Vampires, werewolves and Akram El Sharkawy… Most people find the first two very scary, but only some musicians have the ‘Akramphobia'. In real life, he is a very pleasant person and I'm only saying this because he got me coffee and also ice cream! However, being the brilliant musician he is, many would find the thought of him scary. Stop, don't run away. I promise he will do you no harm. If you escape now who will read this article? I have to say that Akram gave me a hard time because I had to drag the words out of his mouth. "My elder brother used to play music, so ever since I can remember we have had a melodica and an accordion at home and he taught me how to play them. I used to carry the melodica and play it everywhere, especially with my neighbour who played his melodica as well. When I went to school, I played the accordion and the piano, then my dad realised that I was really into music and since he liked the idea, he bought me a keyboard. I was a rock fan and always fancied the idea of having a band, which led me to form one, consisting of amateur buddies and played at school and also at friends' birthday parties. After finishing school I studied classical music at the Faculty of Musical Education, where I played the piano in addition to the flute, which I liked. Bach was among the composers I studied and loved, but a year later I realised I wanted a different style. In the early 1990s I played international hits with the Jets, which was a very successful band at the time. I used to attend performances by other artists and buy music albums till one day I listened to something amazing – I think it was by great jazz player Bob James. I loved the sound and the simplicity so I tried playing it. Impressed by jazz, I wanted to study it and I did with Ashraf Mahrous, then Abdulla Ibrahim. After a while the latter told me that I was OK and sent me to Rashad Fahim, who was just back after studying at Berklee College of Music. I still take lessons with him every now and then to refresh my memory. Back to live performances. Fathy Salama was away for a while and jazz bands were looking for someone to replace him and some people recommended the young artist Akram. My first jazz band was with the late great drummer Salah Ragab. The lineup was impressive – it consisted of saxophonist Abdulla Ibrahim, guitarist Tarek Hamouda and bassist Romny Krishna. Then Drummer Yehya Khalil asked me to join his band as a fulltime member. I enjoyed that very much and this very active band included talented artists like guitarist Aziz Al-Nasser. We played a lot and also recorded a live album with Libyan artists Abna'a Kenjewa. I loved this album and still have a copy in my car. We produced it ourselves with the very decent keyboard player Ali Sharaf. We even worked on the album at his place. All in all, it was a very good experience for me. I worked simultaneously with Arabic pop singers, but jazz was always the genre I preferred. During my college days I had to play the piano for long hours even at home, because I bought one when I first enrolled. When you play the piano for hours you will eventually come up with your own melodies, which I did. In 1997, I played my own compositions at the Cairo Citadel Festival. It was a solo performance of oriental jazz and was well received by all. Two years later I formed the band Steps, which played Latin jazz and funk. Steps consisted of Amr Yehia, Amr Youssef, Tarek Hassan, Diaa and Ihab Badr. We performed at the Cairo Citadel Festival. The lineup was brilliant and it was a good time for us, but as it's always the case, people get busy, travel or whatever, so some changes were made in the band. Every time someone left we had to start all over from scratch and work very hard. Then the Cairo Opera House said we could give two performances every year there. At that time I started including two of my works in every concert, then three, till gradually half the material presented was mine. That was in our concerts at the Cairo Opera House, but in our performances at other venues we played Latin music and jazz. Violinist Hany Farahat joined us and played the melody, which added an oriental touch. At certain points we had artists play a clarinet and also a nai (oriental flute). However, there was always the jazzy part with the piano, bass, drums and also percussions. Sometimes we were joined by a saxophonist as well, but since we don't have many Egyptian saxophonists, the ones who played with us were usually foreigners and the exception was Abdulla Ibrahim." But you haven't been very active lately in the live scene. Where have you been hiding? "I play at El-Sawy Culture Centre and also participated in festivals like the Cairo Jazz Festival. There was also another jazz festival organised by the Cultural Fund, as well as the one at Art House in Syria. I performed one of my compositions called "Kahramana" with an orchestra in Carthage, Tunisia and also played it in Cairo on TV Nights concerts. I played Arabic pop with countless orchestras and superb singers like Nagat, Warda and Angham. I also toured with Sami Yusuf. So I've been playing with numerous artists and I've been trying to focus on my music, but frankly when it comes to recording my material, I'm a little far behind – my works are almost ready and the thing I want the most now is to record my debut album. I want to reach new people with it, play more concerts and participate in festivals, either in or out of Egypt. I would like to play at the Cairo Opera House, where I haven't performed for some time. Another thing I started doing a year ago is playing with legendary composer/pianist Omar Khairat. I was first asked to replace someone, who was away for one concert, then I was asked to stay. It's a very decent and successful experience and Omar is an amazing person". What about being a music producer? "I produced "Teheb Atghaiar" (Would You Like Me to Change) and "Ya Felesteeni" (Palestinian) for singers Angham and Fadl Shaker, respectively. I also produced songs for some artists from the Gulf, who approached me to come up with a new sound and the tracks I worked on had a jazz touch to them". Tell us about your studio, Studio 32. "I established it around seven years ago, mainly to find a place to dedicate a lot of time to music. It's a rehearsal and also recording studio". Before I leave you in peace, what are your plans? "I would like to make more music and I really want people to listen to a variety of styles, not one genre. These days I'm also focusing on the revival of Steps". Akram is performing live at the French Culture Centre in Mouneera, Cairo, on Tuesday, August 31. I strongly recommend attending this concert. Send me your Ramadan desserts to: [email protected]
