BLUE GENE

The Centre for Jazz & Popular Music (UKZN) will present the first gig of the third term in 2012 with a performance by Blue Gene on July 25. Blue Gene is a cross- continental collaboration between French guitarist and orchestrator Charles Amblard and South African spoken word Hip Hop artist CreamyEWOKsBaggends.

The project started as a digital exchange of ideas and has evolved into a 5 track self-titled debut E.P. It has been released in France on iTunes and Spotify. Instrumental ideas arrived in Durban from France and were taken to a studio, where Ewok added a vocal layer. The mixing and mastering of the E.P happened in Paris.

The Blue Gene project 2012 is a two week residency at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with two French musicians, and three South African musicians. The band goes on tour to Cape Town, Johannesburg (for Oppikoppi Festival) and Harare (Zimbabwe). The complete package will include videos, audio, and a documentary film, establishing Blue Gene as a fresh international sound and act

Charles Amblard (guitar) and CreamyEWOKsBaggends (spoken-words) will be joined by Dario Rudy on bass, Jonathan Judge on tenor saxophone, Sakhile Simane on trumpet and Devon Hore on drums.

The performance takes place on July 25 at the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music (CJPM), Level 2, Shepstone Building. The music starts at 18h00 (doors opens at 17h30). Tickets R35 (R20 pensioners, R10 students). More information on 031 260 3385 or email Zamat1@ukzn.ac.za