Jazz band takes Dubai by storm

Under the patronage of the International Music Council (IMC) and jointly organised by Cultural Engineering Dubai (CED) and the University of Pittsburgh Jazz Seminar Outreach Programme, the show is billed as "A Tribute to Kenny Clarke", a founder member of the Paris Reunion Band.

The eight-piece line-up, which features four of the original Paris Reunion Band, participated in a workshop and talent search held at the American University in Dubai (AUD) yesterday by Dr Nathan Davis, Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.

Students and amateur jazz enthusiasts took part in the workshop, with the winner of the talent search having the opportunity to rehearse and perform with the band onstage.

Addressing a Press conference prior to the show yesterday, Dr Davis said: "We have decided on bringing together the history and theory of jazz, and the audience was very enthusiastic during the workshop."

Music, he said, transcends cultural differences. "People love jazz. Every culture has its own music, and music appeals to every culture. Music has become international, bringing everybody together. Music then becomes richer. There is something intriguing in other cultures' music be it Latin or Arabic," he said.

The Paris Reunion Band is the brainchild of Mike Hennessey, the internationally-respected editor of Billboard Magazine, to provide an opportunity for expatriate jazz musicians who lived in Paris in the 1960s to get together for special performances.

From the original line-up, the music director is Dr Davis, considered one of the top saxophonists and educators of jazz today. Also ranked as leading proponents in their respective instruments is Jimmy Woode, a master of the walking bass; George Cables, piano; and Curtis Fuller, considered the leading jazz trombone soloist in the world.

Completing the eight-piece line-up include Claus Reichstaller, trumpet; Greg Humphries, drums; Maurice Brown, trumpet, and one of the most gifted young tenor saxophone soloists on the international jazz scene today, Qamon Fowler.

Damien Pwono, president of CED and secretary general of IMC base at Unesco Paris, said that CED was keen on making Dubai a centre of excellence in cultural affairs. "Dubai has all the necessary ingredients for it to develop into one of the leading cultural destinations in the world," he stressed.

CED is a service organisation promoting cultural tourism and the professional development and sustainability of cultural activities. The organisation promotes entrepreneurship in the cultural sector by implementing innovative artistic and cultural programmes aimed to appeal to diverse audiences from the UAE, neighbouring Gulf states and the world at large.

He commented: "Having a jazz band of this calibre in the UAE is rare treat. Such innovative programmes to enhance cultural vitality are never been possible without working in close collaboration with domestic and international partners. We are very grateful for the enthusiastic support we have received from the University of Pittsburgh, the International Institute for Cultural Enterprise, the American University in Dubai and Dubai Media City."

TRIO TO THRILL

ABU DHABI - A special music concert, by the Benjamin Moussay Trio, renowned for the freshness of its compositions, will take place at the Abu Dhabi Hilton Hotel's Jazz Bar, on December 12 at 8.30 p.m.

The event, organised by the Alliance Francaise in Abu Dhabi together with the French Embassy, will feature Benjamin Moussay, a type-setter pianist, in whose work, one can hear a tribute to ACDC (bells), light melodies like those of the California rock 'n' roll, a formal rigour inherited from Mahler and Beethoven, and the poetry of a Paul Bley, a lyricism relative of that of Chopin. Arnault Cook on the double bass and Luc Isenmann with the battery, are the other two with him.