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| Jordan Festival launches with unforgettable opening night Thousands of fans enjoyed a magical double-bill night as the 2008 Jordan Festival took off on July 8th with spectacular success. Against the backdrop of the ancient Roman Citadel in the heart of Amman, international Jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall moved the crowd at a sold-out concert with hits like "I love being here with you", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Deed I do", "East of the Sun", and "Let's Face the music and dance". Making her first performance in Jordan, Krall sang and played on a Steinway piano in open air and was accompanied by Jeff Hamilton on drums, Anthony Wilson on guitar and Robert Hurst on double bass. 50 kilometers away in the Greco-Roman theater at Jerash, more crowds were enjoying a sold-out star-studded Arabic night with George Wassouf, Elissa, and Omar Abdallat. Thousands of fans swayed well after midnight to the music of the Syrian, Lebanese, and Jordanian stars who kept the audience on their feet. The unforgettable double-bill opening of the Jordan Festival was organized by the Jordan Tourism Board, whose Managing Director Nayef al-Fayez described as a magical night. Al-Fayez said "the diversity of performances at the opening night blended in amazing harmony with the Jordanian, Arab, and western audiences against the background of some of the world's most astonishing archaeological and historic sites." The 5-week festival saw another legendary event on July 10th with an "Algerian Night" featuring Cheb Khaled, Faudel, and Biyouna. Cheb Khaled, an icon among his fellow expatriates and stars in the French world music scene, was crowned the "king of Rai" at Algeria's National Rai Festival, while Faudel, also known as the Little Prince of Rai, is best known for his striking music mixes of flamenco, reggae, rap and R&B. The Algerian Night also included a performance by the National Barbes Orchestra, a conglomerate of musical talents from all the walks of life in Africa. The Jordan Festival's highlight will be a concert by International opera singer Placido Domingo who will perform with Julia Migenes and Monica Younes in the southern amphitheater in Jerash. On the other side of the music spectrum, fans are awaiting the concert by pop star Mika who will add another milestone to his music by performing in the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth. The Festival will also include performances by renowned Arab singers Amr Diab, Abdullah Ruwaished, Ragheb Alameh, Fadel Shaker, Assi Al-Hillani, Yara, and Mohammad Hamaki. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |