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Global Trumpet Star Ibrahim Maalouf Celebrates Love and Legacy on THE TRUMPETS OF MICHEL-ANGE

  • blrbmag
  • Sep 27
  • 2 min read

Updated: Sep 27

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“On a symbolic level, this album is a celebration of love and family and the things that parents pass on to their children. On a more literal level, it’s a chance for me to turn my father’s dream of sharing his quarter tone trumpet with the world into a reality.”

—Ibrahim Maalouf


French-Lebanese trumpet virtuoso and composer Ibrahim Maalouf unveils his newest work, The Trumpets of Michel-Ange, a deeply personal project celebrating his Lebanese roots and ancestral heritage. Recorded live in raw, unedited sessions, the album is as bold as it is intimate, blending Maalouf’s signature quarter tone trumpet with a dazzling array of global influences. With its storytelling arc built around the life of two young lovers and the family they create, the music captures the full spectrum of love—joy, passion, and the bittersweet act of letting go.


The project is more than just an album. The Trumpets of Michel-Ange is also the name of Maalouf’s initiative to share the quarter tone trumpet with the world, fulfilling his late father’s dream of passing this unique instrument on to future generations. Special guests including Trombone Shorty, Endea Owens, Toumani and Sidiki Diabaté, Matthieu Chedid, and Golshifteh Farahani bring their voices to the music, helping craft a sonic journey that transcends genre, geography, and tradition. From the generation-spanning "Timeless," featuring -M-, Toumani Diabaté, Sidiki Diabaté, Nassim Maalouf, Nael Maalouf, to the reflective “Au Revoir” and the explosive collaboration with Trombone Shorty, “Capitals,” the album showcases Maalouf’s unmatched ability to merge jazz, world, and Middle Eastern influences into a cohesive, emotionally charged soundscape.


Born in Lebanon and raised in France, Ibrahim Maalouf has carved a singular path as one of the most celebrated and versatile trumpet players and international artists of his generation. A classically trained prodigy turned cultural trailblazer, he has sold out arenas from Paris to Istanbul, performed alongside legends like Stevie Wonder and Wynton Marsalis, and collaborated across genres with artists as varied as Sting, A$AP Rocky, and Angelique Kidjo. With a career spanning eighteen albums, GRAMMY® nominations, film scores, and high-profile performances around the globe, Maalouf continues to redefine what it means to be a global artist.


For more info on Ibrahim and his latest projects visit his website here.


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REVIEWS


“French-Lebanese trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf has become popular for his

blended, genre-defying sound.”

NPR


“Ibrahim Maalouf’s Arabic jazz brings a mood of celebration”

Financial Times


“A crowning achievement, a homage to his ancestry.”

Songlines


“Maalouf captures perfectly the feel of an irresistible and joyful Lebanese brass band playing at a celebration”

World Music Central


“A palpable sense of musical playfulness.”

UK Jazz News


“It’s an impassioned coronation of an instrument which embodies the inclusive refugee

accomplishment of Maalouf père et fils.”

Jazzwise


“Ibrahim Maalouf is a shape-shifting Renaissance man. A master of the quarter-tone trumpet…”

Afropop Worldwide


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