Ibrahim Maalouf - "TRUMPETS OF MICHEL-ANGE
Recorded during a series of live sessions at the Meudon studio outside Paris, Ibrahim Maalouf's new capHvant project, "Trumpets of Michel Ange", is much more than just an album.
It's also a vast pedagogical iniHaHve on the part of the musician, aimed at making the quarter-tone trumpet, invented by his father in the 60s, accessible so that musicians around the enHer world can access the same playing as he does, thanks to a range of instruments idenHc to the trumpet he plays, but also thanks to an academy that parHcipates in his live concerts and future recordings!
"On a symbolic level, this album is a relay between my generation and the next, a sort of celebration of the values of transmission between parents and their children, teachers and their pupils, etc." explains Ibrahim Maalouf.
"And it's also a wonderful opportunity for me to fulfill my father's dream of sharing his quarter-tone trompeRe with the enHer world."
It's hard to imagine a better representative of this instrument than Ibrahim Maalouf. Born in Lebanon and raised in France, he studied music at the highest level worldwide at the Paris Conservatoire, and within a few years had become one of the most promising young classical trumpeters of the modern era, winning a series of prestigious international competitions.
Ibrahim quickly created an innovative, cross-cultural sound that catapulted him into the limelight as an outstanding musician, much appreciated by the general public and professionals alike.
Ibrahim soon began touring the world with his unique trompeRe. Hailed as a "virtuoso" by the New York Times, Chevalier de l'Ordre NaHonal du Mérite, Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des LeRres in France, Ibrahim is now playing three sold-out shows at Paris Bercy's Accor Arena, as well as at New York's Lincoln Jazz Center, Washington's Kennedy Center and Istanbul's Volkswagen Arena. In 2017, he was adopted into the circle of living legend Quincy Jones, who became his manager in the USA and Canada.
From Wynton Marsalis and Jon BaHste to Josh Groban and SHng, A$AP Rocky and Angélique Kidjo, Ibrahim's collaboraHons prove that music has no frontiers.
In recent years alone, Ibrahim Maalouf has won two consecutive GRAMMY® Award nominations, and composed the music for legendary French director Claude Lelouch's latest film, he was president of the jury for the sound award at the Cannes FesHval and a member of the jury for the 2024 edition of the Deauville American Film FesHval, he played at the Hollywood Bowl alongside Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Jacob Collier for Quincy Jones' birthday, he played in front of a six-million-strong audience at the Eiffel Tower, and he was a member of the jury for the 2024 edition of the Deauville American Film FesHval.
for the French national holiday July 14th, and has sold over a million albums worldwide.
"When I was a kid, I used to meR the radio and go from one staHon to another trying to play with every kind of music I heard. I feel like I'm doing the same thing now, just on a much bigger scale."
Listening to Trumpets of Michelangelo, it's clear that Ibrahim Maalouf's excitaHon and curiosity are more vivid than ever. Built around a fascinating and symbolic story, the album represents the journey of young lovers who unite to start their family. The album begins with the proposal, then the celeraHon of their union, through the promise, to the bittersweet farewell of the adult child who takes over.
"Why do we unite? Why do we form families?" asks Ibrahim Maalouf. And he formulates his answer as follows: "It's all about transmission and love. That's the philosophy of this album.