Franco-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf is set to rock Brussels’ BOZAR this Monday, December 15, 2025. His “Kalthoum ” project celebrates the tenth anniversary of the eponymous album, a musical declaration of love to Oum Kalthoum, the legendary Egyptian diva nicknamed the “Star of the Orient” and considered one of the greatest singers of the Arab world.
A creative duality at the service of music
Born in Beirut, Ibrahim Maalouf has always cultivated the meeting of genres and cultures in his work. His albums such as Diasporas (2007) and Au Pays d’Alice (2014) with Oxmo Puccino bear witness to this approach. The trumpeter has made his double culture a real strength, using contrasts to enrich his music. This cross-fertilization has enabled him to forge a variety of musical links, collaborating with artists such as Sting and Grand Corps Malade.
For Maalouf, this cultural and artistic richness is above all a source of inspiration and pleasure. His tribute to Kalthoum in Brussels is perfectly in line with this approach: he honors and perpetuates the Arab tradition, while reinventing it within the modern, free framework of improvisational jazz.
Oum Kalthoum: a symbol of daring and emancipation
Maalouf has positioned this project as a “celebration of women who have left their mark on history”. The role of Oum Kalthoum (who died in 1975) goes far beyond her status as the most famous singer in the Arab world.
Her story is one of strong emancipation: as a child, her father disguised her as a boy so that she could sing in public while circumventing the religious ban. As an adult, she became an independent figure and political force, organizing a world tour to raise funds for the Egyptian army after the Six-Day War. In paying tribute to her, Maalouf salutes the audacity and resilience of this cultural giant.
Jazz: a living language of tribute
Ibrahim Maalouf’s commitment demonstrates that jazz is more than just a musical genre: it’s a living language that celebrates and reinterprets the greatest legends. Whether fusing Arab maqams with Western improvisation or resurrecting the classic melodies of Kalthoum, the driving force remains the same: to keep musical history relevant, vibrant and accessible today.
From the Orient to Swing Classics
Maalouf’s “Kalthoum ” project at BOZAR is a complex event that demonstrates the limitless potential of jazz to honor the past. But for those wishing to connect with jazz history in a more immediate, classically-focused way, the capital offers other opportunities to pay tribute to the giants of the genre, such as The Jazz Room concerts.
While Maalouf celebrates the Astre d’Orient with his own compositions, The Jazz Room focuses on American icons such as Frank Sinatra or popular themes such as“Hommage à la Soul”. These two formats work hand in hand to democratize musical history. They enable music fans from all walks of life to come together to experience live the music of legendary figures, often known only through their recordings.
Whether you’re looking for the cultural audacity of Ibrahim Maalouf and Oum Kalthoum, or the immediate pleasure of a tribute to swing and soul classics, Brussels proves that the art of tribute is the key to keeping jazz history alive and accessible to all.