“Kalthoum” and “Red & Black Light”: two albums, two tributes to women.

“KALTHOUM” is a tribute to women who have changed the course of history and whose artistic influence has impacted our lives today. That’s why I chose an emblematic figure, a true monument to the history of the Arab people, and at the same time the voice I have listened to the most since my childhood: Oum Kalthoum.

Pianist Frank Woeste and I have “translated” one of the greatest songs of this Egyptian diva into a jazz that is rather conventional, but hopefully innovative by mixing cultures: it is the song “Alf Leila Wa Leila” (“Thousand and One Nights”). The song was composed by Baligh Hamidi in 1969 and takes the form of a suite, lasting (as was customary at the time) about an hour, with a three-minute chorus and verses of five to twenty-five minutes. Much of the piece is reserved for improvisation, both in the original version and in this one, but this suite is primarily a series of paintings, and the way it is structured was very exciting for the new translation.

We recorded and mixed it in New York with the same crew as the album “Wind” in 2011, which was also a tribute (to Miles Davis). So naturally I thought “Kalthoum” would continue this beautiful adventure on record, with Larry Grenadier (double bass), Clarence Penn (drums), Mark Turner (saxophone) and Frank Woeste on piano.