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Cairo Jazz Club By
Juergen Stryjak  Whenever I walk or drive through Cairo, I like to listen to the sounds of the city, especially by night. The blaring car horns, the roaring traffic, the laughter of the evening strollers, the music flowing out from passing cars or from the open windows and shops – all of that combines to make the symphony of the metropolis. Most of all, I love to take endless trips, by taxi, around the city, at midnight or later, from one end to the other and back, while listening to whatever the tape deck has to offer, Umm Kulthum, the old Arabic diva legend, modern Egyptian sh’aabi pop, sometimes classical music or even jazz.  I don’t have a preference for any one of these styles. Arabic or Western, classical or jazz, any kind of intense background music works well with this shining, glittering, glimmering city. Sometimes I think, it would need only an occasional rain shower, turning the scene into an impressionist painting, and the poetic atmosphere would be perfect. A good place to crown such nocturnal trips is to stop off at the Cairo Jazz Club. Now and then, other places offer jazz concerts, for example the Opera House or Harry’s Pub at the Marriott Hotel, but the Cairo Jazz Club is the only real one in town, with nightly shows. Its program varies every day, isn’t limited to jazz performances only and is, in genera, a venue for the city’s live music scene. Without a doubt, the week’s highlight is the show of the Jazz Hounds, described as Cairo’s best local jazz band, currently performing every Wednesday. They mix Egyptian, Irish, Indian or North-African music with the sound of America’s Deep South. The British-Egyptian Mika Sabet is the lead singer and songwriter of the Jazz Hounds, son of the owner of the local label Sonar records. Beside this, he works for other musicians and produces their studio recordings, including the latest album by the famous European dance floor icon, Natacha Atlas, a British singer with Egyptian roots.  All other nights the Cairo Jazz Club offers a wide range of different styles, from Reggae to Nubian music, North-African Raï or classical jazz. For my taste, the interior design is a little too black, too heavy with its robust saloon furniture, but the music will definitely help you to get over the cool atmosphere. Cairo Jazz Club. 197, 26th of July Street, Mohandessin, Giza, opposite of the Balloon Theatre. Telephone: 3459939. e-mail:
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. Admission free, mostly, if not, then the cover fee includes two free drinks. Prices: Beer from LE 12 up ($ 3.25), Egyptian wine LE 58 per bottle ($ 15.70), Vodka-Orange LE 16 ($ 4.30). Open daily from 7:00 |
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