Last week, Cairo witnessed one of its biggest music nights. Rania Khallaf was won over by all that jazz What could be more gripping than an open air jazz music performance set in an elegant garden surrounded by lush trees? It sounds like a dream, and surely it was. The initiative for the nine-day jazz festival, or "Jazz Factory", came just two months ago when it was broached by a European Commission delegation to Cairo, in cooperation with several European embassies in Cairo. Organised by Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafi, increasingly considered by many young people as a legitimate cultural outlet to world culture, the event opened last Wednesday with a prestigious cocktail party for the city's beautiful people held in the historic Manial Palace. Soft drinks and wine were served in a sociable atmosphere where the guests' beaming faces conjured images of the classic celebrations of the last century. A few minutes before nine, people began to flock to the impressive stage area. Walking in the corridors of the palace's beautiful garden with its huge old trees was an artistic pleasure in itself. The concert began with Wolfgang Haffner and his band from Germany. This might be the first time Egyptians have been presented with German jazz music. It was a bit electronic and a bit different, but one cannot deny the lift that Haffner's music gives to your spirits, especially if you close your eyes and think about the future. No exaggeration, his music comes from another world, another space maybe; it invites you to listen and discover other voices from outside the planet. The second track Haffner played was 24 Hours, from Shapes, the band's latest album. This song, while a tad long, reflects different moods, mixing contemporary jazz rock with hip-hop. Born in 1965, Haffner started playing piano and drums at the age of six. The list of concerts he has given in Europe, the United States and South Africa is impressive. Haffner is quoted as saying, "my music comes from a deep conviction and straight from a musical heart." Nardy Castellini from Spain changed the mood with rumba melodies. Now, you do not close your eyes, you open them wide and sway to the music. This is typical jazz music, with drums and saxophones and piano; it takes you back to images of jazz musicians like Ray Charles. Castellini was born in 1966 in Matanzas, Cuba. He toured several European countries and played with a number of bands before ultimately settling in Granada, Spain. That year, 1996, he formed his own band, Nardy's Jazz Quintet, which marked the beginning of a new phase in his musical career, primarily in the world of jazz. The last song played by Castellini was a kind of surprise to the multi-national audience. Four Nubian musicians dressed in typical Nubian white galabiyas joined the musicians on stage to play classical drums ( dufouf ). The tone of music had risen when the Nubian music started, and the audience began to clap, but still it sounded as if the Nubian music were merely a background beat. The pounding of the dufouf went up and down in a way that reminded one of the typical rhythm of the zar ritual. The joint performance was a result of a short workshop held previously at Makan, a traditional independent music centre which aims to preserve the traditions of the Egyptian zar. "A bigger, long-term project with Nubian musicians will be initiated," Castellini declared, waving to the growing numbers in the audience. The choice of Jazz Factory as the title of the festival largely reflects the crux of the term jazz itself, since it now largely involves any kind of musical creativity that attempts to cross over the classifications of conventional music. The festival programme, which includes a wide variety of jazz music styles from trad to jazz flamenco, oriental jazz, Afro- Cuban jazz, and experimental jazz, was developed by its artistic director Peter Lipa from Slovakia and Egypt's Fathi Salama. On Sunday Lipa, 65, a Slovak jazz singer-composer, opened along with his multi-national band the jazz night at the Al-Sawy Culture Wheel. Lipa, one of Europe's top five jazz singers, together with three other players: Ahmed from Egypt on guitar, George from Syria on drums, and on saxophone Michael from the Czech Republic, presented an unforgettable night. " Al - Salamu Alaikum," Lipa said, "Sorry, I don't speak any Arabic. The coming song is called Romantica, and it is in Slovak. I know you won't understand it, but maybe if I come to Cairo more often, you will get used to the language," he laughed. The song depicts a heated interaction between Lipa and the saxophonist. "The song talks about romance in movies. We actually find more romance in movies than in real life," he commented wittily. Influenced by Ray Charles and Bobby McFerrin among others, Lipa moves flexibly from one jazz genre to another. The reaction of the audience was equally amazing. Fully involved in the mood, they clapped and repeated some of the lyrics. The next song, A Bag Full of Gifts, sung this time in English, was also warmly received by the marvelling audience, now ready to devour all kinds of jazz. "I am a legal alien. I am a Slovakian man in Cairo," Lipa said, concluding his concert amid a wave of applause that led him to apologise for having to leave the stage to make way for the next band. Al-Dor Al-Awal, (The First Floor), an independent Egyptian band, concluded the night. The Cairene band's name is no coincidence; they literally practised their first rehearsals in a first-floor flat in Cairo. A group of different backgrounds and talents, the band's aim is to explore an unusual musical style. On stage the eight players, moving freely and vividly, created a lively and enthusiastic mood. Their last song Hassaballah, the name of an old brass band, ignited the audience's mood. Now, if you have been equally ignited, you can't miss tonight's show, which is highly recommended by the elegant, always smiling, Basma El-Husseini, director of Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafi. Tonight, at Al-Azhar Park, the Remix Plus, a creative encounter for musicians from Jordan, Tunis, Palestine, Syria, Morocco and Egypt, will be presented by 18 Arab jazz musicians led by jazz composers Toufic Farroukh, oud player Charbel Rouhana, and Fathi Salama. It will surely make you sway.
