AMAR SUNDY SINGING THE BLUES AT MIJF 2008

Blue man in birth. Blues man by choice. That is how Amar Sundy described himself and his passion for blues music.

An accomplish guitarist, Amar’s music is a mixture of Chicago blues laced with the folk beat of his Tuaregs root that originated from the Sahara Desert.

Amar will be among the nine groups performing at the May 9 and 10 Miri International Jazz Festival 2008. The festival will be stage at the Pavilion of Parkcity Everly Hotel in Miri.

Borned in Hoggar in the Sahara Desert region, Amar grew up in France and his interest in music began when he returned to Algeria in search of his roots when he was 18 years old. There he met an Algerian guitarist who taught Amar the skill to play acoustic guitar.  Impressed with what he learned, Amar stayed in Algeria for for four years.

On his return to Paris, Amar began playing at the subway, making small earning from his gigs.  From the subway, Amar then played with other musicians at clubs and his big break came when he performed at a jamming session at Eldorado.  Taking a note from someone’s suggestion, Amar formed his own band and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Amar had played alongside big names in blues music and they included BB King, Jimmy Johnson, Otis Rush, James Cotton and Albert Collins.

After several years of performing with the big names in blues music, Amar decided to record his first album in 1990. Calling it “Hoggar-Chicago-Paris”, this debut album encompassed Amar’s Algerian root and his passion for Chicago blues. His second album entitled “Homme Bleu” was released in 1998 while his third album called “Live and Blues” came in 2000. Four years later, he released his fourth album called “Najma”. A track from Najma called Ouallache has been including in a compilation “Blues Around the World” album that was released in 2006 and distributed in 60 countries worldwide. Blues Around the World has also popularized Amar’s Chicago blues and Tuareg rhythms fusion.

Besides Amar, other groups that will be performing at MIJF 2008 are Habana Sax from Cuba, Rumba Calzada (Canada), Mood Indigo (USA), Diamond Dave and the Doodaddies (Australia), Oma Sound (Japan), Borneo Jazz Quartet (Sarawak), Charmain Clamor (Philippines) and D’Iventielke from Holland. The 16-piece D’Iventielke is a jazz street band and it will perform around the festival ground. 

Organised by Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), the festival is expected to attract an audience of 6,000 . Last year more than 4,000 guests came for the two-night show.

Tickets priced at RM60 per night for an adult and RM30 per night for a child between three and 12 years old, are available online at www.ticketcharge.com.my and at Visitors’ Information Centre in Miri.

For more details, kindly contact the Visitors’ Information Centre at Lot 452, Jalan Melayu in Miri (tel: 60 85 434181, fax: 60 85 434179) or log on at www. Mirijazzfestival.com. Email contact: info@mirijazzfestival.com.

Issued by:      
Date: February 4, 2008
Corporate Affairs
Sarawak Tourism Board