Toufic Farroukh, born in 1958 in Beirut, Lebanon, is a saxophonist, percussionist, and composer. He began playing the saxophone at age 10 under the guidance of his brother. During the Lebanese Civil War, Farroukh formed the group Al Ard with Issam Haj Ali and Elia Saba. In 1984, he moved to Paris to study at the École Normale de Musique. His breakthrough came in 1990 with the release of his first album, Ali on Broadway. Farroukh gained international recognition with subsequent albums such as Little Secrets (1998) and Drab Zeen (2002), which sold over 40,000 copies worldwide. He formed Toufic Farroukh & the Absolut Orchestra in 2000, performing at notable festivals including the North Sea Jazz Festival and Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés. His work includes film scores for movies like Terra Incognita (2004) and Falafel (2006).
