Jazz in Gaza

It's fair to say that in many ways, this was exceptional, both musically and geographically and, after many years of cultural isolation, the curiosity factor of the assembled audience was high. The setting itself couldn't have been more perfect: an open-air performance with the full moon, starry night sky and warm summer air providing a better backdrop than even the best set dresser could provide, a stark moment of stillness and serenity in one of the world's most turbulent flashpoints - the Gaza Strip.

Founded by Deutsche Welle and the German Music Council, the German Women Jazz Orchestra is made up of twelve musicians who are all either former or current members of the Federal Jazz Orchestra, and the new group came to life on the occasion of the 2010 Women's World Cup soccer championships in Bahrain.

Under the direction of saxophonist and composer Angelika Niescier, the orchestra members performed not only with note-perfect professionalism, but also with a tangible sense of fun, which was passed on to the clearly enthusiastic audience.

"It was such a special moment, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," said young Arab audience member Ghada Ziyada, "I think it's great that these musicians thought about Gaza and actually came here to play. I think for all of us, this concert represented a couple of hours relief from everything."

Difficult journey into Gaza

For a long time it wasn't clear if the group of German musicians would even be allowed to travel into Gaza. Generally, only diplomats or journalists carrying specially issued authorization papers from the Israeli government are permitted to cross the Erez control point. For many Palestinians, the crossing is impossible.

"I can hardly believe that we're actually in Gaza," said Anegelika Niescier, frontwoman of the German Women Jazz Orchestra. "I'm really happy to be here. And we're giving the first ever jazz concert in Gaza. It's unbelievable!"

Jörg Schumacher, head of the Ramallah branch of the Goethe Institute and co-organizer of the concert tour, was visibly relieved.

"We worked for more than six weeks with so many different people to make this possible," he said. "And of course, we always had to have a Plan B just in case something didn't work out."

The arrival of the female musicians in Gaza raised a lot interest among the Hamas security forces, who control the checkpoint on the border to Gaza. The normally meticulous luggage checks for alchohol and other forbidden items was substantially curtailed this time and after asking where and when the concert would take place, the musicians were wished a pleasant stay in Gaza by border officials.

An oasis for the Facebook generation

The announcement of the arrival of the German jazz musicians at the concert venue - the Café Gallery - spread through the city like wildfire, leading organizers to improvise with a make-shift mini-arena at the open-air café to accommodate spectators. Locally, the gallery is known as a meeting point for many of Gaza's progressive-minded youths and is regarded as something of an oasis from the severity of everyday life for the Facebook generation.

Café owner Jamal Abu Al Qumsan managed to retain his trademark beaming grin despite the stresses of the last-minute reorganization to present the concert.

"In absolute honesty, I'd never have thought it would all work out," he said. "We are really extremely pleased to be able to host this jazz concert and be a part of this special event."

Far removed from the daily routine

Just the mere idea of presenting a jazz concert in Gaza is something far removed from the everyday. Because of Israeli cordoning policy, the area constituting the Gaza Strip is completely sealed off from the outside world, meaning that exchanges with musicians and artists abroad is generally only possible in the virtual world of the internet. The internal situation, which sees Hamas security forces controlling the region, makes the promotion of even domestic concerts a rare occurence.

Café owner Jamal Abu Al Qumsan can explain why the concert was possible.

The local authorities are not in the least interested in music and certainly couldn't care less about a women's orchestra playing jazz!," he said with a wink. "You could, however, say that as long as we respect certain restrictions, rules and social values, anything is possible."

Power blackout and a warm welcome

But aside from the political and social upheavals in the region, Abu Al Qumsan was faced with a more mundane problem: during the soundcheck for the concert, there constant power blackouts. Continual power cuts are part of everyday life in Gaza as the whole region is dependent on a single generator.

"They'll manage it somehow," muttered Abu Al Qumsan to himself, almost a mantra to calm the nerves of the assembled musicians.

"Well, that's part of the deal I suppose," said orchestra member Stefanie Narr with resignation. She plays electric guitar in the line-up and is arguably more dependent than most on a constant power supply. However, the various technical hitches the group were faced with were accepted in good humor.

"The people here have really impressed me," said Narr. "They are so open and I get the impression they are genuinely happy to welcome us here. It's such a different view of the country to the one we are used to seeing in the news."

For band leader Angelika Niescier, the possibility of direct exchange between the musicians and the local people is arguably the principal concern of the trip.

"It's really totally clear that the cultural exchange here can't really flow as easily as it can in other parts of the world," she said.

A rare occurrence

Shortly after eight, the musicians took to the stage amid warm applause for the first performance, a mixture of modern jazz with occasional elements of swing and blues - the music was just as mixed as the array of people watching the show. The importance of this, the first jazz concert ever staged in Gaza, shifted the already top-notch concert to the level of a happening. The motto, splashed across all the posters for the event, read: "The main thing is to be there."

"It's so rare that one can enjoy such an exciting atmosphere here in Gaza. I hope it won't be the last time,” said one enthusiastic spectator. Also in the crowd was 25-year-old Khaled Harara who, in his spare time, is a rap musician, although he no longer has the opportunity to perform live since performances of this kind have been outlawed by Hamas. "I think it's really great," he said. "A concert of this kind in Gaza is more than we could have dreamed of. Normally we would have to make do with watching something like this on Youtube."

And during the on-hour performance, the typically unreliable electricity supply only blacked out twice. This, just like the concert itself for the Palestinians here, was also nothing short of a miracle.

Text: Tania Kraemer / gb
Editor: Louisa Schaefer