Star-studded line-up for Standard Bank Joy of Jazz
Jazz giants from across the globe – including four-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves; National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and South African musical legends Sibongile Khumalo and Jonas Gwangwa – are part of the line-up for this year’s star-studded Standard Bank Joy of Jazz. The new-look 2014 Standard Bank Joy of Jazz will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre from September 25 to 27. Other Grammy Award winners at Africa’s premiere jazz festival include British R&B legend Billy Ocean; this year’s Best Jazz Vocal recipient Gregory Porter and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Other huge draw cards include Tony-nominated composer and multiplatinum-selling singer Ann Hampton Callaway; Filipino recording artist and cultural trailblazer Charmaine Clamor; New Orleans trumpeter Christian Scott; Independent Music Award winner Omar Sosa from Cuba; Italian jazz singer and Grammy nominee Roberta Gambarini; Cameroon’s Richard Bona; Dwele from the US and trumpeter and composer Tomasz Stańko, regarded as Poland’s most important jazz ambassador, who will be performing with some of top young jazz performers from Finland and Denmark. Performers from South Africa include Feya Faku and his quintet; the Mike Rossi Project; Herbie Tsoaeli and Carlos Mombelli, both of whom will be performing with their quartets. A number of Standard Bank Young Artist winners are also on the bill including Gloria Bosman (2000), Tutu Puoane (2004), Kesivan Naidoo (2009), Melanie Scholtz (2010), Shane Cooper (2013) and Kyle Shepherd (2014), Germany’s Wolfgang Diefenbach is the founder and artistic director of the Hessian State Youth Jazz Orchestra also known as Kicks & Sticks who will be providing a big band sound at this year’s festival. Delfeayo Marsalis will be appearing with acclaimed Uptown Jazz Orchestra (UJO) who play everything from traditional New Orleans music, swing and bebop to modern-day brass band funk. Says Marsalis: “I originally formed the Uptown Jazz Orchestra so that New Orleans students could hear what a real swinging big band sounded like. It’s important that in addition to seeing the many great brass bands and other funk-based groups around the city, students know about the more sophisticated styles of American music.” Dianne Reeves is regarded as one of the greatest female jazz vocalists in the world. She is known for her unique jazz and R&B styling and her following has only grown as she’s crossed musical genres. After doing session work and touring with Sergio Mendes and Harry Belafonte, she made her name in the 1980s and has earned four jazz Grammys – an unprecedented three of which were consecutive. Reeves was the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s first jazz creative chair and the first singer to perform at the famed LA Walt Disney Concert Hall....
Standard Bank Joy of Jazz & Workshops
Warm up the last winter weekend this August at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival in downtown Johannesburg… Young Jazz musicians take note, they’re running a series of free jazz workshops during the festival: Running from August 27 to 29 in Newtown, the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz 2009 line-up features artists from America, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands who will be joined by top performers from South Africa and the African Diaspora. Performers from the African continent include South Africa’s Jonas Gwangwa; Afro Jazz featuring Jimmy Dludlu; Vusi Mahlasela; Brian Thusi; Sterling EQ; the 2009 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for jazz Kesivan Naidoo as well as the Nigerian All Stars featuring Kúnlé Ayo and Rwanda’s Somi. Read more about the artists below… Some of the world’s leading jazz musicians – appearing at this year’s Standard Bank Joy of Jazz which takes place in Newtown from August 27 to 29 – will run free workshops teaching youngsters and musicians the intricacies of the craft. They include acclaimed Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider; Canadian trumpeter Ingrid Jensen; American pianist Bob Baldwin and saxophonist Marion Meadows and American jazz vocalist Arlee Leonard. The two groups giving workshops are Netherlands’ popular outfit Room 11 comprising Janne Schra (vocals), Arriën Molema (guitar), Tony Roe (keyboards), Lucas Dols (bass) and Maarten Molema (drums) and Spain’s Sumrrá featuring Manuel Gutiérrez (piano), Xacobeo Martínez Antelo (double bass) and Luis Alberto Rodriguez (LAR) Legido (drums). For more information on the workshops contact Mojalefa Gwangwa at T Musicman on 011 326 0141 or email ar@tmusicman.co.za The itinerary is as follows: Thursday August 27 from 11am to 1.30pm at the following venues: · Music Academy of Gauteng (Daveyton) – Ingrid Jensen · South West Gauteng College (Soweto) – Andreas Vollenweider · Moses Molelekwa Artist Foundation (Tembisa) – Room 11 · Central Johannesburg College (Johannesburg Central) – Marion Meadows and Bob Baldwin · Beverly Hills (Sedibeng – Vereeniging) – Arlee Leonard · Tshwane University of Technology (Tshwane) – Sumrrá For more information on the line-up, venues go to www.standardbankjazz.co.za and www.tmusicman.co.za. More on the line-up: Leading South African songstresses Judith Sephuma and Unathi Nkayi are joining the already impressive line-up at this year’s Standard Bank Joy of Jazz. Sephuma – who is regarded as one of the country’s leading jazz and Afro-pop singers and is the recipient of three South African Music Awards (SAMAs) – will perform on the Dinaledi Stage on Friday, August 28. She shares the stage with Spain’s Summra; the Lao Tizer Band featuring violinist Karen Briggs and guitarist Chieli Minucci and Main Ingredient from the US which includes vocalist Cuba Gooding. Over the years,...
Represent Review: Jazz at Moratele Park
Reuben ‘The Matrix’ Malema kicked back at a highly entertaining day of jazz at Moratele Park last weekend in a warmer Tshwane. Obviously The Matrix had a ball, but he just couldn’t quiet a nagging question – ‘Who will replace the Jazz greats when they’re gone?’ See our photostory from Represent’s supertalented photographer, Nkateko Siweya, by clicking here. Friday night – 29 August 2008. The Newtown Cultural Precinct. Rejoicing in the mellow tunes of jazz is the prevailing mood and yours truly is taking it very slow. Jazz, like all other things which are so blissfully fulfilling, demands that one graciously savour it in bite-size portions lest you spoil the encapsulating experience that is so full of delight. The organizers of this year’s colossal event left nothing to chance. Enthused fans and all visitors had to park their vehicles at the Old Johannesburg Train Station located adjacent to the Market Theatre on Carr Street. The entire area of the Event was fenced off and fully equipped security personnel tirelessly scoured the populous venue. Creative décor and free-flowing performing arts unfolded unhampered as the entire venue was transformed into a Kofifi/ Marimba cultural village of yesteryear: Sofiatown. Flute and harmonica tunes taunted the mind to imagine a place that mostly exists in the National Archives of South Africa’s past cosmopolitan glory (or the Drum magazine archives – Ed 😉 ). The eyes couldn’t help but swiftly teleport the mind into the world of the unison dancers of the smash hit: Sarafina! I found myself uncontrollably whistling away to the familiar harmony : “O tla utlwa bo-tsotsi ba re: a re yeng ko Meadowlands! Meadowlands, Meadowlands, Meadowlands Sithandwa sam’ !” Priceless! The Event At 19h00, yours truly and Mr. Siweya enjoyed the exemplary performance of local artist Mark Fransman at the Dinaledi stage. The Market Theatre played host to the Classic Jazz Masters followed by the charming Simphiwe Dana (If only wishes were horses). 20h15, by this time my partying mood had reached fever pitch, with the least intension of slowing down. We headed for the Mbira stage to catch the fantastic showcase of artistic skill and unlimited ease of the Nigerian born ‘Asa’. 21h15 still at Mbira, I was plunged (head first!) into a whirlpool of romantic ballads by Ringo Madlingozi, my sense of imaginary infatuation was completely and utterly drenched into a soapy mess!! The Spinners from USA skillfully breached the fun between Dinaledi stage and Bassline where Joshua Redman (USA) twirled us about with his ingenious saxophonist melodies. I thought this event was totally fabulous. Thank you Standard Bank for taking us down the Sofiatown history timeline and...
We will be back!
