Ibrahim Maalouf

• World Music

Lebanese-French trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf is one of those improvisers whose playing you can undoubtedly recognise after the first couple of notes. This is primarily due to seeming festooned in Middle Eastern sounds, which characterise his melodies and differentiate him from pretty much any other virtuosos on this instrument. Standard trumpets are not supplied with the microintervals required by the Arabic musical language Maqam – Ibrahim Maalouf plays a design with an additional quartertone valve.
His father Nassim, who is also a trumpeter, designed this. Maalouf junior phrases on this in an incredibly smooth way, excels at any tempo and is not at all reserved about crossing stylistic borders – not only concerning the Orient and Occident, but also the genres within western popular music in particular. Hamburg took to its heart this fisher of men Ibrahim Maalouf, who ensnares his audience at least so readily with words as with notes, on the occasion of his involvement at the »Reflektor Angélique Kidjo« in March 2023.

Now, he returns with the Trumpets of Michel Ange (T.O.M.A.), whose impressive trumpet section went into training under him and also toots on quarter tone trumpets. An accompanying band produces considerable power if required. Pretty much anything stylistically is likely to happen in this concert from yearning arabesques to bone-dry rap including eloquent stand-up comedy from the bandleader.

PERFORMERS

Ibrahim Maalouf trumpet

& Ensemble

PROGRAM

Ibrahim Maalouf »Trumpets of Michel Ange«