The trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf was born in Lebanon and grew up in France; like his father, he studied Western classical music, but also microtonal Arabic music using a custom-built instrument. His latest project in a career full of cross-pollinating ventures was inspired by the late Umm Kulthum, the Arab world's greatest vocalist. With the arranging help of pianist Frank Woeste and some major American talent, he constructed a jazz take on one of her greatest suites, "Alf Leila Wa Leila" ("1001 Nights") and recorded it on an album called Kalthoum.
On the radio, Jazz Night In America features a performance of this music from Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola inside Jazz at Lincoln Center, and takes a closer look into the intersecting worlds of Kulthum and Maalouf. This video short explores just how he was able to do all of this on a trumpet.
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