A collection of soulful blues and jazz performances will take place in Dubai as part of Jazz Garden — The Series, starting this week.
Bonita & The Blues Shacks, The JT Project and Soul Gorillas & Still Raw will kick off the first edition of The Series on April 28 at Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection, in Dubai Marina.
The event is free to attend for registered guests (registration can be done online).
In 2003, event company Chillout Productions began organising an annual Dubai Jazz Festival, which oftentimes featured commercial and pop music. In 2008, they launched the Jazz Garden, which focused more heavily on the genre.
The Series is the latest addition to the Jazz Garden.
“We think that we are able now to establish a strong community for this specific music genre,” said Anthony Younes, co-founder and CEO of Chillout Productions, in a press release.
Jazz Garden last took place over the course of five nights in 2014 at Dubai Festival City. More than 3,000 people attended per night.
The April 28 event, located at Fountain Garden, will begin at 7pm (doors open at 6pm) with an expected 11.30pm wrap time.
“We can only say that this is a start, to make the jazz audience grow bigger as much as our line-up in the coming editions this year, leading to the Jazz Festival in 2018. We invite all to experience a unique and exceptional environment that jazz and blues music aficionados will never want to miss,” said Younes.
Registration is available online through Dubai Jazz Festival’s website. Meet the artists performing below …
Soul Gorillas & StillRaw
Representing for the region, Soul Gorillas & StillRaw are a local act that will open the event. Fahed Gabriel, whose stage name is StillRaw, has been part of Dubai’s blues scene for over a decade. He takes his inspiration from Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Delta Blues. He will be accompanied by the Soul Gorillas, a new band who try to put a modern twist on classic soul and funk.
The JT Project ft. Todd Scheflin & Jacob Webb
Hailing from New York City, keyboardist Jacob Webb and saxophonist Todd Scheflin will lead their soul and jazz musical collective The JT Project to stage. The duo is known for songs such as Jetsetter and Overdrive, which charted on Billboard, and for bringing together various soulful musicians from around NYC.
Bonita & The Blues Shacks
Soulful South African singer Bonita Neissen joins the Blues Shacks as the R’n’B headliners of the night. The group are known for performing nostalgic melodies from the 50s and 60s. American saxophone ace Sax Gordon completes the act; he previously performed at the Jazz Garden in 2013 and 2014.
