Beauty and the Beast show from Tuesday
Web posted at: 7/24/2005 2:43:1
Source ::: The Peninsula

Doha: Renowned Indian percussion artist, Ustad Zakir Hussain and his Asian stars enthralled audiences in Doha on Thursday at the maiden concert of the International Jazz Festival organised by the Qatar Tourism Authority as part of this year's Qatar Summer Wonders mega-festival.

The eyes of all shoppers were now on the Hyatt Plaza where tomorrow, the first draw of the Qatar Summer Wonders' shopping festival will be held.

The three-day International Jazz Festival held at the Diplomatic Club got underway on Thursday evening with a large audience attending the maiden concert of the event performed by Zakir Hussain — the renowned tabla maestro and his troupe.

The nearly 90-minute performance had the crowd enchanted as Zakir Hussain Asian Stars took them over the sand dunes of India's desert state, Rajasthan, with Ustad Sultan Khan rendering folk songs to the accompaniment of Zakir's fabled tabla and more modern instruments such as the piano and electronic keyboard.

Newcomer to the troupe, Vijay Chavan, drummed in the Maharastrian notes with his dholki and dhumri — two percussion instruments peculiar to the state.

Zakir Hussain Asian Stars were followed up by Gros Bras who played excellent Jazz music well into the night keeping lovers of that style of music well satisfied. Yesterday, Brazilian star Tania Maria gave her performance on the second day of the International Jazz Festival.

The Qatar International Exhibition Centre, the main venue of this year's Qatar Summer Wonders attractions, drew thousands of people — both young and old — to watch some of the world class shows that are on offer.

Children were particularly thrilled to watch one of the last few performances in Doha of the famous production of Universal Studios, the Adventures of Ali Baba.

African drummers and dancers gave a glimpse of that continent's folklore while Shaolin Monks from East Asia stunned visitors with a combination of martial arts and traditional dances.

Meanwhile, the first of the four draws of this year's shopping festival is slated to be held tomorrow evening at the Hyatt Plaza. The draw will feature cash prizes worth a total value of QR 375,000.