“It is such a good opportunity to see all those jazz musicians and listeners in Egypt on one day,” the acclaimed composer, producer and pianist Salama told Ahram Online on Saturday.

“I will play a couple of my originals and I will be watching the program in which I hope to see a development in the compositions where musicians take eastern music into Jazz horizons instead of just imitating the west,” added Salama, who has collaborated with many iconic musicians in Egypt, Africa and the world as well as inspiring a generation of Egyptian musicians through his workshops in recent decades.

The Jam concert is featuring many important names that will successively take the stage fusing each others’ tunes as well as known covers.

The big line-up of performers at the All Jazz-Stars event is featuring some of the country’s most influential musicians with many have their own important projects and some compose and produce too.

In addition to Salama and the event’s founder Amro Salah, the arsenal of keyboardists also includes prominent pianists like Rami Attallah, Faisal Fouad, Akram El Sharkawi, Dave Meder as well as young talents Andrew Milad and Timothy Michael.

Drummers line-up merges Miguel Merino, Maged Mounir, Mostafa El-Kerdanii, Moataz El-Araby, Sameh Shaban, Samo El Taweel, Ahmad El Badry, Ahmed ‘Mickry’ Moustafa and young talent David Maged, in addition to percussionist Ayman Sedky, Diaa Tass.

On bass there are Samer George, Kareem Hossam, Andrew Safwat, Ehab Tass in addition to Sherif Elian on double-bass.

Saxophonists include Hossam Fouda, Mina Nashaat and Amr Wagih, in addition to Muhammed Brakat on Trumpet and Zeyad Essam on guitar.

The formation of vocalists includes Michelle Rounds, Rana Haggag, Hisham Blues, Shady Hamza, Sara Moullabld, Doaa el Sebaii and Djaima who is also a violinist.

UNESCO officially designated 30 April as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe.

“This year’s celebration will be dedicated to support renovating Nassibian studio theatre that was destroyed in a massive tragic fire accident last year,” stated the event’s organiser pianist Amro Salah; the founder of the Cairo Jazz Festival.

Programme:
Monday 16 May at 7pm
AUC Tahrir Cultural Center, Cairo