Mourad Benhammou is a French jazz musician. He has released over 60 albums as a leader and sideman. He has performed at several festivals in Tunisia, in Tabarka in 2002 with pianist Wajdi Chérif’s trio, and at the Carthage International Festival with Faouzi Chekili and singer Deborah Brown.
After leading the “Jazzworkers” and touring for fifteen years in France and abroad with this hard bop quintet, here is the new project of drummer Mourad Benhammou: “Soulfuls Drums”!
“I wanted to find a different orchestral sound through more original instrumentation, such as this unique combination of organ, vibraphone, guitar, tenor saxophone, and drums, which gives a certain color that allows the music to be arranged and sounded differently.”
The specter of hard bop jazz hovers over a repertoire of compositions by McDuff and musicians who played in his orchestra, notably at the time the young and still little-known “Goeoge Benson,” who provided the opening theme song for the “Soulful Drums” concerts with the highly charismatic piece “Shadow Dancers.”
This energetic quintet also features compositions by Les McCann and Harold Ousley, including “Haitian Lady,” “Rock a Bye,” “Scream,” “Blues & Tonic,” “Soul Woman,” “Greasy Drums,” and “My Three Sons.”
This project, which began more than four years ago with tours at several festivals such as Jazz à Colmar, “Jazz sous les Vignes” in Visan, and in Parisian clubs, reveals an original and inspiring sound, combining César Pastre’s organ and Niholas Thomas’s vibraphone, supported by Yoan Fernanzdez’s guitar, Davis Sausay’s saxophone, and frontman Mourad Benhammou on drums.
It’s also worth noting that for the past two years, Mourad Benhammou has been touring internationally with one of the last guitarists to play with brother Jack McDuff: New York guitarist Mark Whitfield.
