This year's festival highlights the rich history of Latin jazz, a genre stemming from a blend of American, European (mainly Portuguese), and African influences.
"What better way to celebrate 100 years of Egyptian-Brazilian relations than two evenings of Latin jazz? This genre combines Latin American rhythms with jazz harmonies. Latin jazz originated in the 1920s from the popular jazz music of the United States and emerged as a distinct genre in the 1940s, incorporating Caribbean, Cuban, and Brazilian musical influences," Amro Salah, pianist-composer and the festival founder, told Al-Ahram Hebdo.
Salah noted that Cairo audiences have long appreciated this music, which also found its way to the Egyptian cinema of the 1960s, especially through the bossa nova and samba styles.
Brazilian music is not new to the Jazz festival. The festival hosted Gilberto Gil in 2013 and the group Olodum in 2022, both known for their fight against racism and support for the Afro-Brazilian community.
This year, several performers will take the stage showcasing this unique music genre, including notable Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Mário Bakuna who will perform on 2 November, followed by the Brazilian duo Umbê on 3 November.
Mário Bakuna
Mário Bakuna, based in London and with over 20 years of experience, is a dedicated proponent of bossa nova, a genre that blends samba with cool jazz that emerged in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s.
His acoustic guitar arrangements are fresh and eclectic, allowing him to traverse styles from rock to funk while maintaining Brazilian rhythms.
Bakuna studied with notable musicians at the Free University of Music in São Paulo and travelled through Brazil and Europe to explore its rhythmic and harmonic richness.
Traditional Brazilian styles like forró, baião, xaxado, and ijexá have influenced his music.
"Examples of Brazilian samba, Colombian cumbia, and Uruguayan candombe are central to constructing Latin America's multicultural identity. The diverse populations in these nations were united around a common identity, with music serving as a crucial unifying force," Salah emphasized.
Bakuna will perform pieces from renowned composers such as Marcos Valle, Gilberto Gil, and João Bosco, along with songs from his albums Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia (2018) and Brazilian Landscapes (2021). He will be joined by Egyptian musicians Diaa Tass on percussion and Ihab Tass on bass.
A dynamic duo
The duo Umbê, featuring Rodrigo Bezerra on electric guitar and Larissa Umaytá on percussion, blends futuristic soundscapes with electronic rhythms, moving through samba, bossa nova, Brazilian folk music, and modern jazz, as well as funk, reggae, and rock.
Their original compositions include Centopéia, Vida Nova, Antmosférica, Samba Modernista, Samba Quadrado, Perigo, and Relax.
Their “tropicalist” music combines tragedies and joys, reflecting the colonial history of Brazil and Latin America while embracing Indigenous and African musical legacies.
Moreover, a documentary titled Samba (Rio de Janeiro) and Jazz (New Orleans) will be screened on 3 November.
This 90-minute film, directed by Jefferson Mello, explores the historical connections between samba and jazz, seeking synergy between Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.
It portrays the artistic expressions of these cultures, united by a shared passion for music, despite geographical boundaries.
The only jazz festival in Egypt
Cairo Jazz Festival is the only festival dedicated to this music genre in Egypt.
In the late 2010s, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina held the Jazz Tales festival, which extended to Cairo stages. However, the initiative did not continue beyond its three editions.
Salah founded the CJF in 2009, with first editions taking place across different venues in Cairo.
The latest editions are primarily held at the American University in Cairo, presenting many important artists from jazz and other music genres. Some activities are also held in Alexandria.
The festival's upcoming edition will feature performers from Egypt, Brazil, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Italy, the UK, Denmark, Australia, and other countries.
The complete festival's programme can be found on its Facebook page.
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*This article was originally published in Al-Ahram Hebdo (in French). Additional edit: Ahram Online. Translation into English: Ati Metwaly.