AUC - Tahrir Cultural Center (TCC) is continuing its live concert series with the "Cairo Jazz Festival" this week, great evenings for anyone who loves entertainment.
The American ICX Jazz band took the stage at an all-day concert at the Cultural on Oct. 29, alongside AJOYO band, renowned American cellist Frances-Marie Uitti.
In the jazz world, the well known American ICX Jazz band admire Andrew Hill, Tom Harrell, Dave Douglas, Wynton Marsalis, Jay McShann, Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Steve Coleman, Betty Carter, Don Byron, Bill Frisell, Rashied Ali, Ellis Marsalis, Brian Lynch, John Patitucci, among singers, as well as Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0zoj7FpqQA
Speaking to Sada Elbald English (See), ICX Jazz band said: "It’s always a different energy when we play here in Cairo. It definitely feels like home.”
"We depend on the audience's reactions and enthusiasm or whatever,” the band said. No matter what song they select, it comes out jazz. The American band loves the freedom of the art form and the improvisation it entails.
This year's event, hosted by the American Cultural Center in cooperation with the U.S embassy and the Cairo Jazz Festival representatives, has the theme of "Legendary Egyptian Bands".
"We hope that every musician and fan of this music will take the opportunity to come to the festival at least once over the week event," the founder and director of Cairo Jazz Festival Amro Salah told See.
"Jazz is a special kind of art that is not like any other thing. In fact, Jazz sounds to me very much like religion," he explained.
"I like to be a part of it since I was a little kid and I was struck by Jazz like CX Jazz's members," he added.
In the same spirit, Salah said: "Actually, I played Jazz without understanding that this is Jazz. I used to hear and listen to the radio and I got so much attracted by this sound like my co-star Massay did. I guess it just pulled me in every way."
"At that time, I was also fascinated with Jazz's harmony, sound, lyrics, and then I imitated it and copied it on a piano in a bid to get the same sound. Later on, I had some scripts from the well-known Jazz musician Rashid Ali and start to understand the Jazz genre well," the jazz pianist added.
Salah discovered jazz in his home, but singer-songwriters in other genres are also big influences. The maven Iraqi Jazz musician Magdy Baghdady, Carly Simon, Carole King, and Raitt fall in that category. Rhythm and blues artists like Rashid Ali and Sam Cooke are on his list as well.
Also in this regard, the Cultural official at the U.S embassy revealed earlier: “The U.S. Embassy is supporting the Cairo Jazz Festival this year by sponsoring visiting renowned American musicians who are continuing our tradition of jazz diplomacy dating back six decades to the historic visit to Egypt by famed jazz musician Louis Armstrong.”
"Through our festival's program, the American bands will conduct master classes and workshops for music students and jazz aficionados," the American official emphasized.
It's worth mentioning that The Cairo Jazz Festival that celebrates the past and present of jazz in Egypt had been held annually since 2009 before last year's cancellation.
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