Lisan al Tarab preview by Tarek Yamani

Popular JLT pizzeria and jazz club Jazz Pizza Express hosted the launch of Lebanese-born NY-based jazz musician and composer Tarek Yamani's new Arabesque jazz fusion album, Lisan al Tarab, at a packed Saturday night event.

Yamani played a two-set performance on the piano, promoting the album. He was joined onstage by local jazz musicians, the Afif brothers Rony and Elie, on the drums and double bass, respectively. The show saw good form from all on harmony and solos, making for a night of excellent jazz entertainment.

(clockwise from left top) Tarek Yamani; Elie Afif; Rony Afif

Available for eco-friendly download at great value, Lisan al Tarab is the continuation of Yamani's jazz fusion experiment, in the vein of 2012's Ashur. While it too incorporates Arabic musical elements and a piano trio configuration, there are some fresh sounds and structures to be heard, especially with the inclusions of stronger starts, Latin jazz beats, subtle bass lines, and moments when jazz and Arabic notes are seamlessly fired in rapid succession. My personal favorite track was "Fi Hulal Al Afrah", which is heavy on the Arabic rhythms while maintaining a classic jazz flow, and I also liked the piano solo "Beirut Zahra Fi Gheir Awanha".

Afif Jazz at Blue Bar

The Afif brothers, Rony and Elie, have been the mainstay of the local jazz scene for years. I went to check them out at the regular Friday night haunt, Blue Bar at the WTC Novotel.

Blue Bar does not always stick to genres the name would suggest; it is quite blue, though. They have artists playing various pop and rock genres on other days of the weekend; to be fair, some of these are quite good with what they do play. And there are the obstructive thick pillars flanking the front of the stage, and the people socializing while the band plays. However, with the Afifs playing here on Friday nights, and some occasional weekday jazz-ish special events, Blue Bar remains one of the few places one can really go to for jazz in this city.

The Afifs also remain standard bearers of classic Western jazz in the country, and the only ones of which I know. Supported on the saxophone by band regular Jino Kim and on the keys by Samvel Gasparyan, Elie Afif on the double bass and Rony Afif on the drums played a great jazz night as usual, with peppy solos and good overall harmony.

That night featured a special combination, as the quartet jammed with guitarist Max Itani for part of the show. I took this picture at what looks like a particularly dramatic moment, but this is what it generally looks like.