The Norwegian jazz artist Bugge Wesseltoft performed at the Damascus Opera House in May 2009. The Syrian magazine Syria Today was there and gave the artist great reviews:
Wearing jeans and a T-shirt, Norwegian 'new jazz' musician Bugge Wesseltoft boldly marches onto the stage of the Damascus Opera House.”I'm Bugge Wesseltoft," he tells the audience," and I'm here to play a new conception of jazz."
Wesseltoft has carved out his own unique genre of music, mixing jazz traditions with electronic beats. His style has found a receptive audience throughout the world, with three successful albums to his name. Brought to Syria as a part of the Liban Jazz Festival in Damascus, Wesseltoft thrilled the audience with yet-to-be released material from his upcoming fourth album, including the songs Take 5 and WY.
The performance left a distinct impression on the audience. "Now this is what I call a music freak," Maya Youssef, a local musician who was at the concert said. "It's been a long time since I attended such a great concert. He [Wesseltoft] has completely changed my concept of music."
Nadia Muhanna
Syria Today