Bachar Mar-Khalifé has music written all over him – how could it be otherwise? His father is one of Lebanon’s most famous oud players, his mother is a singer and poet, and one of his cousins is a cellist. Fleeing the war, his family arrived in France when he was six. Along with his brother, he entered the Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse de Paris, graduating with a prize in piano. In addition to his family and classical heritage, he became interested in hip-hop and percussion. He has composed almost a dozen film scores, appearing alongside artists such as Bojan Z, Carl Craig and Francesco Tritano, and has released six studio albums.
This album is a recording of the final concerts of 2022, when the artist performed as a trio. As he says himself, what characterises the Franco-Lebanese musician’s music is freedom. Freedom to mix classical and traditional inspiration, freedom to make the piano sound intimate, to play an ostinato or to make it soar with clusters within the same piece, freedom to introduce a rhythm section that knows how to play restraint as well as outburst. In the same way, he plays with his voice, which shifts from a whisper to a fiery lament.
As well as offering a fine selection of studio tracks, the live recordings always bring the added value of perceiving the complicity between the musicians as well as having a more natural sound. This is the case here with this piano, bass and drums trio. The musicians fill out the stage, with the piano and vocals taking centre stage, and the other instruments playing around them. On some tracks, the electronic or traditional sounds further enhance the breadth and dynamics of this magnetic music. It’s a record that’s sure to take you on an intense journey.
