Magic Malik Orchestra

Under the name Magic Malik Orchestra, flutist and composer Malik Mezzadri has developed in France a collective project situated between contemporary jazz, improvised music and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. Born in Abidjan in 1969 and passing through Guadeloupe before settling in mainland France, Magic Malik emerged on the French jazz scene in the 1990s, first as an instrumentalist and later as the leader of his own ensembles, following collaborations notably with Julien Lourau. With Magic Malik Orchestra he emphasizes dense rhythmic writing, mobile arrangements and sequences open to improvisation, while keeping the flute at the center of a language that draws as much from funk as from contemporary music. The project evolves at the boundary of several scenes — from jazz to more experimental forms — with a marked taste for polyrhythms, offset unisons and the interplay between composition and collective playing. Magic Malik Orchestra thus designates an extension of Magic Malik’s universe, conceived as an ensemble space rather than a mere accompaniment to the soloist.