Now that all the Halloween hubbub is behind us, we move into the month of November with a whole month of goodies from Cairo Jazz Club. This month, we have a huge anniversary celebration for a CJC favourite, some mighty interesting international acts and even one or two debuts. Feast on this, Cairo.
10 Years of Omar Sherif (Friday 3 November)
Ten years, ladies and gentlemen – Omar Sherif has been playing at Cairo Jazz Club for a decade. Even when he was living in London for five years, the Egyptian DJ and producer would come back monthly just to play at CJC. To mark this mightiest of achievements, ‘The Jazz’ is celebrating the occasion in style, with Sherif set to be joined on the line-up by friends and CJC favourites, SHawky, Mohasseb, Tahawy, Shinnawy. In short, this is going to be a big one. Check out our interview with the man himself right here.
Los Compadres & Free Salsa Lesson (Sunday 5)
Latin Jazz band, Los Compadres, have become a fixture of live music at Cairo Jazz Club over the years, but this night has a little extra hot sauce thrown in. Back by wildly popular demand, the Ashraf Habashi-led group’s performance comes after a free salsa lesson with sensei of salsa, Rasha Sadek. We were there in the thick of it the first time CJC did this and it was a hoot – and it certainly gave us some moves to flex to the music later on.
Ahmed Saleh & Coke Machine (Tuesday 7)
Usually seen with partner in crime, Abdullah Miniawy, pushing the boundaries of fusing the traditiona with the modern, or rocking out with Telepoetic, Alexandrian musician, Ahmed Saleh, flies solo this month, with new material born of his electronic-rock stylings. Joining him on the night is a band that has only recently returned to the spotlight, indie rockers, Coke Machine, who also have some new material to share with the world.
Mountain Lakes, Telepoetic & NeoByrd (Thursday 9)
Speaking of Telepoetic, the band is set to take to the stage together for a rare performance and they’re in good company on what looks like a huge night. One of this month’s most exciting foreign imports comes in the form of Mountain Lakes; a Polish indie-electronica group who are a must-see. Rounding off the night is a man that needs no introduction, the one and only NeoByrd.
A-Squared & Co. ft. Frederick Stone (Monday 13)
Cairo Jazz club’s ‘and co.’ nights are brilliant – the act in question, this time A-Squared, not only performs, but essentially curates the night by choosing some friends to come along. The friend in question this time round is Blue Marlin resident, Frederick Stone – a man whose stock in Egypt sky-rocketed over the summer after several huge gigs on the North Coast.
Latēfall & Machine Eat Man (Tuesday 21)
He’s a guitarist, producer and sound engineer, but with his new debuting project, Latēfall, George Adel Farid’s weapon of choice is a little different. The Alexandria native will be taking to the stage to ‘DJ’ live using cassette tapes, on a night that will also see Machine Eat Man return to the Jazz stage.
This is, of course, just a snapshot of the month's malarkey - stay tuned to the Cairo Jazz Club Facebook page for more.
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By Kalam El Qahaira
