Naïssam Jalal, France/Syria, flute, vocals, nay
Leonardo Montana, France, piano
Claude Tchamitchian, France/Brazil, double bass
For several years, the flutist Naïssam Jalal has been revealing a personal, vibrant musical universe which gives both in substance and in form, new meaning to the word freedom. In a continual search with boundless curiosity, she shines by her virtuous capacity to weave the bonds between different musical cultures and aesthetic fields. Commitment through and in music, and creation in the service of commitment: these are the guidelines of her many artistic projects that have never ceased to surprise by their originality, their authenticity and their artistic qualities.
Naïssam Jalal was born in Paris from Syrian parents. At age 6, she enters the conservatoire to study classical flute. At age 17, she discovers improvisation and leaves the conservatoire after obtaining her certificate. The same year, the funky brass band Tarace Boulba drags her on a tour in Mali. At 19, Naïssam leaves France in search of her roots. After several months of initiation into the nay at the Great Institute of Arabic Music in Damascus, Syria, she leaves for Cairo to study with the great master violonist Abdu Dagher. In Egypt she meets Fathi Salama with whom she plays in the most prestigious theaters and participates in the creation of the groups El Dor El Awal and Bakash. Naïssam develops a very unique style between East and West.
Back in France in 2006, Naïssam meets the Lebanese rapper Rayess Bek whom she will accompany in France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Lebanon and Morocco. Since 2008, she performs regularly with the Egyptian oud player Hazem Shaheen in Egypt, Lebanon, Malta, and at the Institute of the Arabic World in Paris. In 2009 she issues the album “To Resistance” with her duet Noun Ya and tours in France, Syria, Japan, Lebanon, Tunisia…
Between 2010 and 2018, Naïssam has the opportunity to play with the best African musicians on the Parisian scene: Cheikh Tidiane Seck, Mamani Keita, Abdoulaye Traore, Mohamed Diaby, Hilaire Penda, Moh Kouyaté, Hervé Samb. She also accompanies great names of the international jazz such as Hamid Drake, Michael Blake, Claude Tchamitchian, Andy Emler, Médéric Collignon, Nelson Veras, Anne Paceo, Hubert Dupont, Mathilde Grooss Viddal, or from the Arabic world such as Noura Mint Seymali, Aziz Sahmaoui, Amazigh Kateb, Lena Shamamyan, Karim Ziad, Macadi Nahhas, Youssef Hbeish, Khaled Aljaramani, Ahmad Alkhatib. She plays also with many rap singers from all over the world: Mick Ladd and Napoleon Maddox from the USA, or the Palestinian rap band Katibeh 5. Naïssam Jalal composes the soundtrack for four full length films.
Since 2011, she has been performing with her quintet “Rhythms of Resistance” on big festivals end major Venues in Europe and Africa (Jazz in Marciac, Jazz sous les pommiers, Jazz & The City, Tanjazz, etc) and has been building a repertoire reflecting her free and nomadic personality. She released 2 albums with her quintet Rhythms of Resistance: “Osloob Hayati” (2015) and “Almot Wala Almazala” (2016). And released 2 albums in 2018 “Al Akhareen” with Palestinian rap singer Osloob, and “Liqaa” with Egyptian Oud player Hazem Shaheen. The album of her last trio “Quest of the Invisible” with Claude Tchamitchian at double bass, the Bresilian pianist Leonardo Montana and Hamid Drake as guest released in 2019 won the highest french jazz Award “Victoires du jazz 2019”.
