MOJO CLUB was established to promote live jazz and blues music in Lebanon.
The idea behind the club, situated in the heart of Hamra Street, came from
MUSIKUEST, a Lebanese booking
agency that brought jazz and blues artists from the US to Lebanon since 2000 among whom
are: Chick Corea-Mike Stern-Sonny Fortune-Branford Marsalis, Larry Coryell and Al Di Meola.
Mojo is the club that will continue bringing such artists to perform for the Lebanese public.
It is EAST meets WEST when the visiting international artist is backed by resident artists
to form a unique combination. It is the best performances of NYC jazz clubs moved into
Lebanon for the Lebanese public to enjoy. Live music is the reason behind the existence of MOJO CLUB.
At the entrance of MOJO the message is clear: “Behind this door live music every night”
MOJO is a magical charm bag used in hoodoo.
It is the staple amulet of African-American hoodoo practice,
a flannel bag containing one or more magical items. It is a corruption of the English word magic,
more likely it is related to magical protection to attract love and created by a couple to preserve
faithful love during absences.
This is how the word MOJO is defined since the first recordings by blues singer Robert Johnson
in the 1930s who had written about a “woman’s MOJO” in his song “Little Queen of Spades”.
But the word MOJO was given sexual meanings after it was used by rock singer Jim Morrison in the late 1960s who
sang Mr.MOJO Risin’.
The most popular use of the word remains the recording of Muddy Waters, the Mississippi born Chicago style blues singer ,“I got my MOJO working” written by Preston Foster. It remains Muddy Waters most popular song with the following lyrics:
Visitors"I got my MOJO workin’ but it just don’t work on you
I wanna love you so bad , child, but I don’t know what to do
I’m going down to Louisiana , gonna get me a mojo hand
Gonna have you all you women under my command"