On its sold-out second night, the Music Commission and Esquire Saudi joined in perfect harmony to host An Evening with Esquire Live at the Riyadh International Jazz Festival, where VIPs were invited to discover the unsung hero of the Kingdom’s melodic landscape.
“Jazz is a very special genre,” explains Paul Pacifico, CEO of the Music Commission. “There is a long and wonderful tradition of Arabic Jazz that we don’t feel has been celebrated sufficiently. We don’t think that voice has been heard as loudly as it could be, as loudly it deserves to be. So for us, the Riyadh International Jazz Festival is about having the opportunity to join local talent from our region with the best of global talent together to really shine a light on, and create a platform for Arabic Jazz in a way that I don’t think has really been done before.”
The three-day event opened on February 7, 2024, with performances from Jeddah-based rising star Fulana; British saxophonist and broadcaster YolanDa Brown; and Australian purveyors of Electro Jazz, The Cat Empire. It then reached a crescendo on night two thanks to the Afro-Khaleeji musical stylings of Majaz; Kokoroko, an eight-piece band that fuses Jazz with Afrobeat; and iconic songstress Chaka Khan, whose magnum opus spans funk, soul, R&B, pop, disco and of course, jazz.
In our exclusive box, which afforded a panoramic view of the majestic, newly built Mayadeen Theatre in Diriyah – were actor Muhanad Al Harbi; Esquire Saudi’s first ever cover star, X-factor winner, Hamsa Hawsawi, who merges R&B with Saudi culture; producer and curator Saud Alturki, founder of Brij Entertainment, a collective that seeks to bridge the cultural gap between east and west through diverse collaborations; plus a special appearance from Music Commission CEO Paul Pacifico for the grand finale of ChakaKhan’s greatest hits – I Feel For You, I’m Every Woman, and Ain’t Nobody.
In between acts, and to close out the night, a lucky few were invited to the speakeasy-themed Jazz Café to enjoy standards including Rock With You, Proud Mary, and Sweet Love by the Soho Club House Band, comprising world-class musicians from legendary London haunt, Ronnie Scott’s. Not to be outdone, in the spirit of improvisation, Esquire Saudi’s guest, Hamsa Hawsawi graced the stage for a few numbers to the surprise of the audience, proving unequivocally that if the Riyadh International Jazz Festival aspired to pass the mic to local voices, it certainly succeeded.