Born in 1980 in Beirut, Ibrahim Maalouf is one of the most popular instrumentalists on the French scene today. He has achieved global renown thanks to his musical openness. He has filled the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul, sold out shows at the Lincoln Jazz Center in New York and played in more than 40 countries over the last ten years.
Although known for his energic and eclectic performance, Ibrahim started his career in classical music. As a teen, he often performed the works of Vivaldi, Purcell, and Albinoni alongside his father; they played throughout Europe and the Middle East. Following a well-received interpretation of Bach’s 2nd Brandenburg Concerto, often considered one of the most difficult pieces in the classical trumpet repertoire, Maalouf was encouraged by French trumpeter Maurice Andre to abandon his proposed scientific career and become a professional musician instead.
In November 2020 Ibrahim has celebrated his 40th birthday and released his new album 40 MELODIES. For the first time in a duet with François Delporte, his guitarist of the last ten years. The duo revisits some of Ibrahim’smost well known tunes drawn from previous albums and soundtracks, but there are also some exclusive new tracks. All of this with the appearance of a host of prestigious surprise guests (Sting, Matthieu Chedid, Marcus Miller, Alfredo Rodriguez, Richard Bona, Trilok Gurtu, Hüsnü Senlendrici, Jon Batiste, Arturo Sandoval, and many others).
For Ibrahim it’s a return to his roots and to basics: a trumpet, a guitar and 40 melodies.
Videoclip: https://youtu.be/X0UOHmjiNLQ
Website: www.ibrahimmaalouf.com