Eftekasat Encore

Having heard their name numerous times over the past few years, the music enthusiast in me was both giddy and anxious to finally meet a band whose members have made a name for themselves as some of the most talented professional performers on the local scene.

I was early to my interview to meet the band members of Eftekasat at Cairo Jazz Club, and for once, I didn’t mind the half-hour wait. I took a seat, ordered a drink and watched the band finish last-minute rehearsals before the night’s big event: Eftekasat’s 10 year anniversary concert. Fittingly, the band’s first concert in February 2002 also took place at Cairo Jazz Club.

As I waited for the interview, the music slowly started flirting with me. Even though it was just a rehearsal, the mesmerizing kaleidoscope of sounds washed over me. My ears picked up on each instrument individually, while collectively, the music slithered around me until I felt I was being completely wrapped in a melodic trance.

Now I understood what all the hype was about. Eftekasat gives what has to be one of the best live performances I have seen in my life. And it seems so natural and intuitive to them. Music is what they do. It’s not a hobby or a side project; it’s a passion, a passion they have perfected over the years.

Eftekasat was formed in 2002 when jazz musicians Amr Salah and Samer George teamed up with different oriental and rock musicians. After that first performance, the band knew they were on to something, and so did the audience. And the ball just kept on rolling.

Categorizing their music as just contemporary oriental jazz doesn’t give it justice. Sampling sounds that touch on oriental, jazz and rock, Eftekasat is constantly changing musical styles and experimenting with influences from around the world, which gives them a more global sound.

The lineup of musicians in the band has also constantly changed over the years, giving the chance for many seasoned musicians to contribute to Eftekasat’s brand of music. The current seven members, together since 2009, are the band founders Salah on piano and keyboards and George on bass, plus Ousso on guitar, Ahmad Hesham on drums, Laith Sulaiman on nay, Mohamed Medhat on violin and Hany Bedair on percussion.

“With Eftekasat, it’s a group thing. Everyone adds their own sound to the music we make,” says Salah. “We’re all professional musicians and we respect the music we make. Our music is about just that, music. It isn’t elitist in any way so anyone can appreciate it: young, old, poor and rich.”

In the two albums they have released so far (their debut Mouled Sidi El Latini in 2006 and Dandasha in 2010), the band showcases their talent for mixing music genres and sounds in the most harmonious of ways. Both albums were financed by grants, which helped the band focus on the music, not the money.

“We appreciate the help we have gotten from the Ministry of Culture when it comes to covering our travel expenses to perform abroad because we had financial difficulties at first,” says Bedair. “We survive on the grants we get and the money we get from concerts. For our first album we got an artist grant, and we got a grant from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture for our second album. It’s not easy for a band like us without a front man to have a following and become successful in Egypt; people like to hear someone sing here.”

Ousso explains that the band members can’t make a living just playing with Eftekasat. Each musician has to play with several bands and also do some commercial work to be able to survive. “If we could have made a living out of Eftekasat, it would have definitely been a priority for all of us.”

Financing aside, the band has impressed the music scene with their music and technical talents. Mouled Sidi El Latini saw a guest appearance by celebrated oud player Naseer Shamma and an explosion of sounds weaving together Latin America and celebratory oriental mouled rhythms. Dandasha had a completely different sound: The band chose to sample a more oriental vibe, infusing Greek and Nubian music with sexier upbeat beats.

“Every band has a certain combination. With Eftekasat, because we play a lot of music and spend a lot of time together, the audience feels our music. We are also happy that we have inspired many other musicians and bands to make similar music covering different genres,” says Sulaiman. “When you believe in your music, good things happen. The chances that were presented to us over the years have kept us positive and optimistic.”

And lucky they have been. In addition to having performed in different cultural venues and festivals locally, the band is just as well received internationally. The list of their performances overseas is a long one: Jordan, Bulgaria, Tunisia, the US, Japan, Serbia, India and Algeria, to name just a few.

“People abroad really enjoy our mix of oriental and world music,” says Hesham. “The audience in Bulgaria even asked for an encore, which is usually rare in music festivals.”

The band as a whole feels that their music is more appreciated abroad because people don’t expect to see good music, aside from the commercial, from Egyptians. “Thankfully we surprised the audiences and now have a fan base everywhere we’ve been,” says Ousso.

“Our main aim was to be an international band, not just a local one. I think so far we’ve been successful with the amount of international festivals we’ve played at, and hopefully this streak will continue,” says Bedair, who explains that the band wants to be a musical beacon of Egyptian talent, and of Egypt at large, for international audiences.

Yes, Eftekasat’s music may not technically be categorized as Egyptian, but at the core, it is as Egyptian as it comes. Why? Because Egypt is all about improvisation and rediscovery, it’s about good energy and synergy, it’s home to culture and music, and now it’s about freedom. And that’s what true jazz is about.

“Jazz musicians present their ideas through music freely. Jazz music has structure, but it’s the freest flowing type of music,” says Sulaiman. “People feel a sense of freedom when they listen to this type of music, and that’s why it never gets old and can be felt by all ages and all nationalities.”

However, Egypt’s limited music scene makes it difficult for innovative bands to flourish locally. “World music is not mainstream globally, but here it’s even more difficult. The fans we have now were not easy to get. They were filtered over the years until we reached the fans that really do believe in our music,” says Salah. “This came gradually. The SOS Festival helped as we performed in front of 15,000 people. We also perform around twice a month in the limited places we have here like Sakkia, Genina Theatre, the Opera and all the other cultural venues available.”

Eftekasat is planning a summer tour in Europe and the US this year, and hopes to record their third album by birthday number 12.

Even though the band members feel that Egypt’s cultural agenda and media coverage doesn’t take different types of music seriously, it was clear that everyone at the Cairo Jazz Club on the night of their anniversary performance did. The performance showcased the talents of each of these musicians individually, and together, the band whipped the audience into a musical frenzy asking for, once again, an encore.