On the 22nd of October Hamza Namira’s voice was – after a long absence from Egyptian stages and radio stations – heard in Cairo once again. The highly popular Egyptian singer was invited to join Cairo Jazz Festival, of which the eighth edition took place for three music-filled days at Downtown Cairo’s The Greek Campus. All that jazz In this year’s lineup, consisting of more than a hundred jazzists and jazz bands from twelve different countries, Hamza Namira’s appearance might have come as a surprise. The multi-instrumentalist, whose family roots lie in Mansoura, usually sticks to a fusion of genres – jazz not being one of them. “It is important for me to take part in this festival anyhow,” he puts forward. “A big number of music styles are linked to jazz. With the artists performing here, it’s a chance for my audience to widen their scope by discovering a music style they won’t easily find in my music. People who usually listen to more mainstream music like pop and rock might get to know jazz a little bit better this way. Since jazz, especially in Egypt, attracts a niche…
