This CD has been recorded on the occasion of Charlie Mariano's 85th birthday (November 21th). Chaouki Smahi met Charlie Mariano for the first time in a marvellous Concert "Charlie Mariano Friends" which took place in Leverkussen in 1993 on the occasion of his 70th birthday. As from that date, a fruitful musical partnership began. Besides that, a very deep friendship characterised by mutual admiration and respect was born. This CD represents a symbol of a 15 year deep Sadaaka (friendship) About Charlie Mariano: Charlie attended Berklee School of Music and studied saxophone with Joe Viola. During the first decades of his musical life and career, he still got the chance to see and listen to Charlie Parker and he played in particular with Stan Kenton, Shelly Manne, Frank Rosolino, Charles Mingus and in a quartet with Toshiko Akiyoshi. In 1962 he played with Charles Mingus, recording the album The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady with him in 1963. After having lived several years in Japan with Toshiko until 1965, he returned to Boston where he started teaching at the Berklee School of Music. He was sent to Malaysia on US Government grant to coach the Radio Malaysia Orchestra. Frequent travels brought him around the world, to Malaysia and to South India where he got into contact with the world of Indian Music and he began playing the nadasvaram, a South Indian wind instrument . Since the 1980's he has been mostly living in Europe, first in the Netherlands and for the last years in Cologne, a city he appreciates very much because of it's open and cultural urban flair. Working with groups such as Ambush ( Stu Martin, Barre Phillips, and Peter Warren), Eberhard Weber's Colours, Jasper van't Hof and Pork Pie,The United Jazz and Rock Ensemble All his life, he has been open to the different cultures of the world, meeting musicians from around the world such as the Karnataka College of Percussion, Dino Saluzzi, Rabih Abou-Khalil or the Brothers Smahi from Algeria. He was one of the first musicians who integrated ethnic elements into jazz and thus had a strong influence on the European jazz scene since the 1970's. The saxophone play of Charlie Mariano is full of melodic and sensible lines. Chaouki Smahi Born in 1963 in Morocco and brought up in Algeria, Chaouki Smahi is both musician and Computer Sciences Specialist. Besides being one of the greatest masters of the Oud (Arab lute), he plays violin and other musical instruments. In addition to that, he sings and composes songs. His music which is combined mostly by contemporary elements of Jazz is inspired by Arab and Andalusian traditions and influenced by Algerian Rai music and desert grooves. In his home country, Chaouki Smahi who is a an autodidact musician, has performed with great musicians such as Cheb Hasni and Cheb Khaled. After his post-graduation studies in computer-sciences in Germany, he had the opportunity to perform with many great musicians. Among these musicians, there are Wadi Essafi, the "King" of the Arab music whom he accompanied on his German Tour in 1995, the legendary saxophonist Pharoa Sanders with whom he performed in international jazz festivals in the United States of America in 2001. His first contact with Charlie Mariano took place in Leverkussen in 1993 in a concert organised on the occasion of Charlie Mariano's 75th birthday. As from that date, an important friendly musical cooperation started. Arab rhythms got mixed with jazz melodies.