Ibrahim Maalouf Quintet at Theatre Raymond Kabbaz

If you love jazz, don’t miss the Ibrahim Maalouf Quintet at Theatre Raymond Kabbaz. If you love music don’t miss this unique Quintet. If a cross cultural evening of music sounds intriguing, mark your calendar for Thursday January 10.

Born in Beirut, into a French-Lebanese family of musicians and artists; his mother, pianist Nada Maalouf, father, Nassim Maalouf who invented the micro-tonal trumpet, and grandfather poet musicologist Rushdi Maalouf, Ibrahim began studying trumpet with his father when he was just 7 years old. Ten years later, at age 17, the young trumpeter drew attention from the music world while playing the 2nd Brandenberg Concerto by Bach, with a chamber orchestra. This Concerto by Bach is considered by many musicians as the hardest classical work to play on a trumpet.

A student of classical, contemporary, and Arabic music Ibrahim’s first love is jazz. Playing the horn his father invented with a fourth valve allowing him to play quarter-tones, his signature lyrical style is strongly influenced by the rich Arabic roots of his family.

Although classically trained, Maalouf has collaborated with artists such as Sting, and Steve Nieve (Elvis Costellos’s keyboard player). Always exploring new ways to express himself, he’s played with a wide variety of artists and is a recognized figure of the Paris Oriental Electro Jazz scene. The Jazz-funk rhythms and flavor of his concerts make it hard not to get up and dance however there is also a mystical interlude during the music which he calls “a collective universal prayer”.

The trumpeter’s latest project “Wind” came after the French Cinematheque commissioned him to compose a score for the 1927 silent film “The Prey of the Wind”. The film is the story of a pilot who is caught in a storm and is forced to land on the grounds of a castle. Describing his inspiration and theme in writing the score, Maalouf said, “I wanted to reproduce that mysteriously melancholic atmosphere, dripping with suspense, contributing a discreet yet powerful Arabic hue, blended into the typical jazz quintet played for many years by Miles’ mythical quintet”. Creating a piece of work inspired by Miles Davis’ music in Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows, and composing a film score, enabled Maalouf to fulfill two of his career wishes.

Theatre Raymond Kabbaz in association with the Jazz Bakery will showcase the dynamic music of the Ibrahim Maasouf Quintet in their Los Angeles stop during the international tour for its newly released album “Wind”, featuring Maalouf on trumpet, Frank Woeste on piano, Ira Coleman on double bass, Walter Smith on saxophone, and Clarence Penn on drums. This event is supported by the French Embassy/Cultural Services.

Theatre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles is located at 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064. For more information and tickets, go to: www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com.