Toufic Farroukh is a saxophonist and composer with many years of experience as a performer, session musician, producer and teacher. After studying at the École Normale de Musique in Paris from 1985 – 1989, he settled permanently in Paris and released Ali on Broadway in 1994, Little Secrets in 1998, and Drab Zeen in 2002, an album that sold 40,000 copies worldwide that helped Farroukh break into the international music scene. He followed those with Tootya in 2006, Cinéma Beyrouth in 2011, Villes Invisibles in 2016, and 8 Original Soundtracks in 2020. His signature sound reflects an eclecticism and affinity with Eastern and Western cultures. He’s also written a fair amount of music for film soundtracks and contemporary dance shows.

To understand the backstory of his latest album, Untamed Elegance, one must go back to 2017 when Farroukh accepted a commission to write “À la frontière de…” (“at the border of …”).  Written by Toufic Farroukh and co-arranged by pianist Leandro Aconcha, the collaboration paired the world of jazz with that of symphonic music to create a 50-minute suite for orchestra and jazz quartet. It premiered in 2018 in Beirut with the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra and Toufic Farroukh Quartet. In 2019, it was presented with the Orchestre Symphonique du C.R.R de Paris.

In a project that took three years to conceive, Untamed Elegance features Farroukh and Aconcha, along with a smaller ensemble of about a dozen playing strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion. Instrumental colorings of guitar, oboe, English horn, French horn, and Middle Eastern percussion also tastefully flavor the musical arrangements. “Out of the Blue” opens the project with a cinematic feeling, before an adaptation of a Serbian folk dance, “Silene” imparts a jazzy groove to the lively melody. Roberto Garcia’s guest vocals on “Caer Ahwak” are sturdy and warm, and they are complemented nicely by Nelson Veras’ acoustic guitar and orchestra. By track five, “Nahawand” is painting a vivid, vibrant world picture nurtured by multiple genres including Arabic, Brazilian, Balkan, Jazz and Classical influences. Untamed Elegance is a powerful, carefully-cultivated set of music that exudes a copious amount of masterful artistic expression that knows no boundaries. (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)