A lot of Abu Dhabi’s watering holes and restaurants offer live acts nightly, some of which feature outstanding performers who could easily make the finals of American Idol or Britain’s Got Talent. But they’d much rather entertain us. Here’s the first in a monthly series picking out the cream of the crop in live-entertainment talent
Who?
Turning Point
What?
They’re a well sought after jazz band with a saucy spontaneous side, often dishing out pop, rock, reggae and easy listening tunes, as well as the odd South African jam (the majority of the group are originally from South Africa). They’ve been performers at the Hilton’s Jazz Bar for roughly 11 years, with a few name and member changes along the way.
“The first set is the serious jazz stuff for when people are dining, then we loosen up a bit with Jazz and Funk fusions, and in the last set, anything goes. That’s also when we take requests. The strangest request we’ve received is Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’,” say the group.
That should tell you how varied their range is, as well as their audience. “Our listeners are loyal and we have a very personal relationship with them, so much so that they would actually tell us if we screwed up or not, as well as suggest ways in which we could improve our performance.”
On performing in Abu Dhabi:
“It’s different from other places we’ve performed in, in the sense that there’s no uptight aggressiveness. The Abu Dhabi crowd is a family; very loveable and easy to communicate with.”
Where? The Jazz Bar, Hilton Abu Dhabi
When? Weekdays: 8.45pm-12.30am Weekends: 8.45pm-2am, closed on Saturdays
