Champions of chaâbi
Worlds collide in an ambitious new project led by one of France’s foremost jazz composers
Koum Tara Koum Tara Band
Karim Maurice (keyboards), Sid Ahmed Belksier (voice, mandola), Kamal Mazouni (percussion), Brice Berrerd (double bass) Odradek ODRCD 700
Algeria is known for its rai, which was a world music phenomenon in the 1980s. Even so, Algerians, Moroccans and Egyptians refer to their own ‘popular music’ as chaâbi.
Koum Tara is an ambitious and eclectic international project by one of France’s leading jazz composers, Karim Maurice (piano, keyboards, arrangements and artistic direction). It celebrates Algerian chaâbi by combining the string quartet La Camerata with jazz improvisation, and the band’s instruments, reworking the original repertoire of Algerian singer and mandola player
Sid Ahmed Belksier. Maurice’s sophisticated but accessible arrangements draw on influences as diverse as Bach, Bartók, Stravinsky, Herbie Hancock, Pink Floyd, electronica and Jobim. This music is rich in rhythm, thanks to the hand claps and percussion of Kamal Mazouni and double bass of Brice Berrerd. The string players contribute a dramatic ambience throughout, nowhere more evident than on the epic ‘Tloumouni’. Even if you don’t understand Arabic, Belksier’s vocals constantly maintain a palpable sense of narrative. ★★★★★