At the Mahka of the Salaheddin Citadel, surrounded by the history and heritage of Islamic Cairo, American jazz violinist Chelsey Green and her Green Project band – Kevin Powe Jr (bass), Nate Perry Jr (keys) and Spyda Wheatley on drums – teamed up with the celebrated singer Dina El-Wedidi and the Grammy award-winning composer Fathy Salama to give a concert they named Al-Hakawatya (or “The Storytellers”) on 28 February, which they repeated at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on 3 March. The first leg of 35-day tour that includes Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Moldova. it was their first visit to Egypt. “We're excited to be in Egypt as a part of American Music Abroad (AMA) to collaborate and share musically with such incredible artists,” Green said. “This was really an opportunity for us to expand creatively by learning about Egyptian musical traditions. At the same time, we wanted to share our own musical style. We've been writing a lot of new music and we couldn't wait to see how people connect to what we do. I didn't expect the reaction of the audience in last night's concert to be so positive. It was overwhelming and fun on stage, people from all ages were very energetic; jumping, clapping their hands and vigorously dancing, even the rehearsals before the concerts were enjoyable, and people were very nice and lovable.” Green's music has been described as “vivacious” and “electrifying”: she creates innovative jazz out of a heritage form. Green and her ensemble tear down stereotypes of the violin and viola by fusing traditional, classical technique with various genres including R&B, pop, soul, funk, jazz, alternative, hip hop and gospel. The Green Project uniquely arranges popular songs and presents enticing original pieces in the spirit of jazz's greatest innovators. Likewise in Egypt: folk music and traditional songs are being re-imagined in creative ways to create new alternatives by contemporary aesthetics. Revivalists such as Dina El-Wedidi are deconstructing elements of traditional tones and lyrics, removing them from their original music-cultures to re-contextualise them in new socio-cultural settings. “This experience gave us an opportunity to show Egyptians who we are as musicians and to learn a lot from El-Wedidi and Salama and exchange with them new musical styles and techniques. Both El-Wedidi and I presented our original work, as well as a collaborative fusion produced by Salama. It was a unique representation of two musicians who both blend roots music into contemporary forms.” Green's rendition of the great composer-singer Mohamed Abdel-Wahab's The Eternal River mesmerised the audience. “We were listening to a lot of Arabic music in preparation but this was my first time to actually perform it.” Green believes that there is a connection between African music and its Egyptian counterpart in percussions and rhythm, as in the blues where there are similarities in emotion and delivery even though the notes are not the same. The violin, Green's first passion, is another point of connection. “I started playing violin aged four then I began performing when I was seven at the church. In middle school, I started formally jazz voice classes and playing as well.” A native of Houston, Texas, Green was born into a family of jazz and funk musicians. Though inundated with music of all genres, she focused on classical music, studying both privately and in the Houston public school system. Green went on to receive a scholarship for classical viola studies at the University of Texas at Austin where she graduated and went on to receive her Master's in Viola Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University; she is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland College Park. “While studying classical masterpieces,” she recounts, “I was bored of the classical music and auditions so I had a vision to form an ensemble that could utilise live string performance to enhance current popular music, just as it did in the days of Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Michael Jackson and others. In 2010, I met drummer Spyda, bassist Kevin and pianist Nate and our dream became reality upon the formation of our ensemble, the Green Project. We released our debut CD, Still Green: The EP in April 2012.” But Green is not simply a surname. “Green stands for peace, a message the band promotes, something fresh, new and different and it is my personal stamp on how I play jazz music.” After their critically acclaimed second release, The Green Room in 2014, Green and her band celebrated the Christmas season with their first holiday single, Sleigh Ride, released in December 2015. Contemporary, festive and soulful, this original interpretation of a favourite holiday classic illustrates violin re-identified. Green has also shared the stage with international artists including Stevie Wonder, Maysa, Jeff Bradshaw, Jazz in Pink, Chrisette Michele, Frank McComb and others. Classically soloing in New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall at the age of 16, she has since performed in many highly regarded venues around the world, including the Late Show with David Letterman, the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, NAACP National Convention, Saint Lucia Jazz Festival, White House Correspondents' Dinner Reception, BET Honors Dinner, Essence Music Festival, Macy's Herald Square, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival and the John F. Kennedy Center. “The artistic collaboration of Ms Green and her band with Dina El-Wedidi and Fathy Salama reminds us of the power and attraction of cross-cultural exchange and expression,” said Adnan Siddiqi, Counselor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy, Cairo. “As we approach the end of Black History Month in the United States, we are thrilled to bring Chelsey to Egypt to share her amazingly diverse repertoire, and her message of peace and friendship.” Green's visit is being supported through the U.S. Department of State's American Music Abroad (AMA) programme, which sends talented musicians abroad as Cultural Ambassadors. Ever since famed trumpeter Louis Armstrong visited Egypt in 1961, the US Embassy has highlighted American jazz and the contributions of African-Americans to the arts through various programmes and activities. The AMA programmes allow American musicians to go on month-long, multi-country tours around the world, during which they engage with international audiences through public concerts, interactive performances with local musicians, jam sessions, workshops and media interviews. The theme for AMA 2017 is “Re-imagined Pasts”, and it showcases the parallel and revived music roots, American and Egyptian artists working together. “Reimagined Pasts” is funded by the US Embassy in Cairo in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Ministry of Culture. This concert was the first in a series of events and projects featuring music, heritage, design, poetry and literature, along with workshops and discussions with creative professionals from across the United States and Egypt.
