Robinson Khoury and Ibrahim Maalouf in front of the students of the trumpet section of the Lyon Conservatory
Opening of Jazz à Vienne: fantastic concert by Ibrahim Maalouf with lots of surprise guests on stage including the Viennese Robinson Khoury and Trombone Shorty…
It was not in the official program and the secret had been well kept.
The opening night of Jazz à Vienne, Thursday June 27, which took place in a very crowded ancient theater, reserved, to say the least, its share of surprises or rather surprise guests, specially and only invited that night.
The concert starts in a classic Maalouf style with an overexcited Ibrahim surrounded by his four quarter-tone trumpeters like him, “Michelangelo’s trumpets”, as he calls them, with very danceable, very swaying music.
But this usual course of a Maaloufian concert quickly transformed into a succession of musical gems because the star trumpeter has no equal in highlighting the other musicians he admires. He knows how to silence his ego for the greatest happiness of the public.
The first guest that evening is already one of the revelations of this 43rd Festival, the formidable American double bass player from Detroit, Endea Owens who was to perform a few hours later at the “Club” at midnight, in this case the François Ponsard theater. She gave a glimpse of her very personal and punchy way of playing the double bass by merging the codes of jazz with pop and soul. An excellent start.
But this was only the beginning because we also saw a host of (young) quarter-tone trumpeters arrive on stage, around fifty students from the trumpet class of the Lyon Conservatory.
These talented young musicians then successively accompanied the Viennese trombonist Robinson Khoury who is leading an international career and who gave a breathtaking overview of his talent, heightened by both improvisation and swing.
This crazy evening ended in a fantastic saxo/trumpet battle with Trombone Shorty, star, the day after the ancient theater.
In passing, he also gave way to Mihail Pîrvan, the astonishing and virtuoso saxophonist who accompanies him and who also launched into incandescent improvisations to the great joy of a totally enthusiastic audience.
In short, as we will have understood, a perfect start to this first evening of the festival which immediately takes off in a great momentum.
Especially since the first part also offered a very nice discovery with a jazz close to us, in this case from Switzerland, with Louis Matute and his Large Ensemble who with his jazz fusion tinged with Brazilian roots and a strong creativity immediately set the lake on fire.
The festival begins this year with some of the finest examples of the jazz revival and it feels good!
