The concert was held at the Damascus Citadel in the Old City. A beautiful night; the warm breeze and almost a fully booked venue was the perfect setting for the concert which was held Wednesday July 8. The event was a part of the fifth annual festival Jazz Lives in Syria.
Motif is a Norwegian jazz ensemble which consists of Atle Nymo (Sax and Clarinet), Mathias Eick (Trumpet), Håvard Wiik (Piano), Ole Morten Vågan (Bass) and Håkon Mjåset Johansen (Drums). Unfortunately, Atle Nymo was not able to participate in the band’s visit to Damascus, but his replacement Håkon Kornstad did an excellent job.
The ensemble was founded in the fall of 1999, and has appeared on a variety of Norwegian and foreign festivals and clubs. In addition to being inspired by improvisation and jazz, the musicians have been inspired by other genres of music such as pop and avant-garde. Motif has released two albums on the indilabel AIMrec, which both have gotten great reviews all over Europe. This was the band’s first visit to Damascus. However, some of its members have performed at the festival earlier.
Motif played both old and new material, and did so with great success. Improvisation is a big part of the band’s expression, and the mixture of improvisation, jazz, pop and electronic music made it a night to remember
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