Jean-Pierre Smadja, aka Smadj, has a passion for two things; music and technology. Raised by Tunisian parents in the suburbs of Paris, Smadj professed an early obsession with jazz and Arabic music together with a precocious mastery of the guitar. After taking to the oud and music technology he embarked on his very own personal ambition to marry Arabic music, jazz, and digitalism with style and feeling. The first hint the world caught of this master plan was Smadj’s debut album on the Melt 2000 label, Equilibriste. Since then he has gone on to work with such legends as Natacha Atlas, Talvin Singh, Rokia Traore, Ibrahim Maalouf, Burhan Ocal and Erik Truffaz as well as with his own projects such as DuOuD, SOS, Fuck The DJ and Oud Solotronic.
He has produced 16 albums and has toured the world many times over, both as a virtuoso oud player and electro producer.
Smadj’s Melbourne show will be his newest project to date – Oud Solotronic, which is a one man show of virtuosic oud playing and live electronics in a concert setting. In true Smadj style some great local musicians will also be featured.
Melbourne’s own French gypsy swing masters, La Mauvaise Reputation will be opening the night. A show not to be missed from Australia’s most authentic interpreters of the wild rhythms and passion of 1930’s Parisian hot jazz and the beautiful melodies of classic French chanson.
