Street Journal review
    Posted At: September 23, 2016 12:00 AM

    When you blow through the mouthpiece of a trumpet, the pitch of the resulting sound is controlled by three valves. Mastering the instrument is challenging enough with those three. But for French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, three isn't enough. The 35-year-old Mr. Maalouf plays on a trumpet with four valves, a technique pioneered in the 1960s by his father, Nassim Maalouf. By adding that fourth val...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf gives trumpet a human voice / The New York Times
    Posted At: September 14, 2016 12:00 AM

    Bridging musical cultures comes naturally to the trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf. Born in Beirut and reared in Paris, he has earned wide acclaim for his work in the Western classical tradition, as well as in Arabic music, film music, jazz and rock. Throughout the Francophone world, and in parts of the Middle East, he operates on the scale of a global pop star. Mr. Maalouf plays a trumpet with four...
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  • NPR: goats & soda samples IJD and recommends - Ibrahim Maalouf & Sachal Ensemble
    Posted At: May 6, 2016 12:00 AM

    Last Saturday was "International Jazz Day," a UNESCO initiative that celebrates the musical, social and political roles that jazz music has played around the world. If you missed last week's festivities, don't sweat! Jazz artists are constantly creating a dialogue behind the music and their own cultural influences. Here's a sampling from NPR: goats & soda that includes 2 Crossover Me...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf plays Gateshead International Jazz Festival / Jazzwise review
    Posted At: April 19, 2016 12:00 AM

    Held in one building across one weekend, Gateshead International Jazz Festival is small by UK standards, but it's always so impressively comprehensive. Wandering between the Sage's two concert halls, the jazz lounge and the free stage on the concourse, beneath all that rippling glass, feels like being inside some giant music-themed snow globe. It's as if the organisers have shrunk the world's j...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf set to play Istanbul's Search Results Volkswagen Arena / Daily Sabah
    Posted At: April 18, 2016 12:00 AM

    TRT World's new culture and arts show, "Showcase" interviewed accomplished jazz trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, who is of Lebanese descent, prior to his April 23 concert in Istanbul. He said that he had previously performed in Ankara, Muğla's tourist hub Bodrum and İzmir. "Every time I perform in Turkey, I witness the same enthusiasm. In Turkey, people know how to entertain themselves and he...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf talks Kalthoum and quarter notes / Step Feed
    Posted At: April 14, 2016 12:00 AM

    Not only is internationally acclaimed Lebanese-French trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf renowned for his musical talent and skill, he is fast becoming a reference for oriental electro jazz, especially in the wake of the release of his most recent project, "Kalthoum" – named after and inspired by the late Egyptian diva Umm Kalthoum. The Beirut-born, French-bred trumpeter who first followed in the footsteps ...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf plays Umm Kulthum - NPR: jazz night in america
    Posted At: March 31, 2016 12:00 AM

    The trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf was born in Lebanon and grew up in France; like his father, he studied Western classical music, but also microtonal Arabic music using a custom-built instrument. His latest project in a career full of cross-pollinating ventures was inspired by the late Umm Kulthum, the Arab world's greatest vocalist. With the arranging help of pianist Frank Woeste and some major American...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf mesmerises fans in Egypt / Egypt Daily News
    Posted At: March 21, 2016 12:00 AM

    Cairo woke up Saturday waiting for the international musician and composer Ibrahim Maalouf to perform his long awaited concert. Saturday marked Maalouf's first visit to Egypt, to which he brought his famous trumpet to an excited audience, who have been waiting since it was announced that Maalouf would follow the path Yanni took when he performed a live concert beneath the pyramids in late 2015. With his ...
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  • WNYC: New Sounds - New Releases features Snarky Puppy & Ibrahim Maalouf
    Posted At: February 29, 2016 12:00 AM

    It's that time again for the monthly program of new releases. John Schaefer picks through the piles of CDs, the odd cassettes, 8-tracks, LPs, mini-CDs, and all other things that are not digital audio and scrolls through the downloads (and their cryptic notes) that have flooded his inbox to find new releases worthy of showcasing in tonight's program. Rest assured that there is super-exciting s...
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  • Ibrahim Maalouf set for WOMAD 2016
    Posted At: February 26, 2016 12:00 AM

    Just because Ibrahim Maalouf's instrument of choice is a trumpet, make no assumption that he's simply a jazz musician. Yes, there's plenty of jazz in his work, often fuelled by a keen improvisational spirit (the ghost of Miles Davis is a clear guide), but there are many more places Ibrahim takes us too. A frequent collaborator with Salif Keita and Amadou & Mariam, his solo work bears the postmark of ...
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