The popular TV presenter, pianist and bandleader will perform live in front of the Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival spectators on February 16th, 2011 at the Dubai Media City Outdoor Amphitheater, following the concert of the Pop Icon Alison Moyet.

Anthony Younes, founder and organizer of the festival, said “We are really pleased to have such popular and respected artists as Jools Holland and Alison Moyet headlining the opening night of the festival, the 2 shows will certainly appeal to large tasteful crowd, and I hope they can surprise the crowd with a special dual appearance, let’s wait and see! ”

Jools’ Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra will include Gilson Lavis, special guest vocalists Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall.

The musical maestro sprang to fame in the 1970s aged 15 when he formed Squeeze with Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford. Their hits included Up The Junction and Cool For Cats. After co-presenting The Tube on TV with Paula Yates, Jools formed The Jools Holland Big Band in 1987 and this has gradually morphed into the current 20-piece band, with organist, drummer, three female vocals, guitar, bass guitar, two tenor saxophones, two alto saxophones, baritone saxophone, three trumpets, and four trombones. They play live in front of more than 500,000 people around the world annually.

Jools’ career as a recording artist has also seen him collaborate with performers like Sting, Tom Jones, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Bono, Joe Strummer, KT Tunstall, Robert Plant, Smokey Robinson, Sugababes, Ringo Starr and Peter Gabriel.

This night will kick off with a performance of the awarded star Mica Paris the power, and sheer soulfulness of her singing that made a major impact on the UK music scene.

Festival line-up includes as well the band Train, Lifehhouse, Macy Gray, and Joshua Radin amongst a long list of many more bands performing throughout 18 days at different venues.

For more info visit www.dubaijazzfest.com

Alison Moyet will warm up the night prior to Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra show. She will be performing a fantastic selection of songs from her incredible three decade career.

Alison Moyet is a multi-award winner who is branded as one of pop’s greatest survivors. Everyone adores Alison Moyet; the Basildon punk, the high priestess of electronic pop, and the peerless soul singer who has warmed British hearts since the early 1980s. She first became famous aged 21 as the singer in Yazoo, and released her triple-platinum debut solo debut, Alf, at 23. During her well established career she has released 7 solo albums, performed at Live Aid, won BRIT Awards, been nominated for a Grammy and taken on roles in London’s West End.

“Alison tops the list of the leading names from across the music world, she is going to add greatly to the line-up of the festival this year, we are sure that her show will be a great attraction to a remarkable fan base and real music appreciatives in our region” commented Anthony Younes, founder and organizer of the festival.

The 9th edition of the Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival will kick off with the World of Jazz, a series of outdoor free concerts, at the Walk – JBR followed by another 7 nights of Jazz shows at the Jazz Garden and tying up with the main concerts nights on February 16th, 17th and 18th, 2011 at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre featuring a line-up of international artists.

For information on tickets, line-up and venue, please visit dubaijazzfest.com.

That single set a record by spending more than 60 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Their singles have sold over 3 million copies. Later Lifehouse singles “First Time,” “Whatever It Takes,” and “Broken” have also achieved major chart and sales success.

For the duration of Los Angeles-based Lifehouse’s ten-year career they’ve been delicately balancing two identities: radio-ready song craftsmen and raucous live rock and roll band. On their fifth studio album, Smoke & Mirrors, the band finally unites these two personalities. , The guys in Lifehouse have an impressive resume!

Leading up to Lifehouse concert, Grammy award winner Macy Gray, will take the stage for a first appearance in the region. With five releases under her belt, Macy sold 15 million albums, scored two Grammy Awards, two MTV awards and with “I Try,” had one of the most successful singles of all time, selling “On How Life Is” like hotcakes, entering the Top Ten and going triple platinum by the end of 2000.

The festival is set to start on February 1st, 2011 and tie up on February 18th of the same month offering multiple activities and concerts; with the last 3 nights hosting the main concerts at Dubai Media City Amphitheater. The band is set to rock the Skywards stage as the closing act of the night.

Festival Line-up includes as well the band Train, Jools Holland Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, Alison Moyet, Mica Paris, and Joshua Radin amongst a long list of many more bands performing throughout 18 days at different venues.

For more details visit www.dubaijazzfest.com

The new Hard Rock Cafe is schedule to open in October 2010 at the Festival Centre, Dubai Festival City.

Dubai’s previous Hard Rock Cafe, situated on Sheikh Zayed Road near Dubai Media City, closed in March 2009.

The new 26,000 square foot restaurant will be the largest Hard Rock Cafe outside North America. It will feature seating for more than 300 diners, a large music stage and the world’s largest Rock Shop. A 35 metre ornamental guitar, the tallest in the world, will adorn the exterior of the restaurant.

‘We received continual requests to bring back David Gray to the festival due to the huge applaud for his outstanding appearance in 2007; his fan base is constantly growing in this region as well as worldwide, and with his latest release, we are confident that his upcoming show will be another huge success’, said Anthony Younes, founder and organizer of the festival.

The same night will feature Attila Molnar, Jane Monheit and Lao Tizer.

The Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival will kick off on February 10th with 7 nights of unique jazz shows at the Network Jazz Garden followed by three nights at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre on February 17th, 18th and 19th featuring legendary artists.

Tickets will be available online through boxofficeme.com, ticketingboxoffice.com and timeouttickets.com, and all Virgin Megastores outlets in UAE starting January 13th 2010.

For more details, please visit dubaijazzfest.com or call Chillout Productions on 04 3911196.

“The Brand New Heavies show will greatly add on to the festival, they are considered a legendary name in the world of acid jazz music genre as well as for their regional fan base, we are sure their show will be remarkable and exciting” said Anthony Younes, founder and organizer of the festival.

The same night will feature James Taylor Quartet, U-Nam and Lebanese musician and composer Ziad Rahbani.

For tickets release date information and line-up details, please visit dubaijazzfest.com or call Chillout Productions on 04 3911196.

Best described as the British Stevie Wonder, Morrison’s music incorporates a variety of elements from the soul music maters such as Ray Charles, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, and Joe Cocker.

Morrison had performed for thousands of fans and at some of the largest stadiums and arenas around the globe, and now adding Dubai to the list!

“We are really excited about adding such a star to our artists portfolio, James will surely attract a huge fan base, which he built in this region due to his unique style and voice” declared Anthony Younes, founder and organizer of the festival.

Although James Morrison hit the charts at the tender age of 22, his expressive voice sounds like it has been around for much, much longer.

The same night will feature the rising star Brett Dennen, the sensual Laura Izibor and Marion Meadows.

For information on tickets, please visit www.dubaijazzfest.com or call Chillout Productions on 043911196.

The annual music event will feature legends, virtuosos, divas and musicians from all around the globe, with musical styles including jazz, blues, Pop, R&B, Soul and everything in between. Festival fans can look forward to all sorts of concerts and live shows throughout 10 consecutive nights all at the Dubai Media City Outdoor Amphitheatre.

The festival will host a total of 26 international acts. For more details, please visit dubaijazzfest.com or call Chillout Productions on 04 3911196.

The 4-star hotel occupies the lower half of the Media One Tower, a 43-storey tower owned by the Al-Jaber Group. The upper 20 floors of the building will house offices.