In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. International Jazz Day is chaired and led by Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General, and legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who serves as a UNESCO Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. The Institute is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing this annual celebration.
AVO TUTUNJIAN JAZZ QUINTET
AVO TUTUNJIAN,SAXOPHONE- RAFFIMANDALIAN,GUITAR RUEDIFELDER, DOUBLE BASS- FOUAD AFRA, DRUMS ELIAS MOUALLEM,SAXOPHONE
Studied with renowned saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre at New York University at age 18.While living in New York, he created lifelong close friendships with some of the most influential jazz figures of all time, amongst them Barry harris, Ahmad Jammal (who composed and recorded the tune "AVO" on his album 'Crystal'), Nica de Koenigswarter, Youssef Lateef and Charlie Rousse, to name just a few. He has performed regularly in concerts and clubs with Ziad Rahbani and other noted musicians residing in Lebanon, since his return to Beirut in 1984. He has played a major role in bringing Jazz legends to perform in Lebanon like Ahmad Jammal, Jackie Mclean, Charles Davis, James Moody, Paquito D'Rivera, Roy Hargrove, Tania Maria, Louis Hayes, James Carter, Kevin Mahagony and Eddie Palmieri.
RAFFI MANDALIAN JAZZ QUINTET
RAFFI MANDALIAN, GUITAR - THOMAS HORNIG, SAXOPHONE- PIM VAN HARTEN, KEYBOARD- PHILIPE DIB, BASS - FOUAD AFRA, DRUMS
Born in Beirut, Raffiis considered being a leading jazz guitarist in Lebanon. He holds a Master's degree in musicology
He has performed and recorded with many local and international musicians like: Arthur Satyan, Ziad Rahbani, Fayrouz,Victor Bailey, Anthony Wonsey, Walid Tawil, Abboud Saade, Fouad Afra ... In 2013, he formed his own jazz quartet (RMJQ), which reflects his influences and own style of music. He is currently teaching classical and jazz guitar at the faculty of music in University of Holy Spirit.
RAED EL KHAZEN
Beirut-born Raed El-Khazen is a seasoned, versatile guitarist with a global portfolio spanning the past 20 years. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston (1996-1999) where he weaved
Lifelong relationships that shaped him as an artist. He then spent 10 years playing, recording, and touring with several artists in New York.
In 2009 Raed returned to Lebanon to focus on production.He is credited for some of the most innovative sounds coming out of the region in the growing independent alternative scene.
In 2015, Raed felt ready to return to his instrument. His experience in production lends a special interpretation of sound and space as a guitarist, creating a signature sound and style.
His extensive collaborations with local and international musicians and producers, and his appreciation of the art of music, have rendered him a unique guitar player; engaging listeners with infinite possibilities in the now.
MONDAY BLUES BAND
ISSA GORAIEB, TENOR SAX- FOUAD GORAIEB, GUITAR
AND VOCALS- KAMAL BADARO, GUITAR AND KEYBOARDS GHASSAN SAKR,DRUMS- OMAR HARB, BASS GUITAR SPECIAL GUESTS,INGRID NACCOUR ,VOCALS- TOM HORNIG, SAX WITH 5 MUSICIANS ON HORN SECTION- PHILIPE DIB, BASS
The Monday Blues Band is a 22 years old band which has brought together amateur and professional musicians. They have always been playing voluntarily for the love of music, especially the blues.They play their own compositions as well as covers of Familiar songs by blues artists like BB King, Eric Clapton, Elmore James, Memphis Slim,etc
IYAD SFEIR & THE PROUD MUSIC SOCIETY
IYAD SFEIR, MAIN VOCALS- GUITAR HARMONICA UKULELE VOICE TRUMPET -JOE GHANEM, LEAD GUITAR BACKING VOCALS HARMONICA UKULELE- DR.TONY GHANEM,
KEY-TAR KEYBOARDS BACKING VOCALS
GARO BASMADJIAN,BASS GUITAR BACKING VOCALS MARIO SUCCAR,SAXOPHONE
NABIL ABOU ASSh DRUMS CAJON
This is a True story! The story of two engineering students at USJ/ESIB lyad Sfeir & Joe Ghanem,who decided to form a band in 1991, but somehow were about to get banned from faculty at that time. Twenty years later,in 2011,being in top managerialpositions, they decided to pay back the music scene by reforming
the band again, so other members from different fields joined them in order to create the current: lyad Sfeir & The Proud Music Society.
ARALUCIA BAND
ARALUCIA band is an idea of fusion that was developed by a group of guitar players who have a passion for Spanish, Latin and jazz music but have their own oriental music roots. The band played in different events and weddings so far interpreting tunes from these different styles as well as some of their original compositions.
GURUMIRAN
Miran Gurunian, guitar and voice- cart Ferneine,synths,Loops, voice – Ahmad Elkhatib,orientalprecusssions - Marilyn Kasparian ,voice Gurumiran aka Miran Gurunian is an audiophile,DJ, audio engineer,guitarist,lyricist,music producer and songwriter based in Beirut,Lebanon.
If you're familiar with Miran's previous releases as Pindall (Twisted Times, 2013) and Blend (Act One 2003),or as a producer and songwriter with Eileen Khatachadourian (Midan,2009) and Tania Saleh (Wehde,2011),the guitar work on his debut solo album, Aberrance - atmospheric, effects-heavy bursts that flit in and out of the songs with Subtlety and skill- won't be any surprise to you.
What might be, though, is the mixture of other influences, from dark Eighties synth-pop (think Black Celebration-era Depeche Mode), through the theatrical Vocals of David Bowie and Nick Cave, to glitch rock. All of which is blended together on a record that's highly engaging, slightly disturbing and intensely personal. However, what sets apart Gurumiran's music from the rest of the electro-rock acts around the world is the distinct arabesque and Armenian sounds prominent not only in his compositions, but also in his guitar playing and technique. There's rarely a musical passage on Gurumiran's record that doesn't bring in an instantly recognizable 'Oriental' sound,
whether in the way he mimics a duduk, oud, or saz on his guitar, or the groove arrangements often making use of tablas, req, katem, daholla, etc. that blend in with the electronic soundscapes reminiscent of Radiohead and New Order.
RUBY ROAD
Inspired by different musical genres, Ruby Road members came together in the fall of 2013, each of them bringing their personal influences to the music and meshing their own styles with one another. ln one short year, they found themselves being drawn to the blues rock genre. They also realized that they au shared a love and respect for music from the late 60's and 70's, and so started writing from that perspective which felt very natural to all of them.
Ruby Road's debut concert was at the “Haven for Artists “3rd year anniversary, and has played most of the Haven stages since. They've been in Fete de La Musique, have been invited several times to be part of the Red bull
Quarter Frequency stages, and part of the Beirut Jazz festival as well as Jim Beam Rocks, and have gigged in various pubs all across Beirut. They also were winners in the Beirut Open Stage 2015.Ruby Road recently released their first EP "Spinning" in December 2015.Each member has been
in different bands, doing their own thing, but it was only until they got together that they understood how beautiful it is to be in complete harmony.
Despite the occasional fights about the direction of a song, or the random "must have" arguments about a riff, they all complement each other and are what make up Ruby Road. Layal Buheiry on vocals, Antonio Hajj on bass and vocals, Rama TB on guitar, and Raja Rahbani on drums.
