BIOGRAPHY

Chaouki Smahi, born 1963 in Morocco and brought up in Algeria, is both a musician and IT Specialist. His love for music goes back to his childhood, but his father's wish was that he should concentrate on his studies. He built his own instruments secretly and practised whenever he could spare some time. Already in his home country the autodidact played with great musicians such as Cheb Hassni and Cheb Khaled and starred in numerous radio and tv broadcasts. At the age of 27, Chaouki Smahi went to Germany where he took his doctor's degree in IT, worked and played music. His wide range of talents brought him success on all levels. In 2005 he moved to Switzerland and he now lives in Zug.

His music

Chaouki Smahi is one of the greatest masters of the oud, the Arabic lute. He also plays the violin and other instruments, he sings and composes. In his innovative compositions, modern urban and traditional rhythms are fused in a new and complete form. The different cords of the North African music are inspired by Arabic and Andalusian musical traditions and influenced by modern Algerian Raï music and Desert Grooves. Combined with contemporary elements of jazz, a new and independent sound is created interweaving tradition and cosmopolitan jazz language. The result is a broad range of multifarious world music which is sometimes very dynamic and electrifying and at other times contemplative, deeply touching the heart of the listener.

His projects with other musicians

After accompanying Wadi El Safi, the king of Arabic music, on his German tour Chaouki Smahi also worked with other world famous musicians. He met jazz saxophonist Charlie Mariano at a concert. Subsequently Charlie Mariano, Chaouki Smahi and his brother Yahia Smahi, an excellent percussionist and bassist, set up the formation Nassim (morning breeze). They have performed on numerous occasions and also composed a Nassim-CD which have been produced by Dave King.

Mike Herting and Ramesh Shotam are members of Nassim.

Beside the Nassim project with Charlie Mariano the Smahi Brothers also accompanied the legendary saxophonist Pharoa Sanders (music partner of John Coltrane) on one of his European tours. Also, they were invited to the United States of America by Pharoa Sanders. They played together in several concerts, e.g. in the New York Jazz Club "Iridium" and at the International Jazz Festival in Hollywood. In the United States of America, the Smahi Brothers also worked with Roy Badal, the percussionist of Miles Davis.

In addition to this, Chaouki Smahi organized a unique charity concert to benefit the Algerian victims of an earthquake. International top musicians of different musical and religious backgrounds (Christians, Muslims and Buddhists) united in a German church and played jazz together. Taking part with the Smahi Brothers, were Charlie Mariano, bassist Dave King, T.A.S. Mani, the Indian drum genius and founder of the Indian Karnataka College of Percussion, his student Ramesh Shotam, the Indian master of vocal improvisation R.A. Ramamani and last but not least Quique Sinesi, the Argentine guitarist whose music contains elements of classical tango and jazz.