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9 Jazz Artists Bringing A Taste Of New Orleans To Lebanon
If you’re a jazz fanatic or just a curious listener, here’s a roundup of 9 influential musicians keeping the Jazz scene alive in Lebanon and making their successes internationally recognized:
1. Layale Chaker
Violinist and composer Layale Chaker started her musical training at the National Higher Conservatory of Beirut. She later pursued her studies at Conservatoire Regional de Paris and the Royal Academy of Music in London. Beside Jazz, her musical world fuses Arabic and classical contemporary music.
Listen to her 2018 debut album “Inner Rhyme” which was listed as #1 on the World Charts of iTunes here.
2. Ramzi Bou Kamel
Ramzi is a music producer, composer, and classical guitar instructor at the Lebanese Higher Conservatory of Music. His latest “Groove Station” gigs featured a unique mix of funky jazz grooves in collaboration with brothers Abdo Sawma on drums and Charbel Sawma on bass.
You can check out his original compositions through this link.
3. Anna Kudinova-Mattar
Anna is a Ukrainian-Lebanese professional jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist, and pianist. Her passion for jazz improvisation and composition made her the lead singer of “Anna Kudinova-Mattars’ Jazz Trio/ Quartet/ Quintet”, among other local jazz and blues bands.
Click here to watch her full quartet performance on SPOTIT.
4. Tarek Yamani
Mainly known as a film score composer, Tarek is a self-taught jazz pianist whose compositions are heavily influenced by classical Arabic music. He is also a self-published author of two books about rhythm: “The Percussion Ensemble of the Arabian Peninsula” and “Duple Versus Triple”.
His “Peninsular” album revisited Arabian Peninsula rhythms and was recognized by TSF Jazz as “a world-jazz heard nowhere else”. You can listen to it here.
5. Makram Abou El Hosn
Besides being a Jazz instructor at NDU, Makram is a blogger who writes about music and other topics related to the art community. He plays electric and upright bass in many genres, ranging from Jazz and rock to classical and Arabic music.
His second album “Transmigration” was released in February 2021 and it includes 8 original compositions. You can jam to them here.
6. Arthur Satyan
Beirut-based jazz pianist, composer, piano professor, and dean of the Jazz department at the Lebanese National Conservatory of Music, Arthur Satyan has won multiple awards and played alongside many international jazz stars like Larry Coryell and Deborah Davis.
You can discover his rich discography through this link.
7. Raffi Mandalian
Trained as a classical guitarist at the Lebanese National Conservatory, Raffi then took classes with professor Arthur Satyan driven by his passion for Jazz and Latin music. He established himself as a fine jazz guitarist in the Beirut music scene in 2005 and he currently teaches at three local universities: LAU, USEK, and AU.
You can watch his 2016 Borderland concert via this YouTube link.
8. Ibrahim Maalouf
Internationally recognized Lebanese instrumentalist Ibrahim Maalouf has made history as the first jazzman to fill France’s largest concert hall in 2016. Between 2007 and 2021 he has produced over 19 albums for himself as an independent musician and for fellow artists as well.
You can listen to his new Christmas album “First Noel” through this link.
9. Johnny Laoun
Besides being a pianist, composer, and orchestra conductor, Johnny is the founder of The John’s Quartet and owner of The John’s Atelier music school. He also recently accompanied singer Tania Kassis on the piano in a Christmas concert at Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Follow him on Instagram to discover where The John’s Quartet will be performing some jazz and blues tunes soon.
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1. Layale Chaker
Violinist and composer Layale Chaker started her musical training at the National Higher Conservatory of Beirut. She later pursued her studies at Conservatoire Regional de Paris and the Royal Academy of Music in London. Beside Jazz, her musical world fuses Arabic and classical contemporary music.
Listen to her 2018 debut album “Inner Rhyme” which was listed as #1 on the World Charts of iTunes here.
2. Ramzi Bou Kamel
Ramzi is a music producer, composer, and classical guitar instructor at the Lebanese Higher Conservatory of Music. His latest “Groove Station” gigs featured a unique mix of funky jazz grooves in collaboration with brothers Abdo Sawma on drums and Charbel Sawma on bass.
You can check out his original compositions through this link.
3. Anna Kudinova-Mattar
Anna is a Ukrainian-Lebanese professional jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist, and pianist. Her passion for jazz improvisation and composition made her the lead singer of “Anna Kudinova-Mattars’ Jazz Trio/ Quartet/ Quintet”, among other local jazz and blues bands.
Click here to watch her full quartet performance on SPOTIT.
4. Tarek Yamani
Mainly known as a film score composer, Tarek is a self-taught jazz pianist whose compositions are heavily influenced by classical Arabic music. He is also a self-published author of two books about rhythm: “The Percussion Ensemble of the Arabian Peninsula” and “Duple Versus Triple”.
His “Peninsular” album revisited Arabian Peninsula rhythms and was recognized by TSF Jazz as “a world-jazz heard nowhere else”. You can listen to it here.
5. Makram Abou El Hosn
Besides being a Jazz instructor at NDU, Makram is a blogger who writes about music and other topics related to the art community. He plays electric and upright bass in many genres, ranging from Jazz and rock to classical and Arabic music.
His second album “Transmigration” was released in February 2021 and it includes 8 original compositions. You can jam to them here.
6. Arthur Satyan
Beirut-based jazz pianist, composer, piano professor, and dean of the Jazz department at the Lebanese National Conservatory of Music, Arthur Satyan has won multiple awards and played alongside many international jazz stars like Larry Coryell and Deborah Davis.
You can discover his rich discography through this link.
7. Raffi Mandalian
Trained as a classical guitarist at the Lebanese National Conservatory, Raffi then took classes with professor Arthur Satyan driven by his passion for Jazz and Latin music. He established himself as a fine jazz guitarist in the Beirut music scene in 2005 and he currently teaches at three local universities: LAU, USEK, and AU.
You can watch his 2016 Borderland concert via this YouTube link.
8. Ibrahim Maalouf
Internationally recognized Lebanese instrumentalist Ibrahim Maalouf has made history as the first jazzman to fill France’s largest concert hall in 2016. Between 2007 and 2021 he has produced over 19 albums for himself as an independent musician and for fellow artists as well.
You can listen to his new Christmas album “First Noel” through this link.
9. Johnny Laoun
Besides being a pianist, composer, and orchestra conductor, Johnny is the founder of The John’s Quartet and owner of The John’s Atelier music school. He also recently accompanied singer Tania Kassis on the piano in a Christmas concert at Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Follow him on Instagram to discover where The John’s Quartet will be performing some jazz and blues tunes soon.
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