Aâma

Winner of the 2024 Golden Jazz Trophy (Audience Award and Jury Award) and regional finalist in the 2025 Inouïs du Printemps de Bourges competition (Hauts-de-France), Aâma was formed when guitarist Bertrand Maïlar and singer Emma Prat came together. The group was formed in Lille in 2023, with the addition of Sami Foukani-Descamps on double bass, Julien Girard on piano, and Xavier Pernet on drums and percussion. Influenced by musicians from diverse backgrounds (Anne Paceo, Lionel Loueke, Carla Bley...) as well as by the folk music of Chad and Lebanon, the quintet offers a style of jazz open to traditional music, song, and sonic experimentation. Their first EP is set for release on May 29, 2024, and a debut album is expected in the spring of 2026. Solar and hypnotic, alchemical and shamanic, the quintet explores the frontiers of jazz, blending Eastern melodies with the sounds of Central Africa. With soaring instrumental and vocal passages and a touch of progressive rock, Aâma (“global,” “common” in Arabic) creates its own unique space, placing sharing, emotional engagement, and improvisation at the heart of its creative approach.

Line-up:

• Emma Prat (vocals, effects)
• Bertrand Maïlar (guitar)
• Julien Girard (piano)
• Sami Foukani-Descamps (double bass)
• Xavier Pernet (drums)