Theatre Raymond Kabbaz
In Association With The Jazz Bakery Presents
Ibrahim Maalouf Quintet
Thursday, January 10, 2013

The Quintet’s L.A. Stop in its International Wind Album Tour

As of 1/9/13 sadly this concert has been cancelled due to visa issues 🙁
Please see the theatre’s site 

LOS ANGELES, CA – November 29, 2012 
– Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, in association with The Jazz Bakery, presents the powerful Ibrahim Maalouf Quintet on Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 7:30pm.  The event is the Los Angeles stop of the quintet’s international tour for its new album, Wind, released in November 2012.  French-Lebanese Ibrahim Maalouf, on trumpet, will be joined on-stage by Frank Woeste on piano, Ira Coleman on double bass, Walter Smith on saxophone, and Clarence Penn on drums.  Wind is an original score, composed by Maalouf, for the René Clair silent film The Prey of the Wind.  The event is supported by the French Embassy/Cultural Services.  Tickets cost $35 ($25 for students) and are available at https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?m=241d6077b39728479d58e072170e1c6f&t=tix.  Theatre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles is located at 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064.  To learn more about Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, please visit http://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com.

“We are thrilled to present Maalouf’s entirely unique sound to Los Angeles,” says Pierre Leloup, Theatre Raymond Kabbaz Director, “His music is strongly inspired by his Arabic culture, with contemporary jazz flavor added to the mix, for stunning results.”

Wind (2012) –
In 2010, the French Cinematheque commissioned Maalouf to compose a score for a silent movie in the rich Albatros catalogue.  Maalouf chose René Clair’s 1927 film The Prey of the Wind.  The film tells the story of a pilot who is caught in a storm and forced to land on the grounds of a castle.  There, he falls in love with the mistress of the castle . . . and things get complicated.  Maalouf’s score for the film, the new album Wind (2012), allowed Maalouf to fulfill two wishes – first to compose for a film and, second, to create a piece inspired by Miles Davis’ music in Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows (aka Lift to the Scaffold), but with the quarter-tone trumpet.  As Maalouf, himself, tells it: “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.”  The jazz musicians chosen for the project were selected for their ability to flirt with Maalouf’s Arabic sounds without being destabilized.  Recording with Maalouf on the album is Larry Grenadier (bass), Clarence Penn (drums) and Mark Turner (saxophone) – all greatly respected in both traditional and avant-garde jazz circles for their openness of mind, creativity and musicality.  Pianist and composer Frank Woeste was also brought in for arrangements.  The album is distributed by Harmonia Mundi.  http://store.harmoniamundi.com/wind.html#desc

Ibrahim Maalouf –
French-Lebanese trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf is a lyrical and refined musician, with influences ranging from Miles Davis to Led Zeppelin.  He was born in Beirut and now lives in Paris.  While he draws on all types of music from around the world, his first love is jazz.  After collaborating with numerous symphony and chamber orchestras, as well as ensembles throughout the world, Maalouf’s quarter-tone trumpet playing received international attention when he collaborated with Sting, Amadou et Mariam, Lhasa de Sela, Matthieu Chédid, Vincent Delerm and others who sought to colour their music with Maalouf’s signature Arabic jazz sound.  Released in October 2011, Maalouf’s album Diagnostic created a sensation in the French jazz scene.  The album sold more than 25,000 copies by the end of June 2012, making Maalouf the French jazz artist with the highest sales in France over the last two years.

He is the nephew of the writer Amin Maalouf and the son of trumpeter Nassim Maalouf (who invented the quarter-tone trumpet, with a fourth valve, in the 1960s).  After the acclaimed Diasporas (2007), Diachronism (2009), and the aforementioned Diagnostic (2011), Maalouf released his fourth album, Wind, in November 2012.   During the past year, he has played in exciting festivals in Europe, and beyond, including Celtic Connections Festival (Scotland), Festival Jazz Sous Les Pommiers – Coutances (France), Paris Jazz Festival, Ljubljana Jazz Festival (Slovenia), Nice Jazz Festival (France), Festival Jazz à Vienne (France), and the Tokyo Jazz Festival.  He has received several international awards (France, Hungary, Finland, USA) and the diploma of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.  Maalouf also created his own label to produce his own albums as well as projects by other artists. http://www.ibrahimmaalouf.com/



The Jazz Bakery –
Founded in 1992 by jazz vocalist/educator Ruth Price, The Jazz Bakery has achieved international acclaim through Price’s uncompromising vision.  The non-profit organization’s mission is to cultivate a new generation of jazz fans who will appreciate, preserve and grow a unique American legacy.  This vision serves as a template for a new Jazz Bakery, which will include a 250-seat theater, as well as an intimate “black box” performance space, all housed in a remarkable new Frank Gehry-designed building in Culver City, scheduled for completion in 2015.

Theatre Raymond Kabbaz –
Theatre Raymond Kabbaz is a non-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of art and culture in the West Los Angeles area.  This 220-seat theatre welcomes multidisciplinary and multicultural shows.  TRK’s mission is to be an open window on French and international cultures, as well as to inspire and sustain a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

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For more information, photos or to schedule an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Ibrahim Maalouf (photo courtesy of the artist)