Something truly special happened when the Egyptian composer, singer, and poet Abdullah Miniawy stepped up to the microphone at Musée Dauphinois during the Detours De Babel festival in Grenoble. Perhaps it was his singing voice, which the publication Passive/Aggressive described as both haunting and cathartic. Or maybe it was his lyrics—primarily sung in Arabic—that delve into themes of freedom, justice, and spirituality. Whatever it may have been, the deeply moved audience gave Abdullah Miniawy and his trio a standing ovation. Since that concert, which marked the trio’s debut, Abdullah Miniawy and trombonists Robinson Khoury and Jules Boittin have performed on prominent stages and at major festivals, from La Alhambra in Geneva to the Venice Biennale. Now, the trio brings its experimental, goosebump-inducing, and theatrical sound to ALICE.
“Listening to Miniawy sing is like hearing someone share their most intimate secret without hesitation, or like a siren calling for your undivided attention—an almost hypnotizing experience,” Passive/Aggressive writes about Abdullah Miniawy. Today, Miniawy lives in Paris and is an acknowledged figure on the international experimental music scene. His album Le Cri Du Caire was honored in 2023 as “Album de musiques du monde” (World Music Album of the Year) at the French Victoires du Jazz awards, France’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards. The trio fuses baroque and opera with ritualistic and mystical elements. When they perform at ALICE, they invite us on a transcendent journey: from the noisy streets of Egypt to an intense and deeply moving shared experience. We can’t wait to become a part of it.