About "Music From Source", a text full of sensibility come from a spectator in the first in Lyon.
Why does one want to become a musician? For some people, the answer is due to the circumstances, to their social background, to their ancestry. For others, such as David El Malek, it is closely bound to vital necessities, to inner wrenches, to a worried call giving it a salutary outcome — the full meaning that the word vocation should keep. Within Music from Source, the return made by David El-Malek to the music of his roots echoes the meaning that music has given to his life. The reason why his musical plan is so moving is that he unites the whole music he likes and reconciles the saxophone player to a part of himself.
Music from Source — As regards the choice of such a repertoire, nothing picturesque nor exotic, nothing anecdotal nor superficial. David has always borne this music and these songs within him. Each one has its own story. They have never left him, particularly when his family left Israel, while he was just a little boy, to live back to France, the native land he did not know. Shifted around constantly from one nation to the other, each one with its strong identity, torn between two languages and two cultures, cut off from his roots like a shrub which did not have enough time to become impregnated with the ground where he started to grow, David did not succeed in understanding what his real identity was. In this personal wrench, this childhood fantasized by memory and haunted by happy moments which seemed to be definitely lost, lies the origin of many motivations which makes the musician of today.
Music from Source — He comes back to the melodies of his childhood, making a detour through jazz however, because when he was twenty, David (who had never thought about becoming a musician up to then) discovered the tenor saxophone and understood that this instrument could direct his future. What was at stake in his existence at that time only happens once in a lifetime: David did everything to convert his intuition into reality. Many hours of relentless learning until exhaustion, until driving his circle mad; his endless energy to progress, supported by the conviction that technical skill is the key to freedom ; the unshakeable faith that in the music a Sesame hides opening the doors of himself ; the persistence in understanding the codes of jazz to make it his musical foundation…everything came finally true until raising him to the best level and allow himself to be considered as one of the most outstanding tenor saxophonist of his time, witness his part in Ilium of Pierre de Bethmann, in Blowing Trio of the piano player Laurent Coq, in “Friends” of the drummer André Ceccarelli, in the new group of Baptiste Trotignon, as well as the records he realized with his own quartet.
Few musicians, whatever their aesthetic fields, can boast about having lived their introduction to music with such enthusiasm and dedication, such hard line and ambition. Aware of being carried away by a vital energy, David does not take any pride in it, so happy to have seized the opportunity to come back to his own life. Music did appear to him as a thread of hope allowing to weave again the shreds of a split life and close up the wounds of deep angst and inconsolable sadness. Thanks to it, his story becomes united at last, the pieces of a puzzle which seemed never to have to correspond gather suddenly, and David El-Malek can find again the “waste of time” he has so long searched for.
Music from Source — As it was once for Charlie Parker, John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins, inexhaustible soloists often reserved for daily occurrence, for David El-Malek, the saxophone has become an extension of himself, the vector of the words he has not been able to say for a long time. If his improviser speech is so clear, if he seems to be motivated by an inner urgency, is because he has a sincere voice which has managed to express. He also opens his heart through the instrument like a release of the words. But David's development is far from being finished. Music bulimic, eager to learn, he studies orchestration, he initiates himself into classical writing, takes great interest in the saxophone transcribing of classical works because he now has a desire to make his jazzman talents concur with the intimate heritage of the songs he wants to pass on to the world just as he hears them within himself : played by a symphonic orchestra.
Supported by the arranger Christophe Dal Sasso, he embarked on the adventure of Music from Source with an ardour likely to move Mount Sinai. The première of this programme with the national Orchestra of Lyon on April 2004 in the city auditorium turned out to be a moving moment which deeply increased his desire to go further. When the orchestra started, a whole memory awakened and remembered his childhood in the Mediterranean sun, freeing the moving song of a vibrating soul. For it is a question of lyricism and appropriation: David El-Malek does not pursue any scholarly architecture nor complex developments. What he looks for in the symphonic environment is the unique power of the instrumental mass, its ability to overwhelm the listener, the colour gamut which will offer these tunes all the resonance they deserve. Supported by the orchestra and his quartet, he wants the saxophone to inhabit each note of his songs, make them radiant, project them like a series of pictures reminiscent of a secular land, the cradle of humanity. If the result appears to be too simple or too sentimental for some is because they will not have understood his ambition, nor the sincere commitment he is prompted by. Like in “Focus” by Stan Getz or “Winter Moon” by Art Pepper, the orchestra comes and lavishes his saxophone to drive him to identify precisely this form of sensitive evidence where the borderlines between jazz, popular melodies and symphonic writing fade away for the benefit of a united music.
Music from Source — David El-Malek plays these simple songs as others sang daily troubles and little good times. This is his own blues, the anchorage of life in deep melancholy, this link to the song like his hope, this cathartic experience through the song of a people torn up from its land and deprived of any mother tongue. He plays this music as the greatest jazzmen have always done it, giving himself body and soul, totally dedicating himself to his performance, allowing his instinct to speak rather than his reason. Not many artists have such an intimate and strong link between their art and their life; not many artists use notes so loaded with meaning and feeling; not many moments exist when music seem so literally to come from source.Vincent Bessières. Jazzman magasine
Vincent Bessières. Jazzman magasine -
http://www.davidelmalek.com/library/htmlfiles/projets.htmlQUOTE:
After two solo albums that displayed his Coltranian influences and a studio and live album accompanying French pianist Baptiste Trotignon which were some of the finest French jazz releases, saxophonist David El-Malek wanted something different. Of Jewish ascendance, he had already payed tribute to its roots with some tracks from his solo works but never has he done it on a full album. Whatsmore, he always played with rather small formations (quartets generally) and felt a bit frustrated by it. And then came 2008 and Music From Source, an album which fully embraces his roots and features a "small big band" with all the variations and possibilities it offers.
It's a 8 piece band that is playing on this new album, El-Malek always plays the tenor and soprano saxophones but, this time, 5 others complete the brass section: Yoann Loustalot on trumpet & bugle, Thomas Savy on bass clarinet & tenor saxophone, Eric Dufa? on French horn, Denis Leloup on trombone and Didier Havet on trombone and tuba. Add to this a fine rhythm section with Jules Bikoko Binjami on double bass and Daniel Garcia Bruno on drums and percussion and you'll have the perfect band to express the depths and subtleties of El-Malek's tribute to his jewish roots. This album doesn't sound like anything I came across before and that's a good thing as it allows you to embark on a 50 minutes journey that is dazzling and joyful at the same time. Just try it and you'll see what it does for you.
* Writing the musics of his next disk in co-leader with Baptist Trotignon, repeating with Pierre de Bethmann the second opus of Ilium quintet, he just comes to validate the video clip of "Music From Source". His symphonic project was partially played and filmed with the National Orchestra of Lyon in the course of April. If you are a promotor, an artistic director or a conductor, ask us for the video clip and for the press kit and click on this address.
* The release of its second disc does not prevent David from working already on the continuation. In phase of finalisation of writing, the project of ballad with 17 musicians will be playable for the first part of 2004. His musical project for classic orchestra (more than 90 musicians) is in phase of correction. With Christophe Dal Salso, trumpeter and conductor of Big band, they still finalize and still the last partitions. The search for the production is begun (in September, 2003)
* It is done! His second disc, in the continuance of the first one containing Israeli folklores, personal compositions and one or two occasions of contemporary standards, will be recorded in the months to come for an release in September. The choice of king: Franck Agulhon and R?mi Vignolo shall accompany David in Pierre de Bethmann's side. (february 2003)
* David finalizes this day three projects in parallel, among which at least one will release in September 2003:1) The second disc, in the continuance of the first one, containing Israeli folklores, personal compositions and one or two contemporary standards. 2) The third disc exclusively of ballad 3) The fourth disc writes for symphony orchestra (approximately 80 musicians) consisted of Israeli folklores and a personal composition. This project, innovative in the writing and the theme, is already in anticipation of place of residence with one or two French regional orchestras... (October 2002)
* In spite of all these activities, David is not reluctant to be the sideman when the game is worth playing it. Today, he is actually a member of Pierre de Bethmann's new group, Ilium, who has seen in him a powerful and original saxophone player. After touring for over two years, the record is going to be released......see the News.... (april 2002)
* Faithful to his friends and collaborations, he also works with La?ka Fatien for whom he had contributed to her first two recordings. Now she lives in Madrid and is creating her last opus.... see the news... (april 2002)
* Deeply connected to this culture in which he grew (he lived in Isra?l till eight), David began to work in order to make an old dream come true : the recording of an album devoted to this identity music but with a symphonic orchestra, the instrumental composition being based on the quartet of his new formation. In order to outline what he considers to be his masterpiece, he gets to know about MAO ( computer-assisted music) and makes a layout of the titles with the arranger Christophe Dal Sasso. The writing and arrangements part is about to be ended. (april 2002)
* At the same time, he enjoys electronic music through the apprenticeship of the Logic Audio software. He gradually becomes interested in machines and in the art of putting together loops and samples into jazz music... (april 2002)
