50 Shades of Blues in Abu Dhabi

Alivia and the Elite Blues Band kicked off my musical experience of 2015 in the sixth Rooftop Rhythms blues-centric musical venture, "50 Shades of Blues", at the Saadiyat Beach Club's De La Costa bar and lounge in Abu Dhabi. Blues being right up my musical alley, I was happy to find a dedicated local event for this genre (which seems to be even more rare here than jazz).

Alivia's powerful, broad-ranged vocals and engaging showmanship were backed by the Elite Blues Band's drummer Terrence and keyboardist Robert, the latter of whom also took over lead vocals now and then. Songs performed that night on the club's beachfront terrace ranged across blues, soul and R&B genres, beginning with some light, playful numbers like "Voodoo Woman" and "Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On". Later on, Robert showed us how it's done in Hammond mode when "Down Home Blues" came up in the playlist.

In the second set, audience participation began in earnest as Alivia took on a fan request and expertly rendered the Bobby Womack classic "Harry Hippie" -- a song that provided ample opportunities for a microphone pass-around. Closing a fun night of great musical performance with an enthusiastic crowd, the third and final set included popular hits like "I'll Be Around", progressively drawing people onto the dance floor, and pushing the night into the line dancing phase (obliging even bisinistrapedal me to give it a shot).

Verse, vibe and Will at Rooftop Rhythms #17

A strange confluence of non-events permitted me a Friday evening free enough to drive down to Abu Dhabi and join the wordsmiths of the city's Rooftop Rhythms at their 17th open mic, at the Hilton Capital Grand.

Dorian

The organizer/emcee, Dorian, kept the energy up with charm and (sometimes deliberately groansome) humor, and the DJ set the mood with some wonderfully bouncy tunes. The weather was pleasant enough for the outdoor poolside section of the rooftop bar venue to be opened up -- a good thing too, because a LOT of people turned up. A projector above the stage played a (slightly distracting when performances were in progress) slideshow of images from what I presume were past open mics.

Will McInerney

We listened to several spoken word pieces about family, technology, love, and such; many of these were very relatable and clever. A couple of my favorites were the ones about sibling relationships and the one about GPS (in the case of the latter, until it started getting preachy well beyond the ceremonial deism threshold). In addition to the spoken, some sung and others rapped, adding further diversity to the talent buffet. Visiting American spoken word celebrity Will McInerney was also at the event, and delighted us with a few intense performances.

Melisa Le Rue and Samvel Gasparyan jazz up Sorso at The Ritz

Jazz in Abu Dhabi is a rare find. So when you do find it, it's well worth a night out.

The Ritz-Carlton here is a massive gated complex on the island side of Maqta, with ample parking. Easy to locate, though a bit far from the heart of the city. I would strongly advise approaching from Mussafah Bridge, if you don't want to have to drive around in circles.

I'm digging its Sorso bar for the bold visual appeal and comfort. Country club charm meets modern baroque, colored in red, black and metallic grey. Drinks are very attractively priced too, and the cozy ambiance is great for chinwag.

And, of course, jazz. Samvel Gasparyan, who has collaborated with some of the more well-known acts in Dubai's jazz scene, was at his nord+KORG setup, backing Melisa Le Rue's vocals with delightful strains of piano and organ. It was nice to hear jazz and soul, standard and non-standard, from Melisa; her singing, while decidedly versatile, is very well-suited to these genres, and it's plain to see that she enjoys singing them.

Rachael Calladine and Stoyan Stoyanov at The Ivy

A supporter of jazz in the city for many seasons now, The Ivy at Jumeirah Emirates Towers features British singer Rachael Calladine and Bulgarian composer-pianist Stoyan Stoyanov - both Dubai-based artists - on Thursdays this season.

Calladine's reportoire of jazz and soul reinterpretations of popular music was complemented well by Stoyanov's fleet-fingered phrasing, the latter especially evident in his improvised bridges. To mark Michael Jackson's posthumous birthday (which happened to be on that day), they performed several of his songs as well.

Oh, and one must definitely try the duck fat chips here. They are to die for.

Rachael Calladine and Shay at Bahri Bar

I dropped by Bahri Bar at Mina A'Salam last week to enjoy one of the first regular gigs of the season: a Dubai-based duo of British singer Rachael Calladine (who contributed her musical talents to Kalubela last year) and Nigerian musician Shay (who recently featured in the first volume of local artists' collaborative album Sikka Score). The Arabesque-modern bar, with its soft lighting and relaxed ambiance, lends itself well to the performance of their jazz/soul/funk genre.

Calladine sang classic hits from various decades, as well as contemporary ones, mostly reworked along jazz and soul lines. It was a seemingly effortless vocal performance, featuring a good deal of improvisation and scat. While I am more used to her singing style going with jazz piano, Shay delivered great instrumental accompaniment, using a loop machine to electronically layer beats and tunes from his guitar. He also contributed a few commendable vocal performances. They both harmonized well in the final song of the night; I hope they include more opportunities to do this in future performances.