Zied Zouari VIOLINIST, COMPOSER AND ARRANGER
One of the key figures of the Arabic violin and a specialist in musical fusion.
Born in Sfax in 1983 into a family of musicians. He began his professional career with the Lebanese singer «Wadi SAFλ in 1999.
Zied performs solo at the Carthage international festival (Tunis, Tunisia), the “Institut du Monde Arabe”, the Zénith, the Champs Elysées theatre, the “Théâtre de la Ville de Paris”, and the Cigale (Paris, France).
He holds the DEM in Jazz Violin from the CNR of Paris (2012), the PhD in Music and Musicology from the Sorbonne, and the Didier Lockwood Diploma from the CMDL (2014).
In 2015, he won the “best performer” award at the “Journées Musicales de Carthage. Tunis, Tunisia” for the presentation of his solo concert.
Carthage International Festival : Electro Btaihi
It is with the piece "Safa" (first name and a style of Turkish music) that the group chose, together with the Tunisian violinist Zied Zouari, to express its sorrow and share the pain of Tunisia by imposing a certain meditation.
On May 15, 2015, it is 6:30 pm when Zied Zouari enters the stage. His quartet composed of a guitarist from France, a bassist from Turkey and a drummer, percussionist from Armenia, entchanted from the first notes, the audience is rather receptive, a beautiful evening is coming. The songs follow one another, some entirely instrumental, others with lyrics in Turkish, in English, or even onomatopoeias covered in chorus by the four musicians. The audience does not get up yet, it reserves itself, but it is already conquered by this outstanding violinist.
As part of the official competition for ensemble, the “Journées Musicales de Carthage” have scheduled for the evening of Monday, March 16, 2015, at the Municipal Theatre. Tunis, Tunisia, two concerts: Zied Zouari and Mohamed Iheb Jelaili, two young Tunisian music virtuoso's. The two musicians delighted the audience present by their musical performances where there was a lot of research and professionalism.
Maqâm Roads is the project of an artist who goes off the beaten track, a protagonist with a career full of encounters with musicians from all over the world. With his violin or viola, Zied Zouari recounts the reminiscence of an ancestral song with contemporary rhythms, a story out of the ordinary and which constantly uses the journey. To do this, the violinist meets with two great musicians, Julien Tekeyan on drums and percussion from Armenia and Abdurrahman Tarikci on bass, Saz and singer from Turkey.
In the open air and under a beautiful sun, the trio Maqâm Roads delighted the public of Chellah by performing the greatest titles of his repertoire namely «flowers» or « Lettre à Ikbel ». From the first minutes of the show, Maqâm Roads created an atmosphere that was both spiritual and mysterious.
How do you define “Electro Btaihi” to the public?
It is the fusion of tradition with modernity: a project halfway between the ancestral chants that had always interested me: with each composition, with each creation, there is always this identity which is the base of all the modern touch of rock, of electro hip-hop. We use a lot of special effects which is the crossroads between underground and traditional music which always been our aim.
Did you use specific criteria to choose your guest artists?
There was a remote work of essence: I have trusted artists, people from the field who advised me about potential artists. I opt a lot for young people.
How did your collaboration with Goran Bregovic go?
It’s the dream every time! It was beautiful. He is the king of Balkan music, I dreamed of meeting him before and I find myself nowadays guest of honor on his album.
Zied Zouari with Robert Plant Justin Adam's and Imed Alibi at the Womad Festival - UK 2014
Rich of a scenic experience of more than 20 years. Zied Zouari is established as a reference in the contemporary Arabic violin language by developing a fusion approach that traces his influences from Afro-Arab music to classical music and Jazz.
Contacts:
Tel Fr. : 0033603035368
Tel Tn. : 0021622616878
Email : Zied.zouari@gmail.com
Facebook : www.facebook.com/ziedzouarimusic
Instagram : Instagram.com/ziedzouari1
Production France : guillaume@accords-croises.com
Production Tunisie : web-arts@gmail.com
Website : www.zouarizied.com