ALGERIA: Constantine City has played host to the 7th DimaJazz Festival, attracting musicians from around the world to take part

Record ID: 573562

  • Title: ALGERIA: Constantine City has played host to the 7th DimaJazz Festival, attracting musicians from around the world to take part
  • Date: 24th May 2009
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (French) AUDIENCE MEMBER, MAYA (last name not given), SAYING: "DimaJazz is a means of distraction. It permits to us to broaden our ideas, to go out, to see the people we want to see."
  • Embargoed: 8th June 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Algeria
  • Country: Algeria
  • Reuters ID: LVA9UI1YFN0AUZOAWIMIHNEGG43P
  • Story Text: The Algerian city of Constantine has played host to the 7th DimaJazz Festival, attracting musicians from around the world to take part, playing to very receptive audiences.
    Constantine is situated 450 kilometres to the east of Algiers.
    Playing to packed audiences at Constantine city's theatre, famous musicians offered concert-goers a feast of jazz music over a seven-day period.
    One audience member, 23-year-old Maya, said the jazz festival gave her the opportunity to see something she might not usually see.
    "DimaJazz is a means of distraction. It permits to us to broaden our ideas, to go out, to see the people we want to see," Maya said.
    Jazz band Cumbia Ya played to a very energetic audience and musician Marielle Chatain said the band really appreciated it.
    "I think I can speak for the entire group when I say that our hearts are filled with joy. We had a fabulous welcome. We are delighted. We've had a great music feast," Chatain said.
    Another musician in the band, Christine Roch, said the band had felt the audience's warmth towards them.
    "The warmth from the crowd was amazing. It was incredible. They gave. It was not a public which waits to see if they'll enjoy it, they were really here and supported us from the start. They launched songs. It was incredible. They were stronger than we were!" Roch added.
    In its seventh year, the festival is the brainchild of a group of young, like-minded friends and musicians.
    "DimaJazz is the adventure of a group of young people - friends and musicians. We are organising it for pleasure, to share with our friends, our family, and the people of Constantine City in general. It is a pleasure to gather together famous musicians here in Constantine," the organiser, Nouredine Nasrouche, said.
    American Blues musician Bernard Allison, the son of famous Blues musician Luther Allison, said although he'd been told the Algerian public would embrace his music he never expected they would embrace it to the degree they did.
    His style is a mix between the traditional Blues and modern sounds like funk and Hip Hop. He is considered a leader of the new Blues generation.
    "We have the same reaction (to the music) but to be the first time here and to see that; I would never expect the Algerian public to really embrace the Blues. I was warned. It was like, 'they love the Blues' and they accepted Bernard Allison's way of playing the Blues," Allison said.
    The festival ran from 14-21 May.
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