This month at Cairo Jazz Club is a veritable hot-pot of music, entertainment and celebrations; whether you're looking for jazz, experimental electronic, old-school hip-hop or house, this musical fall salad is ready for serving. Feast on this...
EMANUELE DI NARDO, HESHAM GALAL & ANDRE SEGONE (Tuesday 3rd)
Alright folks, we kick off with one of the more unique music events you’re likely to see this month. Jazz fans will know seasoned musician, Hesham Galal, as well as Andre Segone – Swiss saxophonist, Emanuele Di Nardo, however, is the last piece of this puzzle. We say puzzle, because here’s the catch of the this collaboration: Di Nardo has never met Galal or Segone; the three have been exchanging notes long-distance for some time and this performance will be the very first time they’ve ever played together. You can find out more about the concert in our exclusive Hesham Galal interview.
OKTOBERFEST (Thursday 5th)
The folks at Cairo Jazz Club don’t need much motivation to mark an occasion and none more so than Germany’s greatest gift to the world, Oktoberfest. CJC’s annual celebrations land on a Thursday and they’ve got two rather interesting bands lined-up. First up is debuting blues band, The One Four Five, which is made up of some of Cairo’s best, including vocalist, George Aboutar, that man Hesham Galal again, Nour Ashour and more. They will then be followed by German band, Herr Diebold Ond Kollega, who have been performing classic rock hits for almost thirty years – oh and did we mention that there’s a 2-gor-1 beer offer? Wunderbar!
THE WOODPECKERS TRIO & GLASS ONION (Thursday 12th)
Another debut awaits the next Thursday, meanwhile, and it’ll see George Aboutar centre-stage once more – but this time with another of his most recent projects, The Woodpeckers Trio, who are set to take to the stage for a some acoustic covers of rock classics. They’re in good company, too, because the uber-popular Hany Mustafa-led Beatles cover-band, Glass Onion, are back in action – it doesn’t get more classic than that.
MOHASSEB’S BIRTHDAY (Monday 16th)
Only a select few musicians and DJs have had the honour of Cairo Jazz Club throwing a special party in celebration of their birthday – and there’s no one who’s blown out the candles at The Jazz more than bar favourite, Mohasseb. The progressive house ace will be joined on the line-up by a veteran of the scene, the unsung Ahmed Eid.
COKE MACHINE (Tuesday 17th)
It’s taken almost four years, but it’s finally happening; experimental indie band, Coke Machine, will finally make their long-awaited debut at Cairo Jazz Club. Made-up of Zeina Aly and Kamal Tabikha, there have been many a label slapped on the duo – lo-fi and dream pop being the most common. But as releases such as Something To Do, Eurodeli Dreams, Post Coke and, most recently, My Friend, have shown, trying to box the experimentalists into a genre is an exercise in futility; you’ll just have to see them for yourself.
YEHIA KHALIL (Thursday 19th)
What can you say about the legend that is Yehia Khalil that hasn’t been said before? A pioneer of jazz in Egypt, the fact that he has so effortlessly remained relevant over the fifty years of his storied career pays tribute to what a master of the craft he truly is. There's a jazz scene in Egypt that doesn't nearly get a much praise as it should, but few can touch Khalil in terms of influence and stature. And he's just a really nice guy.
THROWBACK FT. RAMY DJUNKIE & A.K (Wednesday 25th)
It’s been just under a year since two of Cairo Jazz Club’s favourite urban warriors came together for a night that that will see Ramy DJunkie and A.K roll back the clock for the long-awaited return of Throwback – a night of the duuuuurrrtiest, sickest, head-nod-inducing old school hip-hop and r&b.
MAGHOUL, THE METEORS PROJECT & NEOBYRD (Thursday 26th)
The highlights come thick and fast toward the end of the month, with the last Thursday in the month welcoming three of the most unique electronic acts in the country. NeoByrd is back in action at CJC, as well as live-and-electronic fusers, The Meteors Project; but the night will also see Machine Eat Man’s Mohamed Ragab debut new ‘Arabic elecronic’ act, Maghoul,, which sees Ragab eploy the Arabic vocals of local singer, Malak Salama.
THE COVEN FT. KITCHEN CROWD & SHIHA (Monday 30th)
Like we’ve said, Cairo Jazz Club loves an occasion to really get stuck in-to, but no date is as dear to the bar’s heart as much as Halloween. This year, vampires are the name of the game at The Coven, where the music is a pan-Arab affair. First-up is Jordanian groovy house DJ, Kitchen Crowd, who is then followed by hands-down one of the best DJs ad producers in Cairo, the man they call SHIHA.
These are, of course, just a few of this month's events - check out Cairo Jazz Club on Facebook for more.
