Amman, Jordan, Jazz Capital of the Region Kicks off 5th Edition of the Amman Jazz Festival April 24 – May 1, 2016

Proud of our Jordanian partners who are working to promote the good of Jordan. This important region gives us hope for a better tomorrow and Jordan shows us that there is no better way to live life than to the fullest! Celebrate Jordan with me! warm regards, Sandy Dhuyvetter

The main stage performances will be taking place 24^th April thru 27^th April 2016 at Haya Cultural Centre, with side performances titled “Madina Jazz”. These smaller venues will be set up throughout the duration of the festival until the 1^st of May.  

Opening night, April 24, kicks off with Jordanian virtuoso, Ms. Farah Siraj. Ms Siraj is known as the “Norah Jones of the Middle East” by the New York Times. Ms. Farah Siraj balances a career that spans the United States, Europe and the Middle East, spreading the message of peace through her music and giving a voice to women and children around the world who are living in war and poverty.

The Festival is the single major event dedicated to Jazz in Jordan.

The Festival is the single major event dedicated to Jazz in Jordan. The goals of the festival are to attract musicians, attract new audiences and expand internationally all the while creating opportunities for sustainable cultural exchanges. The Festival celebrates diversity, cultural fusion, creativity, unity and dialogue. The event features international, regional and local Jazz musicians to present their artistry to the Jordanian audience. This year during the 5^th edition, the Amman Jazz Festival will be presenting different forms of Jazz music focusing on collaborations that reflect fresh new sounds.

The EU supports the Amman Jazz Festival

The EU supports the Amman Jazz Festival, with a special night being dedicated to presenting Jazz music from Europe on the 26^th of April at Haya Cultural Centre, under the name of “A Night of European Jazz” featuring REK Raed el Khazen & Daniele Camarda in a joint project bringing four musicians together from Lebanon and Italy, the German trumpet and piano player Sebastian Studnitzky in a solo piano performance of classical jazz, and NO Blues from the Netherlands which combines oriental Arabic roots with folk blues.

2016 Music Festivals adds to the already diverse Tourism offering in Jordan
Jordan looks at Music Festivals as an added value experience while touring the Kingdoms diverse cultural, adventure, eco-tourism and wellness choices.

Jordan tourism is appealing to a diverse traveller by offering Festivals throughout the 2016 calendar year and hopes to continue to attract new and young visitors to the Kingdom. “Jordan is a jewel, full of talented entertainers, amazing foods, and terrific sites” says Mona Naffa, of Monaco Business Development a company that creates Campaigns to share the ‘positive of Jordan. Ms Naffa added, “Petra, the new Wonder of the World, along with the music scene in the Kingdom is on the must do list.

MFunded by the European Union, which is implemented by the EU National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in Jordan whose members include: the British Council, Instituto Cervantes, Institut Francais, Goethe Institute, Embassy of Greece, Embassy of Romania and Societa Dante Alighieri. In Partnership with: the Netherlands Embassy in Jordan, Al Mawred Al Thaqafi, Haya Cultural Center and Fonds Podium FPK

Farah Siraj (Jordan/Spain)

Ms Farah Siraj currently leads an ethnically diverse quintet of “Arabian Flamenco Jazz” (Rolling Stone Magazine), embracing the music of the Middle East, Spain and the United States.  Farah's releases include her album NOMAD (funded personally by His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan), The Arabian Jazz Project (landing Farah to be chosen as one of New York's “Stars of Jazz”) and her latest release, Dunya. Farah has shared the stage with India's most renowned composer, A.R. Rahman, performing Zariya live on MTV.

Farah Siraj (Voice & Flamenco Guitar), Tareq Jundi (Oud), Munther Jaber (Bass), Maher Hanhan (Percussion/Drums), special appearance by Kamal Musallam (Oriental Guitar), and special guest Rami Attallah (Piano). www.farahsiraj.com 

Rami Attallah Group presenting Shokran Jazzilan (Egypt)

'Shokran Jazzilan’ is an Egyptian Jazz project that has a unique sound which aims at preserving the beauty of Egyptian melody accompanied by oud within a jazz context. The project founder Rami Attallah, has been heavily influenced by his late grandfather Labib Henien, the founder of jazz in Egypt in the 1960s. Rami Attallah grew up absorbing jazz from bebop to bossa nova to swing. This newly formed unique project has the qualities of being acknowledged as a world class entity fit enough to be part of jazz festivals worldwide.

The ‘Shokran Jazzilan’ album was released in 2014 at the Cairo Jazz Festival under the slogan “When Pharaohs Play Jazz” and was a best seller at Virgin Megastores in Egypt. The project was performed in many renowned venues in Cairo.

Rami Attallah (Piano and Composition), Mohamed Abozekry (Oud), Ehab Tass (Bass), Muhammad Raafat (Drums). www.RamiAttallah.com

NO Blues (Netherlands)

NO blues is the crossroad where folk-blues and Arabic music meet. In 2004 Anne-Maarten van Heuvelen (double bass/ lead vocals), Haytham Safia (Oud, Arabic lute/ lead vocals) and Ad van Meurs (guitar/ lead vocals), got together to combine American folk blues and traditional Arabic music. Completing the line-up in the first recording sessions, NO Blues is joined by Osama Meleegi (percussion/ lead vocals). After ten years on the road, gigs from India to Mexico, and six successful album releases, the band that combines two different is still going strong.

The NO blues fan base grows every day by people who hear the band for the first time and are moved by what seems impossible. www.noblues.nl   

REK (Lebanon/Italy)

Beirut-born Raed El-Khazen is a seasoned, versatile guitarist who has, in the past 20 years, accumulated a portfolio that has catapulted him from a local guitar celebrity in the mid 90’s to one of the most prolific producers/composers/guitarists in the Arab world today.

During his time at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Raed met a great musician who he still collaborates with to this day; Daniele Camarda. Their musical partnership started in 1998 in the school’s rehearsal rooms and continues to grow globally, Eighteen years later, their current project is a combination of their love for the American songbook and their vision to always give any material a personal twist, producing a sound that is both fed by their present experiences and fueled by works of the past.

REK: Jazz Standards with a Mediterranean Flair! Joining them on this venture is Italian drummer Carmine Casciello and Lebanese trumpet player Walid Sadek.

www.raedkhazen.com / www.danielecamarda.info  

Studnitzky Ky (Germany)

Studnitzky has always been moving between the realms of jazz, classical and electronic music. In his unique music not a single note is superfluous. It is detailed, minimalistic and transparent, yet it displays an emotional depth which is uniquely personal. STUDNITZKY is already an internationally acclaimed performer of the highest level on both trumpet and piano.

In 2012 he founded Contemplate, his own record label and network. In 2014 he initiated the XJAZZ Festival Berlin and took charge as its musical director. It immediately became Berlin’s largest jazz festival and turned the German jazz scene on its head. Since September 2014 Sebastian Studnitzky has been a professor for Jazz-trumpet at the Dresden University of Music.

Sebastian Studnitzky (Trumpet, Piano), Laurenz Karsten (Guitar), Paul Kleber (Bass), Tim Sarhan (Drums).

www.studnitzky.de

Noha Fekry (Egypt)

Noha Fekry is an Egyptian singer, songwriter and composer. Noha first appeared as one of the two front singers of the Riff band, one of the leading Jazz/oldies bands in Egypt. Fekry's genres of focus have been Jazz and Arabic Jazz and her first album was released in May 2015 entitled "A Conversation", a duo Jazz album with pianist Rami Attallah.

She is currently working on her second album with her newest musical project "Janan", an alternative rock band. 

Noha received vocal training with renowned Opera Singers Dr. Sobhi Bidair and Dr. Raouf Zidan and is currently an understudy pianist with Mr. Rashad Fahim.

Noha Fekry (Vocals), Rami Attallah (Piano and Composition), Ehab Tass (Bass), Muhammad Raafat (Drums)

The Amman Jazz Festival is produced by Orange Red Productions
For Information: Lama Hazboun

Orange Red Productions:  +962795351812

Media Contacts:
Monaco Business Development

Jordan  Mona Naffa

naffamona@yahoo.com

US press Representative: 
TravelTalkRADIO, TravelTalkMEDIA
Sandy Dhuyvetter
sandy@traveltalkmedia.com

Aman Jazz Festival: www.ammanjazzfestival.com  

24/4	8 PM	Haya Cultural Centre	Farah Siraj (Jordan/Spain) – JD 20
25/4	8 PM	Haya Cultural Centre	Rami Attallah Group presenting Shokran Jazzilan (Egypt) – JD 5
26/4	8 PM	Haya Cultural Centre	A Night of European Jazz REK |Sebastian Studnitzky| NO Blues (Lebanon/Italy |Germany |Netherlands) FREE ENTRY
27/4	8 PM	Haya Cultural Centre	Studnitzky -KY- (Germany) – JD 5

Amman Jazz Festival – Main Stage Program (24 – 27 April)

Amman Jazz Festival - Madina Jazz Program (22 April – 1 May)

22/4	9 PM	Maestro Late Night Jazz	The Jazz Group  -  guest Kamal Musallam (Jordan)
24/4	9 PM	Corner’s Pub	Rami Attallah Group presenting Shokran Jazzilan (Egypt)
25/4	9 PM	Blue Fig	NO Blues (Netherland)
	6:30 PM	Maestro Late Night Jazz	Jazz Clinic by REK (Italy/Lebanon)
	9 PM	Maestro Late Night Jazz	Studnitzky – KY #irtijalat Jam sessions with local musicians
26/4	9 PM	Maestro Late Night Jazz	Rami Attallah Group presenting Shokran Jazzilan (Egypt)
27/4	9:30 PM	Trader Vic’s	Noha Fekry Jazz Quartet (Egypt)
	9 PM	Maestro Late Night Jazz	REK (Italy/Lebanon)
28/4	7:30 PM	Shoman Foundation	NO Blues (Netherland)
	9 PM	Maestro Late Night Jazz	Noha Fekry Jazz Quartet (Egypt)
29/4	9 PM	Maestro Late Night Jazz	NO Blues (Netherland)
30/4	9 PM	Blue Fig	Noha Fekry Jazz Quartet (Egypt)
1/5	7:30 PM	The Boulevard	Noha Fekry Jazz Quartet (Egypt)