Jazz in Lebanon

[Lois Gilbert]

Ramsay Short
Daily Star staff

What Jean Madani, former owner of the Jazz Club in Hamra and professional bass guitar player, complains of the most are people talking, people eating, glasses clinking.
“At too many gigs, especially jazz gigs in the bars and clubs, I can’t hear myself play for the clatter of knives and forks. It is as if no one wants to really listen to the music.”
Such complaints at music concerts, jazz and otherwise, in Lebanon’s clubs, bars and restaurants are regular, though of course there are those who do want to listen.


Thankfully for that educated audience, for the musicians themselves and for the uninitiated, Madani along with the music store La C.D-Theque, have decided to do something about it.
Jazz is Alive is the first Jazz Festival featuring the cream of the small but dedicated scene of local musicians to be held in Beirut and the organizers are hoping to make it an annual event in the future.

For the first four nights of May at the Madina Theater in Clemenceau, trad jazz, fusion, funk and flamenco sounds will filter through your ears inside your head to a place only you know.

And there will be no background noise this time.
Jazz has been making waves in Lebanon in recent years. The big festivals from Baalbek to Beiteddine to Al-Bustan have brought artists such as Herbie Hancock, the late Nina Simone and flamenco genius Paco Pena to Mediterranean shores.
And this summer we will be seeing the talent of pianist Ahmad Jamal and drummer Idris Muhammad at Baalbek, and our Lebanese-own Touffic Faroukh at Beiteddine.

With such exposure, the traditionally non-commercial genre of jazz is making a mark on young and old musicians and audiences alike.
Madani is hoping the Jazz is Alive festival will continue this process and “kick-start the jazz scene outside of clubs and bars on a regular basis and really give our local musicians the recognition they deserve.”
“My hope is that people will come to listen to the talent we have here rather than just go to the gigs of the foreign artists because they are a name,” he says.

“There are a lot of people who listen to jazz who don’t know the local musicians and so this is a showcase for them.”
The first night will see the Armenian pianist Arthur Satyan and his trio, Abboud Saadi on bass and Fouad Afra on drums, followed by the Rony Afif Trio featuring the team of brothers Rony on drums and Elie Afif on bass.

It is likely to be a highlight of the festival with Satyan set to launch his new album on the night, and delight with his extensive knowledge and experience. With Saadi, a 25-year veteran of Lebanon’s music scene, and Afra, a regular with Fairuz and Ziad Rahbani, the band will play some traditional songs as well as new.
Madani himself will play on the second night with his fusion band Dedicated Fools, and will be preceded by arguably the most accomplished jazz trio in Lebanon _ Three Wheel Drive.

Regularly to be seen at Ashrafieh jazz bar The Piano, American ex-pats Jack Gregg (double bass) and Steve Phillips (drums) team up with Satyan on keys to perform the straight jazz they do best.
Gregg, a teacher at the Lebanese National Conservatory of Music, is an experienced bassist and arranger who has played with artists such as Gil Evans and Roy Eldridge, while Phillips _ his trademark medallion hanging from his neck _ is the most accomplished jazz drummer currently resident in Lebanon.

A definite to-be-seen on Saturday is the flamenco jazz of Mosaique featuring Albert Tirss on guitar and Wissam Keyrouz on flute, and on Sunday the oriental jazz and classical Arabic fusion of the Fahed and Khaled Duo.
Fahed Riyashi is a young oud player and composer whose duo with percussionist Khaled Yassine promises to be an enlightening experiment in cross-cultural musical trends.

“Of course we will also be having a number of guest musicians and vocalists at some of the concerts but that will be a surprise,” Madani adds.

If there can be one criticism of the festival it is that a lot of the musicians mix and match with each other in different bands to play different styles. Although they play and work together in varied ways, this unfortunately brings an element of sameness to the process of the music that does not always convince _ it is almost the same band with perhaps one alternative musician.
For instance, Sunday, May 4 will see Satyan paired with Saadi and Afra again but with the addition of the excellent Hratsh Kassis on saxophone.
It is also odd for a local jazz festival to have left out some talented musicians such as regular Blue Note Cafe drummer Walid Tawil, and the Latin jazz band Gros Bras, another accomplished local group with a style not represented anywhere else at the concerts.

Madani makes no excuses. “It has been a very difficult event to organize, and obviously not everyone we wanted to play can play but nonetheless it will be a brilliant event.”
Thankfully for fans, novices, and music lovers, there will be none of the clatter and chatter to be found in bars, just the jazz.

Jazz is Alive is at the Madina Theater from May 1-4. All shows start at 7.30pm and tickets, priced at LL12,000 per night or LL30,000 for all four nights, are available from the theater or La C.D. Theque. Call 01/371962 or 01/321485