Cairo And Back
What a week! What a trip! So many impressions, so little time! I did not see the pyramids, or the phinx or the library in Alexandria, or the bazaar in Cairo. But I met incredibly dedicated and friendly people, who essentially took care of myself and my band, carting us from A to B to Z, to hit our marks for sound checks, live shows and interviews. To get us sustenance, water, a pillow for the too-low piano stool, coffee!
We played four shows in three days, which meant four different set-ups, sound checks and locations. I did - I think - six interviews, we performed late and got up early, to make our way through traffic, traffic and more traffic (apparently the bus drivers in Alexandria were on strike).
The honorary consul in Alexandria, Astrid Alexanian, threw a gorgeous reception for us after our show at the Opera House. The Austrian Culture Attache, Dr. Rene Amry, treated us for a lovely lunch, including hookahs, in a tent restaurant on the Nile. We got awoken by the stupendously loud Muhezzin singing at 5am. And we made music together - my favorite part.
There were discussions about the revolution, faith, the future. The implausibility of putting on a jazz festival a mere year after the Egyptian people made history. And, of course, traffic.
I must thank a few people here, who have made our trip as harmonious and hick-up free as it was: Anni Mischriki from the Austrian Culture Forum who was instrumental in getting us to Egypt in the first place; Amro Salah, the organizer of the jazz festival; and Ahmad Radwan, who accompanied us everywhere and made sure we had what we needed during the second half of our stay.
And of course, I have to thank my band, who were down with everything this trip threw at us and made beautiful, beautiful music with me:
Axel Fischbacher
Nico Brandenburg
Etienne Nillesen
Pictures can be mere echoes of what the trip felt like, but should you be interested in taking in a few of them, here's the link to the folder on facebook:
Egypt Fotos
I hope I will be able to return to Egypt, maybe even collaborate with some of the musicians there. That might be interesting, who knows.
We played four shows in three days, which meant four different set-ups, sound checks and locations. I did - I think - six interviews, we performed late and got up early, to make our way through traffic, traffic and more traffic (apparently the bus drivers in Alexandria were on strike).
The honorary consul in Alexandria, Astrid Alexanian, threw a gorgeous reception for us after our show at the Opera House. The Austrian Culture Attache, Dr. Rene Amry, treated us for a lovely lunch, including hookahs, in a tent restaurant on the Nile. We got awoken by the stupendously loud Muhezzin singing at 5am. And we made music together - my favorite part.
There were discussions about the revolution, faith, the future. The implausibility of putting on a jazz festival a mere year after the Egyptian people made history. And, of course, traffic.
I must thank a few people here, who have made our trip as harmonious and hick-up free as it was: Anni Mischriki from the Austrian Culture Forum who was instrumental in getting us to Egypt in the first place; Amro Salah, the organizer of the jazz festival; and Ahmad Radwan, who accompanied us everywhere and made sure we had what we needed during the second half of our stay.
And of course, I have to thank my band, who were down with everything this trip threw at us and made beautiful, beautiful music with me:
Axel Fischbacher
Nico Brandenburg
Etienne Nillesen
Pictures can be mere echoes of what the trip felt like, but should you be interested in taking in a few of them, here's the link to the folder on facebook:
Egypt Fotos
I hope I will be able to return to Egypt, maybe even collaborate with some of the musicians there. That might be interesting, who knows.
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