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The 7th annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival March 31-April 1, 2006 |
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Written by Ronaldo Oregano
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Saturday, 24 December 2005 |
The 7th annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival, which is now
acknowledged as the biggest Jazz event on the African continent, will
once again take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre
(CTICC) on Friday 31 March and Saturday 1 April 2006.
Click here for Cape Town city guide from Jazz Police
 Freddy Cole, Photo by Andrea Canter
Festival director, Rashid Lombard, and his organisation team, espAfrika
(Pty) Ltd, are more than confident that the 2006 staging of this
popular festival, that has become affectionately known as 'Africa's
Grandest Gathering', will be as successful as the previous festivals
and will again feature a world-class line-up of jazz and jazz related
artists.
This will be the third time that the Cape Town International Jazz
Festival will be staged at its spacious and classy new home at the Cape
Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). The 2006 festival will
again feature a spectacular bill of 40 acts, split equally between the
African and International contingents, performing in five different
venues situated around the Convention Centre. There will also be the
traditional free concert for the people of Cape Town prior to the
festival on Thursday 30 March to be held on Greenmarket Square.
With almost four months to go till the eagerly anticipated weekend
musical party in March, espAfrika have already announced the first list
of artists who will be appearing at the 2006 Jazz Festival. Artists
already confirmed include:
Manu Dibango & Soul Makossa Gang, Chucho Valdés Quartet
featuring Mayra Caridad Valdés,Tina Schouw and Friends, Charlie
Haden Quartet, Freddy Cole, Louie Vega and his Elements of Life LIVE
featuring Blaze, Anane & Luisito Quintero, Nestor Torres, Terence
Blanchard, Tribute to Ray Charles featuring Joe McBride, Gerald
Veasley and Kenny Blake, Miriam Makeba (Grand Finale Tour), Sipho
Hotstix Mabuse, Relax, Omar Sosa Quartet featuring Pee Wee Ellis, RJ
Benjamin, Mario Canonge Trio featuring Horacio El Negro Hernandez,
Caiphus Semenya, Heads Up Superband featuring. Joe McBride, Gerald
Veasley and Kenny Blake, Unofficial Language featuring Paul Hanmer, Ian
Herman and Pete Sklair.
Born in Douala, Cameroon, in 1933, Manu Dibango's talents range widely
as saxophonist, pianist, marimba-player, composer and arranger. Love of
jazz on the one hand and traditional African music on the other,
prompted Manu to experiment by combining various different styles of
music to create his own unique blend. With his inherent curiosity and
sensitivity, Manu has always been interested in widely divergent and
different styles of music. A cursory listen to his output bears this
out; jazz, reggae, rapall of these and more are in full effect.
The appearance of Miriam Makebas name on the bill will evoke both
excitement and some sadness among her many fans. Now regarded as one of
Africas greatest artists, Mama Afrika has recently been
considering retiring from live performances after an international
musical career spanning 50 glorious years. So her third appearance at
the Festival is sure to be one of the most emotional performances of
the weekend.
Apart from Miriam Makeba, the African contingent is looking as strong
as ever. The distinguished South African musician, producer, musical
director, composer and arranger, Caiphus Semenya, will be making a
welcome appearance. There are many jazz fans who would like to honour
Caiphus Semenyas lifetime of work as a performer and arranger of
African music, following his exile from SA in the 60s with his wife
Letta Mbulu, and fellow exiled musical compatriots Hugh Masekela, Jonas
Gwangwa, Hotep Galeta, and Miriam Makeba amongst many others.
Internationally acclaimed jazz trumpeter, Terence Blanchard, will be
paying his first visit to the festival in 2006. This Grammy-nominated
musician has recorded a string of great albums like Lets Get Lost,
Wandering Moon and Flow for Sony and the prestigious Blue Note label,
and has worked on film soundtracks for Spike Lee.
Another big jazz name on the bill is that of pianist/vocalist Freddy
Cole, whose music bears close resemblance to the sounds of his
illustrious brother, the legendry Nat King Cole. Cole doesn't apologize
for sounding like his brother, Nat "King" Cole. There are certain
unmistakable similarities. He plays piano and sings and performs live
with guitar and upright bass, just like Nat. Yet his voice is raspier,
smokier, jazzier even. But he has emerged from the awesome shadow cast
by his elder brother. In truth, his phrasing is far closer to that of
Frank Sinatra or Billie Holiday than that of his brother and his timing
swings a little more.
His vocals - suave, elegant, formidable, and articulate - are among the
most respected in jazz. Cole's career continues to ascend as he's moved
into the front ranks of America's homegrown art form with a style and
musical sophistication all his own.
His most recent CD, THIS LOVE OF MINE, also on the High Note label, was
released in mid-June 2005 to enthusiastic fans
Among the African contingent of artists is the acclaimed band
Unofficial Language featuring Paul Hanmer, Ian Herman and Pete Sklair.
SA pianist Paul Hanmer, who has built a successful solo career
beginning with his exceptional piano roots jazz exploration album
called Trains To Taung, also performs with The Sheer All Stars.
RJ Benjamin is an emerging jazz artist who is currently getting loads
of attention and airplay with his cover of the Oasis track Wonderwall
off his recently released album Who I Am.
Tina Schouw is one of South Africas finest female jazz vocalists who
first came to the attention of her many fans with the release of her
unique debut album Bleed.
Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse is a successful performer who first appeared in
the African soul group, Harari, before launching his successful solo
career and bursting onto the SA music scene with his massive mbanqanga
pop hits of the late 1980s, Burn Out, and Jive Soweto.
Other exciting international names to watch out for include the Chucho
Valds Quartet featuring Mayra Caridad Valds. Now a well-known name in
World Music circles, Chucho Valds has been dubbed the ruling king of
Latin jazz keyboard and is a member of the famous Valds Cuban musical
family. Latin Grammy award winner, Nestor Torres is a master flautist
and composer who hails from Puerto Rico his music has been described as
being like a rich sancocho, a stew of tropical, Caribbean flavors!
Mario Canonge is a piano virtuoso from Martinique whose music has been
described as Salsa Creole, which is an aural tour of Afro-Caribbean
musical styles from zouk to bolero to jazz and salsa. His last album,
Rhizome, featuring Roz Hergrove and Richard Bona, was successfully
released in June 2004. Louie Vegas Elements of Life 12-piece
project mixes fresh and organic house beats with Latin and African
music, featuring vocalists Blaze, Anane and Luisito Quintero on
percussion. Vega has found his personal turning point with Elements of
Life, his first true solo artist album, set for a March release.
The godfather of house music makes a commanding stand behind the
stage-top turntables, with Latin bass-lines disco grooves. Masters at
Work (MAW), which comprises Vega and partner Kenny Dope Gonzalez, was
nominated for its remix of the Latin Projects Lei Lo Lai, which reached
No. 1 on Billboards dance chart last fall.
It is only on rare and important occasions, that the Heads Up
International recording artists, Kenny Blake, Joe McBride and Gerald
Veasley, come together for special performances as the Heads Up Super
Band. But these three talented musicians will be performing at the
festival, firstly as the Heads Up Super Band, and then they will also
be performing their acclaimed 'Tribute To Ray Charles set.
Finally, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2006 welcomes back
Relax, the live-soul-hip hop sensation from the Netherlands who
released their second album Odeur de Clochard in early 2005. The
band, which toured SA in 2002 to promote the Live In Amsterdam album,
also made a memorable appearance at the OppiKoppi Festival. Relax also
performed at the Drum Rhythm Festival, Lowlands, and at the North Sea
Jazz Festival in The Hague before making an unforgettable appearance at
the 2003 jazz festival in Cape Town. They will be warmly welcomed back
to the Mother City.
All line-up updates and other festival info can be found at the
official Festival website at:
www.capetownjazzfest.com
South Africa travel info from Jazz Police is alaviable here.
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 Tuesday, 02 December 2008
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