Trumpet star Maalouf fulfils silver screen 'dream'

AFP/AFP - Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf performs on stage of the Nice's Jazz Festival in southeastern France, on July 9, 2014

By Maureen Cofflard | AFP
nov 30, 2014
Lebanese-French trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf is reaching beyond his classical and jazz roots to a more mainstream audience seduced by his unique musical style blending Arabic and Western influences.

The 34-year-old, who has worked with Sting in the past, also told AFP on a tour stop in London that he is finally fulfilling his "dream" of composing film scores -- and has three more in the pipeline.

On the sidelines of a concert, Maalouf spoke of the "freedom offered by art" after the release of "Au Pays d'Alice" ("In the Land of Alice"), his musical take on the British classic fantasy novel "Alice in Wonderland".

The record mixes Franco-Malian hip-hop artist Oxmo Puccino with a classical orchestra and a children's choir -- the kind of world music work that is winning Maalouf a growing number of fans.

"I don't just do Oriental music: I do my music. There's a bit of jazz, a bit of the Orient, a bit of rock, a bit of hip-hop: everything I love and listen to can be found in my music," he said.

"I see my albums as the soundtrack of daily life."

Maalouf, who has won a string of world classical music competitions, is increasingly at ease in London and New York and his British gig was sold out.
The musician said he was particularly pleased about composing the scores for three films this year: the biopic "Yves Saint Laurent" about the life of the famous fashion designer, as well as an Iranian art-house movie and a French teen comedy.


"This was a logical move. I worked for four years on my first album and for me it was a movie soundtrack that I wanted to present to directors," Maalouf said.

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