Barbara Walters chats with Forward Syria
Swaying between art and seduction
Discussing monetary policy with the man in charge
Where the earth screams in horror
08/03/2010 - Issue 42
Syrian Jazz Scene
On July 10, as the Syrian Jazz Orchestra sent bright notes echoing from the walls of the Citadel into the warm night air, Damascus celebrated several musical triumphs. One was the brilliant and diverse performances organized by "Jazz Lives In Syria 2010."
Organized by the Syrian Trust For Development, with help from the Ministry of Culture and the Higher Institute of Music, this year's festival brought top performers from Europe, the US and the Middle East to Damascus (at the Citadel, the Danish Institute, and al-Jahez, al-Manshia and al-Mazzeh Parks), Aleppo, and Jableh, where crowds of listeners—of all ages and backgrounds—cheered and applauded.
But underlying these festivities is another, deeper achievement: since the festival's inauguration six years ago, more than eight new jazz bands have sprung up in Syria. This fulfills another goal of the festival—"to pave the way towards a solid Syrian jazz musical movement," as its mission statement puts it, and to develop, "training and teaching skills for the jazz community."
This summer's successes were crowned by the release of a CD by the Syrian Jazz Orchestra, with tracks that include over 50 musicians from the US to Iran, and many countries in between. Meanwhile, the Syrian orchestra continued that very live tradition of collaboration as Lara Bello from Spain, MSV Brechet from Germany, and the Marc Perrenoud Trio from Switerland joined them to jam onstage. It was, as one thrilled listener put it, "a great way to experience the mixing of cultures."
