Cairo Jazz Rocks Another Tune

By: Tarnim Hany Nan

@TarnimH

On October 11, and in the heart of Cairo’s AUC Greek Campus, the 11th edition of the Cairo Jazz Festival created an aura full of energy that was given life with melodious music, granting a taste of modernism to one of Egypt’s most timeworn neighborhoods, Tahrir.

“The Cairo Jazz Festival aims to widespread jazz to reach more people, not only as a music genre but as a thought and a life experience with its ideas, freedom of expression and innovation,” said Amro Salah, pianist and founder of the festival.

The Cairo Jazz Festival, although it’s not the festival’s first edition, opened the door to question the appeal of jazz music in Egypt, in contrast to other genres and mainstreams.

“It is the sophistication of jazz music … not every genre has that type of complexity that strikes a chord in the heart,” said Amena El Abd, a lead singer in the jazz band Circle of Four, the opening performer of the festival and a music technology sophomore at AUC.

“Jazz is different and enchanting. There is something that draws you to it. It reaches directly to the soul,” said Opera Singer Hala Omar.

This rising movement of jazz in Egypt arrives after many editions of the festival, jam sessions, music workshops and a distinct increase in the size of the jazz enthusiasts in Egypt’s independent music scene.

“I’ve been going to jazz concerts over the years and tonight [at the festival], I saw that there were a lot more people performing, attending and truly appreciating jazz than there were two years ago,” said Tala Radwan, pop singer.

El Abd believes that what happened to the jazz scene over the past few years is intentional.

“Musicians didn’t go with the flow. They created that flow. They knew what they were doing,” El Abd added.

“If you want your music to directly connect with listeners, it should be crafted in a way that allows people to get to know themselves more and of course know you as a person,” said Maya Morshed, jazz singer.

Morshed elaborated by saying that personality is the emotional part of music. In other words, this is what the music contains for the individual listener.

“Jazz has affected humanity due to it being a human experience more than a music style,” Radwan said.

Radwan further explained that jazz is full of emotions and it always has a story to tell.

Despite the considerably increasing jazz fan base in Egypt, artists are aware that it is a very acquired music taste.

“I know that the music genre I provide is quite different from what is now the mainstream; but, I feel that some people are seeking to listen to different music genres and I want to grant them that,” El Abd added.

The festival’s goal is to make jazz just as appealing to Egyptian ears as current mainstream music. Thus in addition to concerts, the festival is offering educational activities, music workshops, jam sessions and open mic as part of this year’s program.

“Jazzinino is an incredible workshop offered for kids who are musically inclined and their parents want them to develop their skills,” said Haidy Kamal, a parent whose kids have attended the workshop the past two years.

Jazzinino is offered by the Cairo Jazz Festival for children. The program includes young talent showcases, a workshop and a jam session with some of the international musician guests of the Cairo Jazz Festival.

“The shared passion for jazz music, the outstanding level of the participating musicians and the overwhelming dedication put into this event will guarantee its ongoing success this year as much, or more, as it did before,” said Maryam Talal, an organizer at the Cairo Jazz Festival.

The Cairo Jazz Festival, organized by Agwa Productions from October 10 till 12, took place at the AUC Tahrir campus and expands its concerts over the city at Cairo Jazz Club, Darb 1718, ROOM Art space and NWT.

This year’s line-up featured bands from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary, Morocco, Austria, Portugal, Luxembourg and Italy.