New Venue in Durban: Jazzy Rainbow
Mar12

New Venue in Durban: Jazzy Rainbow

Every city needs fresh venues especially those that cater for serious music-lovers who seek out intimate music-listening environments. New Durban venue with a colourful name “The Jazzy Rainbow” will be kicking off a series of live music gigs with the maestro Madala Kunene on the 27 March – sounds good: The Jazzy Rainbow is currently setting itself up to be one of eThekwini’s key music venues with a series of live music sessions at the venue called “Unplugged Repertoire”. As we will all agree; there is a desperate need for such venues to showcase Durban’s finest musical talents. These music sessions will be held regularly to encourage Durban’s socialites to endeavor into something different from the monotonous clubbing style of entertainment. In an effort to achieve this, Jazzy Rainbow through Slingshot Management will be presenting the legendary Madala Kunene on the 27th of March 2008 at this stylish venue. Known to many simply as Bafo, Madala Kunene has been proclaimed as the king of the Zulu guitar. He has performed worldwide and has collaborated with some of South Africa’s most influential musicians such as Busi Mhlongo & Sipho Gumede. His catalog of works also includes international names such Max Lasser & Airto Moreira. “Madala Kunene is the perfect candidate to initiate these music sessions at Jazzy Rainbow. He will compliment the venue very well with his enigmatic sounds. The venue has such a relaxed ambience which is ideal for Bafo’s acoustic sounds as his music soothes one’s mind after a hectic day” says Fezisa of Slingshot Productions. The event will start at 20h00 with a cover charge of R60.00. The venue takes about 100 people & adheres to a smart dress code. The Jazzy Rainbow is situated on 93 Goble Road, Morningside. For more information on the event, please contact Fezisa Mdibi on 031 312...

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Snuggle up at Splashy Fen

If you don’t have plans for the Easter weekend yet and you’re into folk music and rocky sounds, get your tent out and head to the 19th edition of Splashy Fen and  j u s t   c h i l l  o u t…..!  There’s a TENT HOTEL for those not into busking it as well as a Family area so you can even take your kids and get them looked after… Enjoy. Splashy Fen here. With the 19th edition of South Africa’s longest running and best-loved music festival just weeks away – Easter weekend March 20 to 24 – it’s probably a good time to think about which ‘ultimate outdoor sleeping experience’ to opt for at Splashy Fen 2008.  Just as this year’s roster of over 70 bands and solo artists is more appealing than ever, so are the choices of where to snuggle up under the Southern Berg stars at the end of each day.General Camping Areas The long-standing tradition of staking out a site, setting up camp and settling in for a weekend of fun and fellowship means the general camping areas will no doubt continue to be the first choice for many festival-goers.  As always, entrance to these campsites is included in the ticket price and campers can also look forward to improved ablution facilities.  Family Campsite With the festival fast approaching its 20th anniversary, it’s not too surprising that many Splashy ‘veterans’ now have spouses and children in tow, making the centrally-located, cordoned-off family campsite an option well worth considering.  Although it carries a R100 per vehicle surcharge (payable on arrival), it must be remembered that entry for children under 12 is free. In keeping with the growing numbers of young and young-at-heart festival-goers, the family campsite will this year be even bigger and offer exclusive toilet facilities.  The children’s marquee and entertainment zone will also continue to be positioned within this area and a full programme of daytime amusements plus an evening child-minding service will again be available. Tent Hotel Would-be festival-goers who mistakenly equate any form of sleeping outdoors with ‘roughing it’, will be pleased to know that the tent hotel offers a hassle-free, comfortable camping alternative.  After all, what could be easier than checking in to a pre-pitched and spacious tent, complete with mattresses and linen, to enjoy all the expected amenities of a ‘regular’ B & B at very affordable rates? Situated in a prime position overlooking the festival site, this professionally run establishment is the perfect choice for those wishing to enjoy the ‘ultimate outdoor experience’ without forgoing any of their regular creature comforts.  Visit www.kreefhotel.co.za for bookings and...

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You’ve been warned. Levi’s Young Guns.
Mar03

You’ve been warned. Levi’s Young Guns.

In our opinion, Levi’s is one of the youth brands in SA that have got the perfect party formula. Consistent intimate events that showcase underground, cutting edge musicians around the country promoted on their MySpace site – and to top it off, giving the fans at lease two months and up to 7 months warning. Organised. Good work. Now Go, Go, Go. Rocking on louder and better than ever! Loud, power-packed, pure energy and raw enthusiasm – that’s the music of the Levi’s® Young Guns countrywide music fest and it’s coming around again! Levi’s® Young Guns is ready to rock you with some of the most exciting up-and-coming local talent South Africa has to offer; and the experience is going to be anything but ordinary. For the third year running, Levi’s® Original Music is giving local bands a chance to fire up audiences with explosive music that is pushing local boundaries and packed with intensity and energy. The Levi’s® Young Guns programme is a massive success, proving that Levi’s® Original Music is committed to all forms of local music – especially the bands that are redefining mainstream perception of what it means to be local. More than this, it gives many of the artists a chance to wow new audiences and woo new fans; as the program facilitates real collaboration with not only the brand but also some of South Africa’s top events teams, promoters, directors and DJ’s. The result is an exciting platform that gives bands the opportunity to truly display and showcase their abounding talents. This year, the line-up is stronger than ever, featuring Rock and Urban bands playing in Joburg, Cape Town and Durban. Catch Howard Roark, Ashtray Electric, Jitsvinger, ETC Crew, Japan and I, The Kick, F-Eezy, Kold Produk, Siyamatic and Fire Through the Window. The Lineup: Cape Town, Thursday 08 May Rock Artists: Howard Roark and Ashtray Electric Cape Town, Thursday 22 May Urban Artists: Jitsvinger and ETC Crew Joburg, Thursday 24 July Rock Artists: Japan and I and The Kick Joburg, Thursday 15 August Urban Artists: F-Eazy and Kold Produk Durban, Thursday 04 September, Rock Artists: Siyamatic and Fire Through The Window Levi’s® Young Guns is a pioneering venture that gives these acts the opportunity to play their hearts out. Do yourself a favour and be part of the Levi’s ® Young Guns music revolution – let their music take you places! For more information, go to...

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UJU at Roka on Thursday
Feb26

UJU at Roka on Thursday

Nice flyer! Don’t miss UJU and friends at ROKA this Thursday. Date: 28th February, 2008 Venue: Roka, 44 Stanley Ave, Milpark Telephone: (011) 482 6313 Line Up: Jozi’s new favourite sound of urban mzansi, Uju plus friends P. and Kwani Experience Time: 9pm Cover:...

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SA doccie on show in the Big Apple
Sep05

SA doccie on show in the Big Apple

Editorista remembers seeing Zim Ngqawana playing jazz in the Netherlands at a festival,  it was a moment of such pride tempered with intense home sickness for home sweet Africa as Zim’s music washed over the room, captivating the audience.  Any African’s or anyone interested in African Jazz and our stories in general in and around New York City, catch Zim live as he sets the tone for the SA jazz doccie entitled “Unyazi of the Bushveld” that’s showing at the “Columbia Harlem Festival of Global Jazz Documentary Film” festival: African Noise Foundation is proud to announce the selection of a South African documentary production for screening in the prestigious Columbia University Columbia Harlem Festival of Global Jazz Documentary Film. The 29 september screening will be preceded by a concert of the Zim Ngqawana Quartet on 28 september. “Unyazi of the Bushveld” (2007). Aryan Kaganof, director (South Africa). 45 min. The Zulu word “unyazi” can be translated into English as “lightning,” an apposite double image of rupture and new beginnings for UNYAZI 2005, Africa’s first festival of electronic music, the brainchild of new music composer Dimitri Voudouris. Aryan Kaganof’s documentary on this singular historical event is suitably non-linear in structure, as it explores the complex relationship, both assumed and actual, among technology, the African and Afrodiasporic worlds, and the multiculturalism that mediates them. We are presented with a vision freed from the romantically anti-technological stances of the early Nègritude movement (and that of 1960s American black cultural nationalisms), and the concomitant assumptions that nothing of a technological nature can emerge from a black-ruled world. But we are never far from South Africa’s recent history. Until this festival, jazz drummer Louis Moholo, exiled since the early 1960s, had never been on the campus of Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand–or rather, as he commented drily, “We came, but they chased us off with dogs. That was...

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