Mamdouh Bahri (born 31 July 1957 at

Sfax Sfax ( ; , ) is a major port city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has a ...

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

)allaboutjazz.com,
Mamdouh Bahri
'', 16 March 2007, retrieved 19 December 2008 is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

who has combined Afro-Mediterranean music with a jazz tradition.

Biography

Bahri grew up in Tunisia and at the age of 25 came to

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where he later taught music at Jazz Action Montpellier (JAM) until 1991. From 1989 to 1993, he played in a quartet with pianist

Horace Parlan Horace Parlan (January 19, 1931 – February 23, 2017) was an American pianist and composer known for working in the hard bop and post-bop styles of jazz. In addition to his work as a bandleader Parlan was known for his contributions to the Cha ...

, Italian bassist Riccardo Del Fra and New Orleans drummer

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad (; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, Rhythm and blues, R&B, and Soul music, soul music and recorded with musicians s ...

. In 1991, they recorded the CD "From Tunisia with Love" live in

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

. That year, Bahri moved to New York City, where he joined the collective Spirit of Life Ensemble with saxophonist

T.K. Blue Eugene Rhynie (born February 7, 1953),TK Blue Artist Profile
Motéma Music. known professionally as T. ...

, trumpeter

Ted Curson Theodore Curson (June 3, 1935 – November 4, 2012) was an American jazz trumpeter. Life and career Curson was born in Philadelphia. He became interested in playing trumpet after watching a newspaper salesman play a silver trumpet. Curson's fath ...

and drummer

Winard Harper Hiram Winard Harper (born June 4, 1962) is an American jazz drummer. Career Harper played in the 1980s with Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, and with Betty Carter for four years. While working with Carter he met Wycliffe Gordon, with whom Harper w ...

among others, recording seven albums with the group between 1993 and 2002. Bahri has played in many concerts throughout France. He has also performed in northern Europe, the Middle East, China and in the United States. Bahri has appeared on broadcast television in Tunis and

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

. His recordings have gotten radio airplay in France, the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

area of the United States and Tunisia.

Discography

* ''From Tunisia with Love'' ( 52e Rue Est, 1992) * ''Nefta-les portes du désert'' (1993) * ''African Flame'' (Aljazzira, 1998) * ''Tabarka'' (Jazz Metiss D'Aujourd'hui, 2005) With Spirit of Life Ensemble * ''Inspirations'' (1993) * ''Feel the Spirit'' (1994) * ''Live! At the 5 Spot, NY'' (1995) * ''Live at Pori Jazz'' (1997) * ''Collage''(1998) * ''Song for My Father'' (1998) * ''Live au Duc'' (2002)

References

External links

Mamdouh Bahri at allaboutjazz.com
with photo

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahri, Mamdouh 1957 births Living people Jazz guitarists People from Sfax Tunisian guitarists