Congratulations to Ibrahim Maalouf and Angelique Kidjo for earning a Best Global Music Album GRAMMY nomination for Queen of Sheba.  This is the first-ever GRAMMY nomination for Maalouf, the trumpeter/composer/producer/songwriter that has released 17 albums, sold out the biggest arena in his home country of France and was a musical guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last fall.  He’s known for his dazzling mastery of the four-valve trumpet, designed by his father, which enables him to play the melodies and tones of the Middle East and his Lebanese roots.  Kidjo continues to cement herself as a powerhouse in international music, a 5-time GRAMMY winner and 14-time nominee.     

A soaring 7-part suite, the album was inspired by, and reinvents, the myth of Queen Sheba, an African Queen who heard about the reputation of King Salomon and traveled to Jerusalem to witness the king’s wisdom. The ancient story has appeared in the Bible, the Quran, the Talmud and in Ethiopian literature among countless other films and writings.  

Queen Of Sheba was composed and scored entirely by Maalouf with all lyrics by Kidjo, and sung by Kidjo in Yoruba. In addition to Maalouf’s masterful trumpet performance, he composed and arranged the music for a full orchestra including strings, horns, drums, percussion, guitar, bass and electric piano. Kidjo’s voice is full of power, grit and grace as she reimagines a myth that has long captivated the world in a thought-provoking, modern light.  

Watch/Listen to “Ahan” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fmh21tB38M

Listen to Queen of Sheba here: https://idol-io.link/QueenOfSheba

Prior to it being recorded, Queen Of Sheba has been performed live by Maalouf and Kidjo on some of the most prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall in New York City, at the Marciac Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Fest. After the success of these limited live performances, Maalouf and Kidjo hit the studio. It was recorded at the famous Studio Ferber in Paris as well as Studio Diasporas (Ivry-sur-Seine) and Revival Studio in Los Angeles.   

The prolific Maalouf followed the release of Queen of Sheba with another album, Capacity To Love, released just two weeks ago. Featuring Sharon Stone, Pos from De La Soul, D Smoke, Gregory Porter, Tank and the Bangas and many others, it smashes together an international array of sounds inspired by hip-hop, r&b, and Maalouf’s signature playing.  The album was just featured on the NY Times Playlist and People Magazine, WNYC Soundcheck, PRI’s The World.  

Hailed as a “virtuoso” by The New York Times, Maalouf has spent his career crossing borders and blurring genres, mixing jazz, pop, classical, electronic, Middle Eastern, and African influences into a cross-cultural swirl. Born in the midst of a deadly civil war, Maalouf escaped Beirut with his family and spent his formative years in France, where he fell in love with music’s power to transcend geography and language. He has performed in 40 countries, sold out arenas from Paris to Istanbul, has been scouted by Quincy Jones and raised millions for charity. In the fall of 2021 he performed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, introduced by Jon Batiste as “a living legend of jazz” and performed in front of the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day for an audience of six million.

https://www.ibrahimmaalouf.com/en/

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