"JAZZ FACTORY - DAY 4

The following artists will be performing tonight Saturday, November 8 2008 at the Geneina Theatre in the Al-Azhar Park starting at 7:00 PM. Admission fee: 10 EGP

The Peter Lipa’s Slovak Arab Connection (The Slovak Republic)
Peter Lipa is a Slovak jazz singer, composer, promoter, speaker, manager of jazz life. For the last 25 years he has been the promoter of the European festival Bratislava Jazz Days. Peter Lipa is regularly placed in the top 5 of the European jazz singers. His roots are blues, soul and classical mainstream. His range starts from classical jazz standards and dixieland thru´ latin, jazz chanson and ends with spirituals, funk or rock. He is a spontaneous improvising singer. At present he is working on with over stylish songwriting and works with the best Slovak lyricists.
Peter Lipa was born in 1943 in Prešov. Since 1989, Peter Lipa has become the president of Slovak Jazz Society. Moreover, in 2001, Peter Lipa became a member of an International Jury, which nominates the European Jazz Prize awards. Currently Peter Lipa prepares jazz programs for Czech radio 3 and Slovak radio Devin.
Official Site: http://www.peterlipa.com/index.php?id=250

Sharqi Bahari Group (Palestine/Egypt)
Huda Asfour is a Palestinian born in Lebanon in 1982. She has since lived in Tunisia, Gaza, Ramallah, Alexandria and Cairo. While in Ramallah, Huda joined the National Conservatory of Music where she started learning musical history, theory and appreciation under the supervision of Khaled Jubran. In 2001, she joined Al-Urmawi center for Mashriq music. She is also a member of Jehar ensemble a project created and developed by Al-Urmawi in 2004. Jehar has since performed in many Arab countries.
Nizar Rohana was born in the village of Esefya on Mount Carmel in 1975. Nizar started his musical journey at an early age by playing the piano. Later, he discovered his father's old oud, and since then has been exploring his own Arab music heritage.
In 1996, he moved to Jerusalem to take up academic studies. Focusing his research on the music of the great Egyptian composer Mohammad El Qasabji, Rohana completed his Masters degree in musicology in 2006. Today Nizar Rohana is a prominent oud player in the Palestinian musical scene and he performs regularly for local and international audiences. He teaches Arabic music and oud at the Palestinian Academy of Music in Ramallah and East Jerusalem, and plays in various Arab music ensembles, as well as in world music ensembles. He has recently released his first CD, Sard (Narration).

Kalman Olah Trio (Hungary)
The Hungarian jazz pianist Kalman Olah has gained international renown as an artist who masterfully combines elements of jazz, contemporary classical music and Hungarian folk. He was born in Budapest in 1970. He graduated from the Béla Bartok Conservatory, and completed his musical studies at Franz Liszt Music University, and he is now the chairman of its jazz faculty. In 2006 he received the Franz Liszt Award from the Hungarian Ministry of Culture and was awarded Grand Prize in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers competition. His winning composition, Always, is the centrepiece of his first U.S. release record with Jack DeJohnette and Ron McClure, 2007.
Janos Egri (double bass) was born in Budapest and has been an active jazz musician since he was only 17. Recently he has become one of the most popular jazz bass players in Hungary. From 1990 he played regularly with the Trio Midnight and in 1996 he founded his first band under the name of János Egri Group.
Andras Mohay (drums) was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1978. He started to learn classical percussion at the age of ten. He graduated at the Franz Liszt College of Music in 2003. Currently, he is a member of the Hungarian Modern Art Orchestra, and several different bands in his country.
Hear their music at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=268572081

Carlo Actis Dato (Italy)
Carlo Actis Dato (Saxophone & Bass Clarinet)
Beppe Di Filippo (Alto & Soprano Sax)
Matteo Ravizza (Bass)
Daniele Bertone (Drums and Percussion)

The group started in 1984 and has since played over 500 gigs together from Australia to Japan to all across Europe and released numerous albums. They have also played on radio broadcasts all across Europe.
In the annual referendum of music critics for Musica Jazz magazine the Actis Dato Quartet was ranked seven times as one of the top Italian groups. Their records have been appreciated by jazz magazines all over the World and are featured in The Penguin Guide to Jazz and in the Larousse Encyclopaedia. The Japanese review, Jazz Hihyo, mentions Ankara Twist and Blue Cairo as the best examples of European jazz and the American magazine Down Beat gave four stars to the CD Baghdad Boogie.
http://www.actisdato.it/English/actisdato.htm

* All artist biographies taken from the official Jazz Factory Program