Inter view with Ibrahim Maalouf

A musical journey

YOU'VE PERFORMED IN HUNDREDS OF VENUES. WHICH COLLABORATION HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE?

I’ve had many great collaborations, but it’s funny you ask me this question, because I [recently] collaborated with Wynton Marsalis, the pope of jazz, and it was definitely the best musical and human encounter of my life!

IF YOU COULD PERFORM WITH ANYONE ALIVE OR DECEASED WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

For me, the best encounters are the most unexpected ones. You can find very talented unknown young artists and meet with famous artists with no talent. So I don’t care about how popular the person is; what is most valuable to me is human interaction. With Wynton Marsalis it was great because he really improvised with me on stage for the sake of musical research.

YOU COME FROM A FAMILY OF RENOWNED ARTISTS. HOW DID THIS AFFECT YOUR UPBRINGING AND HOW HAS IT SHAPED YOU AS A PERFORMER?

Through poetry, literature, music… my family taught me the value of nice things. Knowing how to express emotions through the arts is a strength; in our family our strength is our capacity to build dialogues between cultures. Playing with words, with notes… is our added value. For example, the themes developed by my uncle, Amin Maalouf, in his books are a source of inspiration for me. Music is not only rhythm, it’s a culture that we defend.

YOUR FATHER, NASSIM MAALOUF, IS A WELL-KNOWN CLASSICAL TRUMPET SOLOIST WHO ADAPTED THE TRUMPET TO ARABIC MUSIC BY INTRODUCING THE QUARTER TONE. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM HIM?

I deeply admire my father. He taught me everything I know about the trumpet, classical music, Arabic music; he made me love Feyrouz and made me fall asleep to Umm Kulthum’s songs every night. I don’t think my dad is well recognized, but he’s a great artist whom I’d like to thank for everything.

YOU HAVE AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER. IS SHE MUSICALLY GIFTED?

I can’t tell from now, but she plays the flute and the piano. She also loves sports, cooking and spends a lot of time drawing and reading. I let her discover all the possibilities; I don’t push her towards music.

WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN YOUR SECOND CHOICE OF CAREER IF YOU WERE NOT A MUSICIAN?

An architect or a journalist.

IF YOU COULD PLAY IN ANY VENUE AROUND THE WORLD WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?

It’s not the venue that counts, it’s the public. You can perform in a magnificent place with a disinterested crowd who do not interact with you; and by coincidence, you can play spontaneously somewhere and draw the attention of one person who can be enchanted by your art making you feel as though you are in Carnegie Hall.

YOU'VE JUST RELEASED A NEW ALBUM. TELL US MORE ABOUT IT.

I have named the album Levantine Symphony, Number 1 and it’s a kind of anthem common to the Levant as a whole. The idea is not to be prejudiced towards people we don’t really know but to try to understand each other no matter how different we might be. I believe that even beyond love there is something I call 'melody.' When you grasp the melody, you can understand the person. Each couple has its melody that preserves the bond even when love fades away and each family has its own melody: its story, heritage, common experiences… This melody inspires me.

HAVE YOU FOUND LEBANON’S MELODY?

Of course; the melody of Lebanon is always here, in my heart.

WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR TIME IN LEBANON?

In Ain El Abou, in northern Metn, the region where my parents come from. It is there that I feel closest to my heritage, my roots, my… melody.

YOU LIVE IN PARIS BUT VISIT LEBANON FREQUENTLY. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU COME BACK TO BEIRUT?

I have no real rituals when I visit; I was born here but moved away when I was very young. Despite never living in Lebanon, I don’t feel I ever really left! I believe this is the chemistry of the place. Even during the war, we used to spend three or four months here every year; and if the airport was closed, we would come by boat from Larnaca. I can’t thank my parents enough for having done this as I always felt connected to my motherland.

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE LEBANON TO THOSE WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT?

It’s definitely the best country in the world!