Naïssam Jalal – Therapeutic Rituals

(Les Couleurs du Son. Album overview by Tony Dudley-Evans)

Naïssam Jalal is a flautist, vocalist and composer born to to Syrian mother and father in France. Eager to discover her musical roots, she studied on the Greater Institute of Arab Music in Damascus, and likewise later with a personal trainer in Cairo earlier than returning to France.  Her music brings collectively a sexy mixture of Western chamber music, jazz and Arab classical music.  

The music of her newest album, Therapeutic Rituals recorded with a quartet that includes Clément Petit on cello, Claude Tchamitchian on double bass, and Zaza Desiderio on drums develops the theme of imaginary therapeutic rituals that handle a struggling physique: silence that calms and cools the physique down, trance that offers with ache and nervousness, and sweetness that fosters hope and the will to stay. Thus we have now the rituals of ‘vent (wind)’, ‘soleil (solar)’, ‘collines (hills)’, ‘rivière (river)’, ‘terre (earth)’, ‘forêt (forest), ‘lune (moon)’ and ‘brume’ (mist)’.

The music itself has the texture of chamber music with added vocals, plus a powerful ingredient of Arab music.  It’s primarily structured, however has an improvisatory and rhythmic facet to it.  “Rituel du Vent” units the scene with a mild, soothing ambiance, and this temper can also be captured in “Rituel de la Rivière”, which is gorgeous and haunting.  “Rituel de la Terre” begins with an ensemble passage that’s briefly paying homage to the orchestral backing to Um Kulthum’s songs, however then strikes right into a somewhat mysterious vocal from Jalal.  Different tracks, notably “Rituel du Soleil”, “Rituel des Collines” and “Rituel de la Forêt” are extra upbeat, little doubt aiming to convey hope and positivity.

Naïssam Jalal is nearly fully unknown within the UK, however is clearly an essential musician and bandleader in France, and excursions broadly in continental Europe and is booked for a number of the Canadian festivals this summer season.  Her music is a particular tackle the intersection of jazz, chamber music and Arab music.  It could be good to listen to her and her group at a jazz or world music pageant within the UK. 

LINK: Dwell dates