Amal Choucri Catta attends a concert by the promising though unprofessional rock band March Cairene audiences are being provided with a great deal to occupy their evenings this summer: around sixty different musical performances scheduled for the two hottest months, July and August, at Cairo Opera's open-air theatre, include the Oriental and International. Among the former, audiences have already applauded performances by Egypt's first harpist, Manal Mohieddine, as well as by the stars of opera, tenor Sobhi Bedeir and soprano Nevine Allouba singing popular tunes in different languages, while several ensembles of light music and recently formed jazz-bands are giving listeners the best they have. It must be said, however, that though talented and often quite promising, they can neither be internationally, nor locally considered as professionals. Their musicians, mainly young guitarists, drummers and pianists frequently seem quite remarkable, but real coordination is sometimes lacking and their sound systems are either chaotic or deafening. This summer's offering evidently includes Arabic songs, Sudanese and Latin-American music, as well as music by the Iraqi star of Oud, Nassir Shamma, percussionist Nesma Abdel Aziz and singers Azza Balbaa, Medhat Saleh and renowned pianist and composer Omar Khairat with his Combo-band. This year, however, all musical performances are limited to the opera's open-air theatre and to Alexandria's Kom-el-Dekka arena: the venues at Cairo's Citadel are being renovated and spectacles have therefore been cancelled. Until last year, Summer performances at the Citadel had been the season's main event: they had started around twenty years ago, with the late Maestro Youssef El-Sissi concentrating primarily on classical music, with Cairo's symphonists and other instrumentalists forming an orchestra "of the summer festival", dubbed at a latter date "Festival Orchestra." Scheduled at irregular intervals, the Citadel's concerts attracted a certain elite who enjoyed the music as well as the gentle breeze and the meditative atmosphere under the stars. In later years, however, the scenery changed and the Citadel venue was overrun by unlimited masses of chattering women, screaming children and countless families of the Citadel's neighbourhood who had little or no interest in classical or romantic music. The opera therefore decided to concentrate on light music and popular songs, on jazz and evergreens. Though the idea was pleasing to many, it was not to the liking of local masses who kept asking for Arabic music, popular songs and folklore. Which they finally got. Programmes at the Citadel's different venues concentrated mainly on popular Arabic performances, with rare touches of jazz and rock for the "friends of occidental music." In due time performances often lacked quality and the masses lost interest. They henceforth came only for the breeze and the company, enjoying the children's din and their own chatter. Musicians often had a hard time making themselves heard and the few who had come to listen to music soon walked away, shaking their heads in sorrow. This summer, therefore, the Opera decided time was ripe for an overhaul. The Citadel's venues were closed and performances were limited to the open-air theatre in the hope of attracting a large number of audiences each night, which is evidently not the case. Due to the rather disappointing quality of a number of recently founded ensembles, and due also to the heat and humidity prevailing until late evening hours, people often prefer to stay in their air-conditioned homes and watch TV. Performances such as "Sobhi and Friends" however, never fail to see the masses come marching in, whereas ensembles such as "Andromeda" or "March", though rather on the popular side, fail to attract audiences in enormous numbers. Andromeda's sound system is quite often unbearable and March lacks real professionalism. The latter performed last Saturday at the open-air theatre: a five-man band created seven years ago by Amr Hussien, singer-poet with lots of charisma, who also writes the lyrics and music for all "March songs", most of which he presents at each of his concerts. The band furthermore comprises Samir Bayoumi on the piano and keyboard, Tamer Anwar at the guitar, Ossama Salah, bass and Ahmed Nassaan, drums. Late and taking considerable time opening their concert, they then started out on a rocky ride to inner space, rounding up the earliest and the latest in rock and popular songs beginning with Elvis Presley's "Don't be cruel", before presenting one of their originals "Cupid", a charming ditty with Hussien complaining about the "lover that only makes me cry", just "giving him lies all the time." For the next tune, he had a guest, Hassan El-Tawil, who returned in the second part for a duet with Hussien. The band has a mixed repertoire of Elvis, the Beatles, Dire Straits, the Police, the Doors and others, though they present as many of their own originals as possible, such as "Baby", a love song, filled with tender, haunting words and quite agreeable music, or "Dawn", a rather meditative song, with a beautiful melody by pianist Samir Bayoumi, and words filled with hope by Hussien: "When you are sad and down, just close your eyes and think of a better tomorrow. It will be here some day, then things will go your way...." One of the songs Hussien sang was "Floral explosion" of his own composition: "there's a floral explosion every time I see your face." He also gave his audience "OK", wishing everyone well though he is far away "from the only girl I'll love until the very end." Every second song was one of March's, which was quite a good idea, though it must be said that the entire show was lacking professionalism. Amr Hussien is undoubtedly a very talented young musician, in dire need, however, of a good coach and an even better director. Hussien's presence on stage is rather unconvincing, giving the impression that the concert has not been submitted to a definite plan: he talks too often with his musicians and takes too many sips from his water-bottle. Hussien has undoubtedly a very good voice, which he does not use adequately and his attitude on stage turns the show into a rehearsal, not into a professional show. March certainly has potential, talent, good ideas and good musicians: they are a promising band in need of hard work and good coaches to reach a level of professionalism which may not be too far away.
