Rami Khalife

Pianist Rami Khalifé is the son of master oud player Marcel Khalifé, but plays nothing like his father. Far removed from world, Arabic or Middle Eastern musics, the acoustic keyboardist is more akin to modern spontaneous pianists like Cecil Taylor, Misha Mengelberg, Fred VanHove, Charlemagne Palestine, or Denman Maroney. While not quite the hyper-pianist that they are, his brilliance is clearly evident, using a technique that in many instances is restrained.