Roaring rhythms with The Swing Revue and Lindy Hop

I went down to Jazz Pizza Express this Wednesday to watch Dubai's latest manifestation of the vintage invasion: The Swing Revue. The 5-piece swing band and the vocalist together played several hits from the Age of Swing, as well as swing-paced covers of jazz standards by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald. The band -- playing trumpet, drum, piano, double bass, and guitar -- had a great swing rhythm, and its members also did well as backup singers during the call-and-response sequences. Their rendition of the rebel anthem "Momma Don't Allow" was especially fun.

In addition, the space just off stage left was cleared for use by the Dubai-based enthusiasts of swing dancing, Lindy Hop Dubai, who drop in an hour early for dance lessons before the weekly gig. Between two and three couples would hit the floor at a time, swinging and jiving to the live music. The band would also occasionally step down and play right next to them, adding to the swing-era atmosphere of the place.

Congratulations also to the venue, Pizza Express JLT, for being declared the best-run in the Pizza Express restaurant family.

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".

Emirates Jazz Collective plays at Saadiyat beach

Finding out, with barely a day's notice, that Monte Carlo Beach Club Abu Dhabi has a jazz night on the first Wednesday of every month fortunately coincided with a planned overnight stay in the city. That pretty much set the night's plans in stone.

The club, located near the northern tip of Saadiyat Island, hosts the jazz night at the Sea Lounge, on an outdoor stage that has the beach itself as a backdrop. While the weather's still pleasant, the outdoor portion is much preferable to the indoor seating. The selection of beers and spirits is good, but the wines (at least the white wines) left much to be desired. It's a good idea to book in advance, especially for the outdoor seats -- the place was quite busy when we got there.

More luck: it turned out to be a surprise opportunity to attend a performance by UAE-based jazz band, the Emirates Jazz Collective. That night's quartet configuration of the band, comprised of bassist Lakshmi Ramirez, saxophonist Artur Grigoryan, pianist Artie Poghosyan and drummer Douglas Caskie, played mainly upbeat, swinging jazz tunes, lending the place a very lively mood for the night, with some even taking to the dance floor. The artists for jazz night are booked ad hoc, so they may not necessarily play there next jazz night; given their performance that night, though, I certainly hope they do.

Jankura-Roberts-West jazz organ trio

This past season has set a new gem into Dubai's live music scene: a jazz organ trio. Saxophonist Matt West, drummer Eric Roberts and (of course) organist Andrew Jankura comprise the group that brings the Hammond jammin' to the city -- twice a week, to boot.

At Jazz@PizzaExpress JLT

The trio normally play at Jazz@PizzaExpress in JLT with a vocalist, but I caught them on a night without one; Roberts contributed vocals for few songs, though, while exhibiting laudable drumming skill. Jankura's Hammond jazz was rich and intense, especially in the second set, complemented well by West's saxophone. They played a bunch of full-length organ jazz tunes that took me back to a wintry Chicago, while mixing in a few out-genre numbers for variety.

At Blue Bar DWTC

For those who want something bluer, cozier and more casual, they also bringing jazz back into Novotel DWTC's Blue Bar in a late Saturday night gig (about 10:30pm).

Gypsy Swing Project Paris-Dubai CD release concert

I have been a fan of The Gypsy Swing Project ever since I discovered their winter 2013 gig at Icho. The project, which started with gypsy guitar player Alexandre Valls and bassist Lakshmi Ramirez, later joined by guitarist Samouche and then drummer Jean-Paul Wahi, brought to me the sound of real foot-tapping gypsy jazz (to which I had then recently been introduced), with evident passion for this style of music.

My curiosity about what they were up to of late (I had only seen them perform at The Market of Everything and Fete de la Musique since that season) was recently answered when I received an invitation to their album release concert at Alliance Francaise. The album, entitled Paris-Dubai, and produced by the Kamal Musallam Arts Contracting label, includes over a dozen covers and reinterpretations in the tradition of the original Manouche gypsy jazz pioneer Django Reinhardt.

The concert itself, held in the AF auditorium, was thoroughly enjoyable, with the project quartet playing nearly all the tracks from the album, each to thunderous applause from the audience. Beginning with the upbeat "Cesar Swing" and a gypsy take on "La Vie en Rose", they powered through their track list with unwavering energy, playing some more mellow compositions among more peppy numbers that got many bopping and clapping to the rhythm. A few of them featured configurations or solos that showcased the unique bass and drum styles of Lakshmi and Jean-Paul, respectively, and the gypsy guitar skills of Alexandre and Samouche. The set reached its peak with the very lively "Sweet Georgia Brown", and the encore -- a true-blue Django -- sealed a great night of gypsy jazz.

Rhythms and a blue note at the Dubai Jazz Festival

The hardest thing about inviting people to come to the Dubai Jazz Festival is convincing them that there is any jazz to be seen. And it's quite understandable when the promotion for the event makes it look like it's all about pop and rock. In fact, I thought so too, until I researched further and found out the Jazz Garden, with its lineup of actual jazz musicians.

(L to R) Rob DeBoer and Shilts; Sax Gordon and Alex Schultz; Raphael Wressnig

To be fair, it's nice of the organizers to have four free-to-attend weekday events of jazz music here. I attended two of them, the first act of the first night being the Canadian acid/groove jazz duo Four80East. Nu jazz is not something I typically listen to, but the band had a great beat from percussionist Tony Grace, with crisp keyboard/electronic and sax sounds from Rob DeBoer and guest feature Paul "Shilts" Weimar, respectively. I bought a dropcard after their set, and found some more nice, bouncy tracks by them online.

Guitarist Alex Schultz and organist Raphael Wressnig in their band Soul Gift were next, featuring guest appearances by some other nights' vocals artists for some of their numbers. The set was made by Wressnig's energy at the Hammond and Schultz's demonstrations of amazing guitar technique. Sax Gordon jammed with them, and was, well, simply phenomenal. I forget the name of their second tune (I only remember it was a cover of a famous song), but it was irresistibly catchy.

(L to R) Lebron and Jonathan Fritzen; Tad Robinson; Tad Robinson and Soul Gift with Sax Gordon

On the second weekday night, popstar-ish pianist and cheery crowd-pleaser Jonathan Fritzén had the stage, featuring saxophonist Lebron for a boppable smooth/contemporary performance.

Tad Robinson followed with great blues and swing vocals (and some nice harmonica too) in a most enjoyable set, supported by Soul Gift and Sax Gordon.

Nestor Torres and band (top row); Billy Childs and quartet (bottom row)

The first act on the ticketed night I attended was Nestor Torres, a renowned Latin jazz flautist. His was not quite my kind of sound, but it was good music within the genre, and he is definitely very skilled with his instrument (as was his band's keyboard player with his own).

Being a fan of jazz piano, I was eagerly anticipating the appearance by Billy Childs and his quartet in the second half. And I was not disappointed by what was on stage; Childs was as brilliant at the piano as I expected he would be, the band had a great harmony, and their saxophone player was outstanding. Unfortunately, the set was ended half an hour earlier than stated on the program, and (maybe this had something to do with it), due to the proximity and orientation of the so-called "Main Gig" stage, we had to endure a good deal of sound from Santana's performance and roaring fans very audibly intruding into our Jazz Garden listening zone --- especially annoying during Childs' more mellow pieces. It was really unfair to Childs and his quartet, as well as to us paying audience members, to have to deal with that, and it soured the end of, and what would have otherwise been the high point of my DJF experience.

The Afif Jazz Quintet at PizzaExpress JLT

Weekend jazz nights are back, with the Afif brothers leading a new quintet that plays at the JLT PizzaExpress every Friday night. Drummer Rony Afif, bassist Elie Afif, and saxophonist Jino Kim have teamed up with guitarist Max Itani and saxophonist Joaquin Sosa, creating a brand new sound.

The band doesn't have a pianist or organist at the moment, although Itani bridged that gap quite well with his guitar work. The inclusion of a second sax player in Sosa also meant some great segments of reed harmonization -- one of the best features of the musical output of this configuration.

As far as the new venue goes, it's quite different from the old dark and cozy bar atmosphere; the band is now playing in a more dining-oriented (but still licensed) space. It's compensated for, however, with more room onstage, and the pizza being actually very good. There's also an outdoor section for those who smoke, making it much more pleasant inside for those who don't. And it's in the heart of New Dubai, which also makes it a short ride away for me.

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.

Kamal Musallam & Friends showcase Homemade in Rome at Tamanya Terrace

Dubai-based musician, composer and producer, Kamal Musallam, together with a multinational complement of jazz musicians and a flamenco dancer, continued with the launch tour of their new album Homemade in Rome today, playing against the gorgeous backdrop of the head of the Dubai Marina as seen from the Tamanya Terrace at Radisson Blu Media City.

The playlist centered on the album's fusion jazz with Arabic and Spanish influences, but included a little music from older albums. Kamal switched between the guitar and his trademark electric oud, backed by band members Israel Varela, Marcello Allulli and Daniele Cappucci playing jazz instruments. They were joined for a few numbers by flamenco dancer Karen Lugo, who provided both visual and auditory embellishments to the onstage music with her energetic synchronized dance and footwork. There was also an interlude with a percussion duel between her and Varela on the drums. Good music, good venue, good fun.

KR&JP 2013 Travelogue Day 9: Castle, Kabuki and Kansai jazz in Osaka

From Japanese media, my image of Osaka was that people there have a strange dialect, and that it has a big castle, a tasty pancake recipe and a possibly magical shopping district. But there's a lot more to my first Japan tour stop, the capital of Kansai, and one of the largest (and quirkiest) cities of Japan.

I had a lot of help from www.japan-guide.com in getting locations and timing. Still, some places I went to were a bit out of the way or obscure, meaning I also had to do some serious research (many Japanese websites do not have English versions, especially the ones of the more obscure/out-of-the-way places). English knowledge is not very common; I learnt some basic Japanese, but I kept sounding like Damuramu from Dragon Half whenever I spoke it.

Early morning on a Sunday. Woke up from a relaxing sleep at the friendly and conveniently-located Chisun Inn Osaka Hommachi. The subway stations are huge, and often packed with shops selling all sorts of goods and foods. The automated ticket vending machines are easy to use, but transport in Japan is relatively expensive -- even public transport. The passenger rail system is well-connected to the rest of the Keihanshin megalopolis, as well as numerous smaller towns and cities in the surrounding area -- very useful for the next day's agenda.

Top: Branded manholes; Bottom: Public notice on cleanliness

But for today, it's all Osaka. Like other Japanese cities I visited, a lot of city pride is visible: for instance, manholes are branded with sometimes very colorful designs, and the streets are clean and well-kept. A lot of manpower is in employ: if a section of sidewalk is closed off, they'll have someone at each end, guiding people onto and off the diversion path. Also, this was my first acquaintance with the custom of not forking over cash hand-to-hand, but putting it in a cash transfer tray. Like the rest of East Asia, there's no tipping custom here either, bless them.

Heading southwards, my first stop was the Shitenno-ji: the temple of the four heavenly kings. I generally didn't visit a lot of Buddhist temples in Japan, preferring to devote temple visit time to more uniquely Japanese Shinto shrines. The reason for making an exception with this one is that it's of major historical importance: it's the first Buddhist temple in Japan, built on the orders of the famous prince, Shotoku Taishi, himself.

Not only that, it segued nicely from my preceding week in Korea, as he invited builders from the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje (a major source of Buddhist and other culture for ancient Japan) to help construct the temple.

The temple is beautiful, with ornate gates flanked by guardian statues, a large compound housing various dark wood- and patina bronze-roofed shrines and halls, and a tall pagoda towering over all. There is also a small museum onsite, which exhibits some Buddhist relics, including a giant pair of two- and three-tomoe dragon/phoenix drums and, upstairs, an especially exquisite set of Buddhist-themed kiri-e paper-cut depictions of Shotoku and the four heavenly kings.

Not far from the city center was my next stop: the palace site of Naniwa (left, middle). It's not a well-known fact, but Osaka briefly served as an imperial capital, and this palace was built on orders of Emperor Kotoku in 645 for this reason. Like most other East Asian buildings, it was made of wood, and therefore did not survive the ravages of time. What remains are the foundations of the platforms and pillars, now located in a rather nice park. Across the road are some reconstructed artifacts of ancient Osaka, such as the storehouse with characteristic boat-shaped roof (right).

The Osaka Museum of History is housed in a nearby bursting-pod-like tower (left) that happens to share a lobby with the local HQ of NHK, the Japanese TV broadcaster. I walked in on a live shoot in progress -- seemingly of one of those show formats where a panel of celebrities watch and comment on other TV personalities doing whatever (can't think of a better way to put it). Fans crowded around the open face of the studio (right) to catch a glimpse of their idols.

(clockwise from top left) Miniature of early boat, resembling samguk-era Korean boats; Court scene; House roof miniature; Ancient cuirass

The museum has a huge collection of artifacts and reconstructions, many dating to the dawn of Japanese culture. The models of houses, and even whole towns, are very detailed and well-presented.

Left: Ritual sickles; Top right: sacrificial array; Bottom right: Red lacquer serving set

Also displayed there are many traditional items from Japanese culture.

The ideal route begins at the top, working one's way down the levels using the stairs. The stairwell runs along the window edge of the building, which overlooks and offers a lovely, multi-perspective, and semi-panoramic view of the nearby Osaka Castle -- my next stop.

(clockwise from top left) Castle moat; Castle tower; A kendo school (inset: crest of Taira, from elsewhere in the city -- I just found it amusing); A hall in the compound (inset: crest of Tokugawa)

Osaka Castle is visually very striking, with a beautiful combination of white sides, patina bronze roofing, and intricate gold embellishments of fish, tigers, and other motifs making it instantly recognizable.

Located in a vast walled compound surrounded by a large moat and including numerous historical buildings, it was built by command and design of the almost-shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi. A generation later, it was wrested from his clan by Tokugawa Ieyasu; thanks to the defensive capabilities of the castle, however, this was not an easy job for the Tokugawas.

Within the grounds are numerous historical (and some recent) buildings, gardens and monuments, including a statue of and shrine to Toyotomi Hideyoshi (top left and top middle; note the Toyotomi crests on the banners) and a time capsule (bottom left). The main keep (right) is open to visitors, and houses a museum of its own.

The castle was the skyscraper of its day, and is still an impressive construction, affording visitors a beautiful panoramic view of the castle grounds and city center from the viewing deck near the top of the main keep.

Wearing the reconstructed ray-decorated helmet of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (left), and firing a few at the range (right)

I was, of course, happy to indulge in some historical role play there.

I rushed back to the hotel to get ready for a little fine cultural experience at the Shochiku-Za Theatre in Namba. It's one of the oldest running kabuki theaters in Japan, dating back nearly a century. I purchased my ticket well in advance on the online portal; it was possibly the most expensive single ticket I have ever bought for a non-VIP seat. True to Japanese form, it started bang on time.

Being a Kamakura era fan, I had wanted to see Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura, but it was only running in Tokyo, where I could not spare the time, meaning I had to settle for Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami. It was still a good play -- an amazing hours-long experience of flawless and ambitious technical execution, rich costumes and sets, and directorial perfection. The tachimawari segment, which took place on the banks of a onstage lake of real water and mud, was really as spellbinding as I had heard it would be, with a panicked-yet-comical Danshichi staggering through the prolonged murder scene in his bright red fundoshi.

After the show, I visited Osaka's "jazz building" at 1-6-18 Namba, located among the shopping streets, not far from the theater. The building, called "Chuwa Dixie", has a music bar on each floor. I visited the two jazz bars, Top Rank (left) and Bird/56, located on the 2nd and 3rd floors, respectively. Both had quite the jazz music collection, although neither had live acts that night.

I spent more time in Top Rank, browsing its walls of jazz record stacks, interrupted by the occasional antiquated playback device; all of these made it something of a jazz and audio-tech museum. Yakata de Voce (right), a jazz and bossa nova bar on the top floor, had a nice live act on, so I spent a fair while there too.

Jazz done with, I ambled around Namba, and down the infamous Dotonbori (top left). Plenty of jaw-dropping neon (top right) and inexplicable signage (bottom left) around. I never thought I'd ever seen Tommy Lee Jones and SMAP side by side (bottom right), but the Japanese have some interesting tastes in product endorsement. I also dropped by the famous Tako Tako King pub for a takoyaki and drink.

The Japanese use vending machines wherever possible, including for ordering food (left) at many lower- and middle-end eateries. This makes for a much faster and cleaner process, especially given the price of labor. Not long after arriving in Japan, I also encountered the famous Japanese toilet and its fancy control panel (right). It's pretty self-explanatory.

So, on to F&B. I wasted no time getting a proper bento box (top left) as soon as I arrived in Japan the night before. Before heading in to the castle, I also grabbed a seafood soup with barley and a crunchy shrimp and veg fritter (top right) from the cafe just outside, and enjoyed an authentic okonomiyaki (middle left) from a stand near the main keep.

After the kabuki show, I tucked into a ramen bowl (middle right) from Akebono Ramen, just opposite the theater. Judging by the signage, it seems to have been started by a sumo wrestler. The ramen was delicious, but it was especially the pork strip on top that blew my mind, as did every other I had in Kansai. I don't know what they do to get it that way, but it is unbelievably succulent, and just bursting with umami.

My visit to Top Rank was my first time trying Yebisu (bottom left), one of Japan's oldest beer labels. Earlier in the day, I also grabbed a few snacks from the bakeries, which are quite distinctive in style and fare in Japan (bottom middle and right).

KR&JP 2013 Travelogue Day 8: Art and flora on Jeju Island

To me, and to probably most other Hallyu afficionados, Jeju Island is one big TV series shooting place. Although that did play some part in my addition of the island to my itinerary, I did not end up visiting any TV series shooting spots; they were a bit out of the way, and the second reason I visited Jeju was that I needed to relax a little between my hectic Korea trip and my upcoming hectic Japan trip.

I had originally planned to take a ferry from Busan. However, after encountering various difficulties in getting reliable information in English, and thinking that I could do with more time on the mainland, I decided to book a flight from Busan/Gimhae instead. Incidentally, the Seoul-Jeju is the busiest flight route in the world.

Arriving well late into the evening, I made what I could of my night with a musical stop at Blue Hill Jazz Club on Ido 1-Dong (top left and right), followed by a ridiculously spicy chicken and gimjumeokbap dish (bottom left), a sampling of berry wines (bottom right), and a long-awaited foot massage (seriously, my feet were destroyed from 7 days of thundering across 6 cities).

My hostel was close to the sea, so I took a morning walk along the promenade to see the Pacific up close for the first time. I came to Jeju with no firm plans, and picked my itinerary based on the tourist map. Many places I did want to visit were far apart, and there was no rail transport, so I picked one: the Artist Village of Jeoji in the western part of the island. It was quite a trip, but taxis (and generally, public transport) in Korea are quite reasonably priced, and the lush island landscape is a pleasure to watch while in transit.

The centerpiece of the Artist Village is the Museum of Contemporary Art. Their Feng ZhengJie exhibition of iconic, colorful portraits of women was not due to open for a couple of days, but I managed to sneak a peek while they were setting things up.

The Village also hosts many artists' residences, making it a nice place to check out some architecture (top left). There are many public art displays too (top right), along with some small farms (bottom left) set up on the rich volcanic soil. The unique dol hareubang, or "grandfather stones", mascots of Jeju Island, make an appearance here too (bottom right).

A couple of smaller, private galleries were around, so I had a look at them too.

As in the rest of Korea, I saw a few examples of eco-friendly design on Jeju. Some familiar, like solar-powered lighting (left), and some novel, like grey water flushing (right), the latter of which I also saw in Japan. And like many other places in Korea, Jeju's direction signs for specific locations not only point the way, but also mention the distance -- very useful information to a tourist.

My main meal of the day was a late breakfast of pork stew at a Chinese-Korean restaurant (top left). I also recommend the quaint cafe (top right) at down the circuit road in Artist Village; they have great coffee, and very nice people running it. And, very appropriate for my destination, I sampled some plum wine (bottom left) and had a Japanese-Korean wudong (udon) noodle soup (bottom right) at the airport before my trans-strait flight to Osaka.

Ciaran Fox and Serik Iskakov jazz and swing at The Gramercy DIFC

We have few jazz/swing vocalists here in Dubai, and few of those are male, so it's a treat to see one perform live. Among their ranks, Irish vocalist Ciaran Fox stands out for doing much justice to the genres. I had seen him perform once as part of The Fridge's Kalubela ensemble show, and the next time at a bustling "men's night" last season, so I scheduled an evening with a friend at The Gramercy in the DIFC to check out his regular Monday night gig in relative peace.

The Gramercy, with its wood screens, soft lighting, high ceiling and decoratively oxidized mirrors, is an appropriate venue for this kind of music. The stage area was also well-placed, and lit better that at some of the other venues I've been. I've actually been here a few times before, mainly for stand-up comedy.

Accompanied by prolific saxophone player Serik Iskakov, Fox reinterpreted various popular songs on request, throwing in some old standards of jazz, swing and blues. This gentleman has clearly trained his voice for his chosen genres, most noticeably the ability to hold a prolonged note. When he asked for more requests, I suggested "anything from Kalubela", and he obliged with Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". Iskakov took on another one of my requests - for Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" - as a sax solo. And once he figured out that I was there for some old school, Fox belted a series of delightful jazz hits my way.

Greg Jacobs jazz night at PizzaExpress JLT

Multi-instrumentalist and singer Greg Jacobs was signed on by PizzaExpress UAE in Dubai's JLT community this season, so I invited a couple of friends to check out his Saturday night gig there. He was jamming with three other musicians, playing the piano during much of the first set, and the saxophone during much of the second.

While he was great with the sax, Jacobs was also a pretty good singer, and performed a pleasant and entertaining mix of classic jazz songs and modern hits. There were also a few good solos by him and the other musicians, who did well working together onstage.

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.