Ibrahim Maalouf Radiates Joy on Trumpets of Michel-Ange Vol. 2

Joy radiates from Trumpets of Michel-Ange Vol. 2, the newest release from acclaimed trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf. It celebrates music and community, full to bursting with collaborators of many stripes and bright melodies, led by Maalouf‘s signature quarter-tone trumpet, an invention of his father’s designed to emulate West Asian maqamat better. This mood is intentional. Maalouf has spoken of learning his instrument against the backdrop of the Lebanese Civil War, and credits music for his mental and emotional health in dangerous times.

Though Maalouf and his family moved to France during his childhood, his roots remain central to his work. Trumpets of Michel-Ange Vol. 2 comes out amid a conflict in Lebanon that has killed thousands of people, many Lebanese civilians among them, and displaced over one-fifth of the country’s population. It nonetheless finds Maalouf reaching out to a global family of fellow artists and lifting sounds of life and culture in Lebanon and beyond.

Joining him on the first track, “Bring the Light”, is an especially vibrant crew. Jon Batiste, Trombone Shorty, Pedrito Martinez, Weedie Braimah, and Anthony Evans and his gospel choir bring an assortment of jazz and funk to the mix, drawing heavily on musical styles of New Orleans and Cuba. It’s a four-and-a-half-minute parade, a jubilant opening track that sets us up well for “Oui, Je Le Veux”, a piece that emulates the commitment and communion ideally inherent in a wedding ceremony. On piano is award-winning Cuban jazz musician Gonzalo Rubalcaba, who engages in subtly breathtaking interplay with Maalouf and his ensemble.

The party continues in “Layla’s Wedding”, in which Maalouf lets loose with truly dazzling instrumental runs. He only gets faster in the tight melodic swirls of “Zaatar & Zeit” and the circle dance around which “Las Trompetas de Nael” is structured.

More guests join Maalouf for the second half of the album. “Two to One” features powerfully melismatic vocals from Palestinian singer Nai Barghouti and brilliant strumming from bandolinist Hamilton de Holanda. Flamenco group Las Migas brings Andalusian aesthetics to “Chasing the Sun”, a whirlwind of a track that also features accordionist Richard Galliano. Flautist and singer Rasika Shekar, trained in jazz, flamenco, Carnatic, and Hindustani musical traditions, brings a sweet and melancholic tinge to “Gulham”, a tribute to ghazal singer Gulham Ali that might be the most viscerally beautiful track on the album. The album ends with swinging “Hold Your Peace”, on which Galliano once again puts fittingly Gallic accordion lines in dialogue with Maalouf’s stunning brass.

Trumpets of Michel-Ange Vol. 2 is Ibrahim Maalouf’s 21st full album, and it is a well-polished delight. He is a consummate artist who makes remarkably jubilant music even in a broken world. This album truly feels alive from start to finish, embracing each moment. Through handclaps and distant vocals, it evokes throngs of revelers, present together and in constant motion. Not a second is wasted: the soundscape is dense and glorious. Maalouf has once again crafted music with equal parts love and skill, and in difficult times, that is a true gift.