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Everything looked just like a “small Olympia” (Editor’s note: Olympia is a well-known celebration hall in France). The musicians were so excited when they arrived to the fetish hall of “Think Lebanon”. It is the Alhambra hall in fact, an old glowing Genevan celebration area, graciously arranged by the Genevan Municipality and the vice mayor, Patrice Mugny. This hall was chosen by the association to organize this new episode of solidarity with the organizations that work permanently on the Lebanese terrain.
Along with tens of volunteers, artists came to help the “Child of Lebanon” organization, and especially the children of Doctor Khaled foundation in Ouzai. The symbols of this solidarity are Dalia and Dyala, the two girls who asked their friends to turn their gifts into donations on their eleventh birthday. This is a very moving step that came to increase the 15 000 dollars collected from this concert.
Swiss people and members of the international community of Geneva mingled with the Lebanese people who came from Lausanne, Annecy, and the four corners of Geneva to support this cause. The Lebanese ambassador to Switzerland, Hussein Rammal came also all the way from Berne to take part in the event.
Lili s’en fout !
Almost 300 persons participated in this astonishing concert with Toufic and his five musicians, including the Lebanese trumpet player Ibrahim Maalouf. A delightful ambiance with three resonating compositions: “No problem, no solution”, “Dance for my father”, and “Guerre Civile”, along with an Ennio Morricone-style dead march from the soundtrack “Terra Incognita”, filmed by Ghassan Salhab. “I hope to take the audience on a journey, to show them another image of Lebanon, a less stereotyped image, and of course this is what my music style stands for”, explained the composer.
After this great ending that affected the audience, the Nay resonated once again in the middle of the tuba, the saxophone, the cymbals, the drums, the trombone, and the trumpet… In two words: Absolute Orchestra. The East joined the West, a mixture that softened the hearts of the aficionados who came to enjoy this great event.
From the « missed » homage of Toufic to Tango that he incarnated in “Like Desire”, to “Sacrecrow and Peacock” directly released from the stinging “Tootya”, the liking points bound together, under the yellow, orange, and red projectors, just like an amber rosary that shines in the sun. A breathtaking trombone solo, an enchanting Nay, frenetic drums, and a spectacular saxophone took the audience on a magical cloud straight to the sparkling “Lili s’en Fout” (Lili doesn’t care).
Lili, this neighbour who was found after twenty five years, couldn’t remember Toufic, the man who was seduced by a wonderful woman. Nowadays, he is nostalgic about Lebanon and his adolescence. “Ça se fait, ça se fait pas, je m’en fous”(whether it is done, or not, I don’t care!), says the song. And to replace the dazzling voice of Yasmine Hamdan, the promising voice of Farroukh hesitated. He smiled and went on with his performance. But the alchemistry was strongly there; he persisted and seduced the audience even more. With a delicacy, tinted with lightness, Lili invaded the audience hearts.
A Unique Concert
As for Fayrouz, the other « neighbour » Toufic honored, “the world is in need of people like her”. The “Fayrouz Blues” he performed at the end of the celebration “is a love letter for a unique lady”.
This unique concert will remain engraved in the memory of each member of the group who was playing for the first time in such a configuration. “And, of course, the associative dimension linked to this evening is here to enrich this memory”, said Faroukh.
Concerning “Think Lebanon”, it seems so satisfied: despite the Eurofoot competition and despite the celebration of one of the most rare spring parties, the musicians were able to stand still and bring happiness to jazz amateurs who were delighted to be part of such a friendly event. This meeting and this harmony between two worlds is a real musical firework.
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