Lebanese-born French trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf has collaborated with various music artists over the years, including his Grammy nominated work with Angelique Kidjo. Maalouf blends jazz, classical, and his forte of Arabic traditions. With nineteen albums to his credit, and more to come, there’s no stopping Maalouf from creating music that he loves. The Paris based musician is all set to enthrall Mumbai with his internationally-acclaimed 10-piece band, Trumpets of Michel-Ange on November 29 at the NMACC, Mumbai.
Ahead of his performance, Maalouf talks about his influences, collaborations, his unique quarter-tone trumpet, his music and an album he composed when he was just 18 years.
Excerpts from the interview:
It’s your first visit to India...
I’ve listened to a lot of Indian music and I hope to collaborate even more with artists from this part of the world in the future. I’ve had the chance to work with Trilok Gurtu, Talvin Singh, and a few other artists from here, but I feel there’s still so much more for me to discover. For many years, I’ve wanted to perform my music in India, but the opportunities were few and far between. A dear friend of mine and an artist I deeply admire, Richard Bona, will also be sharing the stage that same evening.
Your family left Beirut for Paris because of the Lebanese Civil War. You were in a new land, a new language, how did you pick up the pieces and make a career in music?
I come from a family of artists, poets, and journalists. The influence of these artistic expressions has always been a wonderful source of inspiration, helping me to find a true identity and a language that reflects who I am. I believe one of the most interesting things we can do with music is to blend all our identities into a single, unified expression. It’s clear that my Middle Eastern origins, my Arab culture, and my adopted Western culture intertwine with influences from world music and all the styles I love to listen to. I’m also fortunate to play a very special trumpet invented by my father in the 1960s, which allows me to perform all scales based on quarter tones. This unique instrument gives me the ability to express myself in a deeply personal musical language.
Yann Orhan
Tell us about the quarter-tone trumpet?
This instrument, invented by my father, is almost a normal trumpet but with an additional valve to play quarter tones. The truth is that my father mainly invented a completely unique way of playing the trumpet. No one before him had ever played like that, and that’s what I’ve inherited. Today, I’ve decided to commercialize this instrument and teach everyone how to play it, so that my father’s dream can finally come true. My father is now 85 years old, and he has always told me that one day, trumpet players around the world would embrace his instrument. Unfortunately, only a few of us have truly explored the richness of this new trumpet. But with the academy I’ve just created and the new TOMA trumpet brand we’ve launched, there are now many people around the world who are showing interest and finally beginning to play it.
When did you start writing/ producing/ playing music?
I started composing music when I was very young. Some of my earliest memories are of composing in my bedroom when I was just five or six years old. I’ve never stopped creating music, telling stories through melodies. One of my greatest passions is arranging and producing. With my studio in Paris, I spend hours and entire days creating, inventing, and building the ideal world where I feel happiest. One of my biggest influences was the legendary producer Quincy Jones, who recently passed away. I believe he influenced the entire world through his music, arrangements, vision, and values.
On that note, can you tell us your first meeting up with the legendary Quincy Jones and how the two of you became partners in music?
As you can imagine, that meeting changed my life. The first time I crossed paths with Quincy Jones was at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. I was performing there in 2017, and Quincy came backstage to listen to the start of the concert. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but there he was. And, more importantly, he stayed until the very end. After the concert, I went to speak with him, and he said incredible things about my performance. He even offered to manage me in the United States and Canada. From that day on, I was managed by him and his team for North America. His passing is a great loss for the music world, but his legacy and spirit will remain with us for a very long time.
Could you describe your creative process?
First, I let my instinct take over. I love to create and improvise. Then, regardless of the initial purpose of what I’ve just invented, if I feel there’s a chance that it might lead to something meaningful, I develop it. I work on it, produce it, add elements, take some out, add others, and so on. When, at some point, the music evokes an emotion in me and tells a story that feels important, I set it aside. I revisit it regularly for weeks, months, or sometimes even years later. If the music still speaks to me after all that time, then, and only then, I decide to do something with it.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on two film scores, which is one of my favorite things to do in the world of music. I’m also preparing a symphonic album, which is a symphonic work I composed when I was 18, and I’ve always wanted to finally record it. We recorded it with the Nice Symphony Orchestra in France. I also have an album in quintet with the same team I worked with on my albums ‘Kalthoum ‘(2015) and ‘Wind’ (2011). Most excitingly, there’s an electronic music album coming soon, which is really thrilling because playing in clubs all around the world is something truly unique for the musician I am.
