Just got back from a really good jazz performance and I was reminded of a few things.

1) I really like jazz, and I’ve missed hearing good live music and guys just up there jamming on a sax, guitar, and drum set. Here, they throw an Oud into the mix. I guess it’s what the guitar is derived from.

2) People in Egypt usually walk slowly, but any vehicle you’re in is driving much faster than you would expect, given the crowded streets. My mini-bus on the way home was no exception to this. Horn blaring all the way, 14-16 of us crammed into a Toyota minivan, no seat belts, and just going on faith… *smile*

A story connected to that:

Last week, Tuesday was Darren’s last day so we had the lunch at Chili’s. Well, I never described how we got there. We had a group of 6 going from Dawson Hall, so we split up 3 each into 2 different cabs and set off.

About mid-way there, I realized the cabs were racing each other!!! Our driver looked somewhat serious and was wearing dark sunglasses, but he flashed us the occasional smile. The driver of the other cab had this huge grin on his face every time he overtook us! Sadly, our car lost the race but I guess we all won since we survived. I was sitting in the front seat and the ladies in the back seemed a bit nervous, especially when we realized that our driver didn’t really understand where we wanted him to go. Fortunately, the other driver did so we followed him.

So the name of the group I saw tonight is “Freddy Rizk & Friends”. (that link is for an upcoming performance that I'll hopefully make it to) They’re mostly Egyptian, but one guy is French and another spent a bunch of time in Quebec. Apparently, they’re touring the U.S. soon, so look out for them. I highly recommend them – definitely worth the price of admission. Well, I paid less than $2 for my ticket, so it’s tough to complain! But I did really enjoy the show – non-stop music for 2 solid hours.