Welcome in the caravanserail
There is in Kyoto a garden of monumental stones,
work of a Zen monk. When we
walk and wherever from there we take place in this garden, stones are placed
by such way as we can count only 12. But as soon as we rise above these
stones, they appear among 13. Every time we believe to define all the
élements of the truth, there is always one of hidden.
- The research for one, it is the discovery of the other one-
MAGMA
A powerfull band, special and radical (like the kobaian, this imaginated langage similar to Karmina Burana), the musician's movements are theatrical. Mad met Christian Vander in a parisian club, "Le Gibus" in 1973, he welcomed "Magma" in his own studio because they had no proper reharsal room at the time; they stayed during three years. On that time, Didier and Francis Lockwood was also living in Mad Sheer Khan's home.
DIDIER LOCKWOOD... +
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Mad Sheer Khan and Didier Lockwood practicing in
1972 at Ivry sur Seine. Francis and Didier Lockwood came to Paris to play with
the french band "Zoo", but with no success. Alone and with no place to stay,
they have been welcomed by Mad's home and shared a same passion for music.
...DIDIER LOCKWOOD -
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In 1978, at the occasion of the recording of the
first "Rahmann" album, Mad had invited Didier who came and play on Danse Sacrée
(Rahmann / Polydor 80).
Maxi Jam with John Mc Laughlin
In april 1981, Mad had rented the Ramses Studio for an original recording. The idea was to perform with no bass. He called Jean Paul Ceccarelli on drums, and Michel Rutigliano on piano. After playing the first track, they joigned the control room to listen to it. A man, arrived recently was listenning with them. Jean Paul and Mad agreed that a bass player was missing. The man proposed to take the bass. Mad refused the offer. Everybody in the room was locked at his spot and looked at Mad. Jean Paul came next to Mad and said softly: "Why don't you want John Mc Laughlin to play the bass ?"
"John Mc Laughlin ! " Now , it's Mad asking at him to play. With a large smile, John accept. They played for hours. A superb jam, Michel on keyboard, Jean Paul on drums, John at the bass and Mad at the frettless guitar. By respect to John, Mad did always refused to make any business with this record owned by him.
During the Drama of Exile sessions
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At the Strawberry Studio, the three permanently
there was Nico, Philippe and Mad. The sessions was calm and intense. Nico was
like a little child, she was saying often "Its groovy !" with her typical accent.
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Mad had a large rack in which he had two GR 500
modules and a lot of differents effects. The instruments played during this
tour was his Dilruba and the Quater Ton Fretless Guitar.
...DRAMA OF EXILE... -
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When Mad was contacted by Nico for her Scandinavian
Tour, he had concerts at the Beaubourg center with Vasken, member of Djinn Concept.
He accepted to make the scandinavian tour with Nico at the condition that Vasken
was coming to. Vasken Solakian is an excellent Armenian multi instrumentist,
used to perform with dance and theater. They formed a duo in 1982 specialised
in Asian Minor music, mixing both Armenian and Persian music, performing oftently
at La Galerie des Lombards (Carl Izard).
...DRAMA OF EXILE... -
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Questions around Nico's harmonium. Nigel the tour
manager (left) and sound ingeniors friends.
...DRAMA OF EXILE -
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>>Listen<<
Pause at the Norvegian border, Nico and Mad go to
warm them.
METIS
July 1984, the band Metis left to right/Daniel Largent (bass), Yvo Abadie (drums) and Mad Sheer Khan (frettless guitar). Later on, Michel (Mishko) M'Ba will replaced Daniel Largent. They will turn together in Tunisia with Elysabeth Wiener.
SAFI BOUTHELLAH... +
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Mad was contacted in December 1985 to make a tour
in Algeria.
...SAFI BOUTHELLAH... -
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He welcomed the algerian high bourgeois keyboard
player who try to express himself through Jazz in his home. Mad called several
musician friends : Dominique Di Piazza (bass with Gil Evans, John Mc Laughlin,
Toufik Farrouk (libanese sax player of Fairouz wich also performed with Metis)
and Sidney Tiam at the percussions. All the pre- tour preparations was made
at the Mad Sheer Khan's Studio. Back from Japan, where he was touring with Sapho,
Mad immediatly took a plane for Algeria where he will practice and performed
during all november and december 85 in a violent political context . Civil war
actions like caserns attacks was made in the mean time.
...SAFI BOUTHELLAH -
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After the Oran concert, the band lost there plane
tickets for the benefit of deputies in a hurry. No other choice for them that
driving the full night by taxy to the opposit border up to Constantine, town
of the next concert. During this night, far inside the country, a military control
stopped them and went bad against Mad Sheer Khan because of his turban, thinking
that he was an activist. By chance, the lucky Mad escaped from this dangerous
situation. A good star, somewhere took care of him. The picture which came out
in the french newspaper, Liberation, in february 86 was taken at the arriving
of the band in Constantine where, this time, they had trouble with the islamist
because of the music they were playing.
SAPHO AND MAD... +
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During the start of the Scandinavian Tour going
trough Holland. In the backstage of the MelkWeg (Amsterdam)
...SAPHO AND MAD... -
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On stage at the Bataclan (Paris) where they recorded
a double live recording with the mobile studio "Voyager 2".
...SAPHO AND MAD... -
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At the Olympia (Paris) january 1988. The little
girl dancing is the daughter of Pierre Beaucamp, the bass player smiling behind.
...SAPHO AND MAD -
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All the Sapho crew during a tour in Algeria (but
where is Sapho ?)
RENAUD
With Renaud, in the Olympia's backstage after a Harem concert.
NILDA FERNANDEZ >>Listen<<
Nilda Fernandez at the "Theatre de la Renaissance"
(Paris) with Mad Sheer Khan During the concerts at the "Theatre de la Rennaissance",
Mad was performing out of the stage, by the public, from the audience room or
the upper circle balconies. One night, he nearly fell down from the highest
point of the theater, the public and Nilda thought that Mad, wich played so
dangerously was in control of the situation. But not at all, only his lucky
star saved him, once again.
GNAWAS +
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The Gnawas,wich came to Paris to performed with
Sapho at the Olympia, Had a personnal concert at the New Morning (Paris). They
asked Mad to make it with them.
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During the concert, a journalist from a parisian
newspaper was disturbing the concert from the audience room, screaming some
"come on Gnawas, yeah..... applause the Gnawa circus.... are they not cut and
pretty those little Gnawas.....gooood boys......."
On stage, the most youngest musicias was looking at him, the eyes full of interrogations to this curious man attitude. The Ma'alem, an 80 old man stepped out of the stage while playing each step with T'bal phrases. He was slowly walking, with difficulty, but came finaly by the journalist.Trough all this moment no musicians stopped playing. He looked at the journalist, without saying a single word, and started powerfully to make his drum talking in a precise way. It was like he was talking to an invisible world. Suddenly the music went speed, crazy. The sound took all the space. The journalist face, straight up to there , started to shake, the eyes went White, two gnawas went quickly by them to support the journalist wile the music was speeding. In the mean time that he fell in a sort of sleep, they left him gently on the floor, the eyes closed. At the end of the gig, the audience went out, the last man staying was the journalist, deeply sleeping.
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In 1999, Mad came back to Mecknes to record Gnawa
Sunrise. Lambert Boudier, the Aubert manager (as sound engeneer) and Jean Louis
himself made the trip with Mad. The recording session have been made in Mouleî
M'Bareck Os home. At the start of the recording, the voice of the muezzin nearby
called for the pray, it's the same call which is in the final recording. The
home door, wide open , left a lot of street sounds from the medina coming in.
GNAWAS -
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The Kaltex Zerbia Expo, in the "quartier de la goutte
d'or" in Paris, Mad gave two concerts, for the second one, Said came with his
gembri. It's there, in the galerie Cargo 21 that an outstanding jam session
took form. The meeting and the concert have been shooted byWilly Kaltex , showing
this uncommun moment where in the public, the wife of the beloved Maurice Cullaz
was standing.
GNAWAS -
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Icham was also there at the Kaltex Zerbia Expo as
percusionnist. With the actor Djamel, he made sketches for Canal + and had participate
at New Bled Vibration nights as MC. He plays qereqebs with Said Mesnaoui and
Hasna and played on several concerts on the Samarkand Hotel Tour.
PABEN AND SHAPOUN DAS
At the end of the afternoon, Mad came back from practicing, at the rushhour, in the parisian metro, on his way he saw two young boys looking at him. One of them say something to Mad in bengali. A french by them translate:" They want to know your name and which' instrument is in the box you're carrying Mad open the box, show a beautifull luth, and present himself. Immediatly after, the young man and his brother start to sing an improvisation around Mad's name. The voices are superb, the crowed stop walking in the metro.... Mad smile. He just met Paben Das and his brother Shapun, two young Bauls of 14 and 18 coming in France for concerts. The french man say : "They want you to come and perform with them " . Mad accept and follow the two brothers. It was in 1983.
BAPI DAS BAUL
From an ancient bengali Bauls family of , this ex Transglobal Underground played with Mad at the very first start of the Samarkand Hotel Tour. Leader of Baul Bishwa, traditional Baul band he also make some electro beat with Senses and other band he made. He invited Mad at a big concert in Francfort to perform with his traditional formation, Baul Bishwa.
ANANDO GOPAL DAS AND THE BAULS OF BENGAL
In december 1999, Anando, who still live in Bengal, near Calcutta, invited Mad to play with him at the "House of India" in Paris. They will see each oter several time and had recorded some traditional songs together. In 2000, Anando which came again in Paris to play at "La Maroquinerie" (Paris) call Mad to joign them on stage.
CARLOS DE NICARAGUA
In 1982 Carlos was fooling around the Beaubourg Art Center (Paris), a camera on hand, he was taking the things around, it's there that he saw Mad when he was performing with his band Djinn Concept. In 1995, they met again at the Rebel Art Center " Hopital Ephemere" , Carlos just stopped playing with O. La Mano Negra" as singer and toaster, he asked Mad to come and play guitar with his reggae band.
KEZIAH JONES... +
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After meeting each other in a festival in 1995,
keziah called Mad to present him to the "Troubadour"' folk club in London where
Bob Dylan played in the sixties. Later on, when he played at the Paleo Festival
of Nyons (Switzerland), Keziah called Mad to joign him in the festival and after
on stage. They played together one track, at the start of it, Keziah took of
his guitar, grabed the mic and start singing, living Mad, nice confidence proof,
playing the track in his own way .
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When he recorded in 1996 "Talisman", in London,
Mad will see him ofently. Here, a jam session in Keziah's loft in London. Mad
is playing his "made in India" Electro Sitar.
...KEZIAH JONES -
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Keziah in his home playing Mad's Sitar in 1996.
JEAN LOUIS AUBERT... +
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Many years after inviting Mad at a t.v show on Arte
in 1994 (french tv), Jean Louis asked Mad to joign the Stockholm Tour as support
band (97/98) after discovering "Talisman". (France, Belgium, Luxemburg and Reunion
Island)
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The morning of the day he played at the "Bouffe
du Nord" (ancient parisian theater), Jean Louis asked Mad to come.
...JEAN LOUIS AUBERT -
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>>Listen<<
The public was fraternal, the theater powerfull,
the beginnig of the Stockholm Tour.
STING... +
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May 98. Andy call Mad, "Are you free in july ?,
an international artist, can't tell the name yet, he is looking for musicians
for his next record, he would like to meet you". July in Paris, Mad is here,
in a big hotel, facing Sting, they talk together. At the end of the meeting,
an casting rendez-vous is taken for october. It's in Nomad studio near Paris,
where Mad is recording "1001 Nights", that the casting is made. Sting sit on
the floor, eyes closed, he is listening carrefully to the different instruments
that Mad is playing. When Mad start to play his dilruba, Sting comes next to
him , the ears by the instrument. A new appointement is taken for december,
that time, for the real recording. Sting would like Mad to come in his home,
out of France, to record. But the Mad Os Wife is pregnant and the baby will
do around this period, impossible for Mad to live Paris. No problem for Sting,
he proposes to come in Paris to make it. He choosed the 19 december, and said
" You will see, Mad, your baby will do probably the same day !..."
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Decembre19 / Nomad Studio.
Mad didn't sleep for the all night, him and his wife are in the clinic still yesterday night. "Not yet, say the doctor, probably in two days...".
Mad is deeply tired and run to the studio. His wife stay at the clinic, in case... This 19 december is also the first day of Ramadan. Sting arrive at 9 a.m, he proposes to make it to, it's a beautyfull sunny day. At the start of the afternoon, his father's wife gives a call and annonce....the birth of his new son ! At 11 pm, after a long recording day, they live each other before Mad rejoignes his baby and wife. Later on, Sting will told Mad that he will credit him on the "thank you" of his record "Brand New Day", the oriental direction sound of the album was going more to North Africa than India.
MARK HOWARD... +
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Mark is the sound ingeneer who worked for 15 years
with Daniel Lanois (in New Orleans). He produced himself the albums of Marianne
Faithful and the last Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, and U2. In 2001, he made the mix
with Mad of Moina's album Call my name at the Paramour Studio (Los Angeles).
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>>Listen
to Cherubin<<
Moina and Mad in the Paramour Studio Gardens. Splendid
hacienda located in a the center of Los Angeles in a hill . A Hollywood Star
built it in 1920. This little Palace is actualy welcoming Mark Howard studio.
MALEK
Malek, Sheikha Rimitti percussionist and Mad Sheer Khan at the New Bled Vibrations Night, invited for the Malik concert at "Le Divan du Monde" (Paris)
Taka and Mad at the Tribulum (Plastic Joe period)
Coming with a contemporary dance company in Paris, Taka stayed for a while. After meeting Mad during the "Beaubourg Center concerts", he participated with a rare création madness to the atypics moments of the Art Gallery de Lombards meetings organized by Joelle Carl Izard and Mad Sheer Khan. The night of the Andrewj K.Wisniewsky preview(angravor and painter) at the Galerie des Lombards, Taka which was dancing in a mummy costume of plastic bandelette, suddenly run at the window and jumped of to the void without any warning. By chance the Art Gallery was at the first floor, but from those ancient centuries floor who make you badly feel and remenber it. While every one was running at the window, Taka came in there back, without stopping his dance under the applauses and the screams
...TAKA
A modern dance mixing Martial Arts and Kabuki theater.
Antoine Giacomoni - à travers le miroir -1983
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Antoine, my Corsican brother, the one i met in Paris
during a photo session with Armande Altai and later again in London, at Clarendon
Road, where we shared the same home with Philippe, Nadeth and Nico. At the "Galerie
des Lombards", that i made him discover, a superb exhibition showed his beautyfull
work. The music, that he so oftently honored, in his little lamps theater, gave
him a tribute through concerts, first at the Galerie and after in a parisian
club called the "Palace".
Antoine Giacomoni - 1993 -
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Ten years after, a session in his "atelier / studio"
at " la Bastille" (Paris). Since few years this Light Knight came to Corsica
were he is continuing his road.
Tokyo Calling
At the end of 80 th, after meeting Mad through Sapho and Harem, the japonese newspaper Tokyo Calling asked him to become for them a Paris guide and show "his" town.
Musée des Arts Forains
Jean Paul Favand is a protector of the quality celebrations. Since years, he is collecting ancient tivolies games and rare furnitures issued of it.(Tribulum, Musée des Arts Forains, Les Pavillons de Bercy). The Life Style Art of Favand is to ask to a Viking Opera singer to perform with Mad playing the luth. And to deposit at there feet a blue salt river with wood horses heads emmerging from it. To install them in a Venitian kings trone hanging up, and all thes for the birthday of Mister Robert Doisnau himself. (this picture was taken during another party where Mad played with the ex-Gong Didier Malherbe).
Zerbia 2001 +
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Soizic and Willy Kaltex are two urbains nomads making
paintings and sculpures which have the taste of spyces from Thailand and the
sweet of marocans siestas. The two are oftenly one, become again two and give
us always the space and the horizon in there compositions. In april 2001, they
lands in a art gallerie by La Goutte d'Or, after a long of trip in Maroco. Nomad
exhibition who welcommed Mad for the ending. Unforgetable concerts which made
a contact unbetween Said Mesnaoui and Mad Sheer Khan just before mixing Moina's
album in Los Angeles.
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If you don't come to the gart gelerie, the art galerie
will come to you.
Galerie Cargo 21
Polaroid from Hamid Houchebouq 2001. Hamid took this moment and gave an immediat interpretation while the music was running.(Cargo 21 / Paris)
young movie director
A surprising short cut about the liberty and the impossible slavery of an animal which turn into derisory the idea of rentability and marketing. Mad composed the music
With Pierre François Moreau
Reading in an anarchist parisian art gallery of the last book of Pierre François Moreau "Les Malpassés"
OL - une trêve - (CEUX QUE JE TUTOIE/EMI)
Dans une galerie anarchiste du 14ème à Paris, lecture du dernier livre de Pierre François Moreaux "Les Malpassés".
