SAWY Cultural Wheel in Cairo is hosting the five-day 2nd Jazz Festival, which starts on March 11. The festival, which is expected to attract around 10,000 jazz lovers, will open with a performance by famous Lebanese artist Ziad el-Rahbany, who will be coming with his band whose members hail from Holland, France, the USA, Russia, Syria and Lebanon. The festival, which runs until March 15, will be featuring eight jazz troupes from around the world. The eight troupes are Royal Crown Revue from the USA; the Merry Poppins from Austria; Makoto Kuryia from Japan; Carlas Benavent from Spain; Tarhan from The Netherlands; Talking Horns from Germany; Abaraxas from France; and el-Rahbany. Meanwhile, there will be a number of Egyptian jazz troupes participating, including Eftikasat, Riff Band, First Floor, Akram el-Sherkawy band and Osama Ezz Eddin band. On the sidelines of the festival, several seminars, workshops and lectures will be held for jazz devotees, casting light on this musical genre and its history. The organisers say that this year's session is designed for all the family, especially the concerts on Friday and Saturday. They have already arranged for certain schools in Cairo to send some of their pupils to the concerts.
