Original members of Electric Light Orchestra to perform at jazz festival

Line-up for the February event in Dubai also includes Mike Stern, Ana Popovic, Sue Foley, Ray Gelato, Claire Martin, David Reinhardt, Ptah Brown and Tim Fritz

Orchestra, the original members of Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), will be coming to Dubai as the final act on the last day of the third Philips Dubai International Jazz Festival. The festival, featuring various jazz forms, will be held at the Dubai Media City Lake Park from February 2 to 4, 2005.

"Each year, we bring the best talents in jazz to Dubai," said Anthony Younes, managing director, Chillout Productions, the organisers and promoters of the festival. "This year is no exception. We are very privileged to have some of the best musicians such as Mike Stern, Anna Popovic, Sue Foley, Ray Gelato, Claire Martin, David Reinhardt, Ptah Brown and Tim Fritz."

Claire Martin and Ray Gelato will be performing on day one along with Jazz Matrix featuring Jim Mullen and Peter King Quartet. Day two's line-up includes the Olivier Collette Quintet from Belgium, David Reinhardt Quintet, Ptah Brown, Tim Fritz, Lello Panico and finally the Blues Caravan featuring vocals from Anna Popovic, Sue Foley, and Candye Kane. In addition to ELO, day three will also feature Rigmore Gustafsson sub-stage 1, Mike Stern on sub-stage 2 and Jazz Diva Anne Ducros on the main stage.

"It is very gratifying to have a wide choice of jazz musicians not just from the US, but from all over the world," said Younes.

Here are brief biographies of some of the artists performing at the festival:

Ray Gelato

He is a maestro of swing and jazz, an entertainer and saxophone player of the first degree. He opened for Robbie Williams at his Swing When You're Winning concert at the Royal Albert Hall. This year, Ray released the Ray Gelato 15 track album.

Claire Martin

The highlight of all the acts on the first day of the jazz festival is the concert by Claire Martin, voted Vocalist of the Year for the third time by BBC in July 2003. She achieved instant recognition with her 1992 debut album The Waiting Game which was chosen as one of the Times records of the year. In 1994, Claire received the Rising Star award at the British Jazz awards. In 1995, Claire won the Best Vocalist Award at the British Jazz Awards and recorded her first live album titled Offbeat. In 2000, Claire started presenting the jazz magazine show Jazz Line Up for BBC Radio 3.

David Reinhardt Quintet

Proud of his family heritage, David Reinhardt, flanked by Noé Reinhardt (no relation) and Samy Daussat, tries his hand at composing with Chaumont and plays both Django and Babik. This guitar threesome makes its contribution "in contemporary colours".

Ptah Brown

Ptah, a performer and songwriter, has a crossover style. She has a smooth, penetrating, lyrical Alto-Soprano voice and sings with true expression.

Ana Popovic

Ana Popovic's rise has been meteoric. Within five years of leaving her native Yugoslavia, the 26-year-old singer/guitarist has played major European music festivals like Peer, Bishopstock and Notodden. She has shared stages with Bernard Allison, Kenny Neal and Michael Hill and recorded with hit-maker Jim Gaines.

Sue Foley

Sue Foley is considered to be one of the finest blues/roots artists working today. She is an accomplished guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. Although she is only in her mid-30s, she has been writing and playing for over 20 years.

Mike Stern

Three-time Grammy nominee Mike Stern studied at the Berkley College of Music and got his start as a guitar player with Blood, Sweat & Tears at the age of 22.

Following a stint with Billy Cobham's powerhouse fusion band from 1979-1980, Mike moved to New York City and was recruited by Miles Davis and played a key role in his celebrated comeback band of 1981 (which also included bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Al Foster, percussionist Mino Cinelu and saxophonist Bill Evans).

The Fritz gang — Lello Panico and Tim Fritz

While paying homage to some of their favourite greats, from Albert Collins to the Beatles, more than half of the songs are original, written by Lello Panico and Tim Fritz.

Their music is full of raw energy. It cuts across many musical styles, but it's always powered by the blues.

Candye Kane

Candye and her band have been awarded Best Blues Band for 2001-2002 by the San Diego Music Awards for a record fifth time.

Candye remoulds vintage blues, swing, and rhythm and blues into an ultra-modern sound that celebrates life. She became involved in the burgeoning punk rock music scene of the early 1980s and found herself sharing the stage with musicians as diverse as Fear, Black Flag, Social Distortion, The Circle Jerks, Los Lobos, The Blasters and Dwight Yoakum.

Jim Mullen

He has been an essential component of the UK jazz scene since the 1970s. Four times British jazz award winner, he co-founded the legendary UK jazz-funk band Morrissey Mullen with Dick Morrissey. Morrissey Mullen consistently dominated the UK jazz-funk charts with seven top albums to their credit.