The Standard Bank Jazz Festival 2014 incorporates
a variety of disciplines into its programme. The ever-popular Mainstream is just
one of the genres that will be highlighted at the festival this year. The
others include Blues, Funk, World Music, Afro-Jazz, Modern Jazz and Youth. This
year’s Mainstream line-up includes a glittering cluster of Jazz musicians
representing the ‘standards’ of Jazz standards.
Multi Grammy-award-winning composer,
conductor and performer Maria Schneider will be performing in South Africa for
the first time at the National Arts Festival in 2014. Schneider has
consistently won coveted awards from Down Beat and the Jazz Journals Association
and she dominated the Classical Music categories at the 2014 Grammy Awards for
her album "Winter Morning Walks," taking home three Grammys. She is a
compelling musical force whose music brims with depth, power and intrigue and
who has influenced the direction of modern Jazz. She will be supported by a
Jazz Orchestra that combines South African and Norwegian musicians in an
exchange supported by East Norway Jazz Centre and Concerts SA.
This year also heralds 30 years of
sponsorship of the Young Artist Awards by stalwart arts patron and corporate
citizen Standard Bank. Singstruments: A Symphony of Jazz brings together five
of South Africa’s musical gems, all of whom have been Young Artist Award
winners for Jazz, for a remarkable performance. Vocalists Sibongile Khumalo,
Gloria Bosman, Tutu Puoane and Melanie Scholtz produce a beautiful bouquet of
harmonies, sonorous melodies and jazz classics that indicate why they are
regarded as being of our nation’s finest singers. Accompanying them on piano is
Bokani Dyer.
Savour the distinctively rich sound of the Saxophone
Quartet featuring Gary Keller – professor at Miami University’s Frost School of
Music where he leads the Miami Saxophone Quartet – and local talent Justin
Bellairs and Marc de Kock, as well as American-born professor of Woodwind
Studies at UCT Mike Rossi. Also accompanying them are Rich Syracuse (bass - US)
and Jeff Siegel (drums - US).
South African songbird Melanie Scholtz is
set to captivate listeners with songs from her latest album, ‘Our Time’, which
showcases a variety of styles from Motown to jazz to hip hop, creating a unique
and refreshing South African sound. ‘Our Time’ is the multi-award-winning jazz
artist’s fifth solo release and is produced by fellow Standard Bank Young Artist
Bokani Dyer (piano) who will accompany her for the Festival. Also accompanying
them are Justin Bellairs (sax), Lee Thomson (trumpet), Siya Charles (trombone),
Shane Cooper (bass), Marlon Witbooi (drums) and Jitsvinger (MC/rap).
Bertil Strandberg is lead trombonist of the
Stockholm Jazz Orchestra and past member of the Stuttgart Radio Big Band, Tommy
Dorsey Orchestra and Artie Shaw Orchestra. He has one of the most beautiful
sounds on trombone in the world and leads a group of five consummate musicians
from around the world in exploring jazz standards, bop and original
compositions. Also featuring Buddy Wells (sax), Harmen Fraanje (piano), Hein
van de Geyn (bass) and Jeff Siegel (drums).
Greek saxophonist Dimos Dimitriadis is the
founder of a unique Jazz and Improvisation Program at the Ionian University in
Corfu, and as an Associate Professor of Saxophone and Head of Jazz, he occupies
the first academic position given to a jazz musician in his country. He
performs at the National Arts Festival with four renowned South African
musicians: Sydney Mavundla (trumpet), Mageshen Naidoo (guitar), Shaun Johannes
(bass) and Jonno Sweetman (drums).
Celebrated vocalist Tutu Puoane, Standard
Bank Young Artist for Jazz in 2004 and now based in Europe, returns with her
musical and life partner Ewout Pierreux (piano) to woo audiences with the
mesmerising clarity and depth of her voice and the intimate musical connection
between two superb musicians.
Vocalist Babalwa Mentjies returns to her
home town as a polished composer and a graduate of the UKZN School of Music.
She presents a selection of loved jazz and South African standards, backed by
the cream of the Eastern Cape’s jazz musicians, including Sisonke Xonti (sax),
Sakhile Simani (trumpet), Nduduzo Makhathini (piano), Romy Brauteseth (bass)
and Lloyd Martin (drums).
Another favourite daughter of Grahamstown, Nomfundo
Xaluva – former head girl of Victoria Girls High School – returns to town
having earned her Masters Degree in Jazz Vocal Studies from UCT, shared the
stage with Sibongile Khumalo and Dianne Reeves, and claimed the “Best Urban
Jazz Album” for her recently released debut album Kusile. She will be
accompanied by Sakhile Simani (trumpet), Nduduzo Makhathini (piano), Romy Brauteseth
(bass) and Lloyd Martin (drums).
A new Jazz Festival venue - the Standard
Bank Jazz & Blues Cafe at St. Aidan’s - will offer a great jazz show every
night at 21.30 with a 23.30 jazz jam session where professional and student
musicians drawn from across the Jazz genres will be jamming, improvising and
letting loose late into the night.
The 40th edition of the National Arts
Festival, Grahamstown will take place from July 3 – 13, 2014. For more
information check www.standardbankarts.co.za or www.youthjazz.co.za.
To book, go to www.nationalartsfestival.co.za or click on the NAF advert at the top of this page
The Standard Bank Jazz Festival is
presented with support funding from Arts Council Norway; Concerts SA; East
Norway Jazz Centre; The French Institute of South Africa; Paul Bothner Music; ProHelvetia
Johannesburg; Royal Netherlands Embassy; SAfm; SAMRO; Swedish Arts Council /
Swedish Jazz Federation / Mary Lou Meese Youth Jazz Fund; Swiss Arts Council.
The National Arts Festival is sponsored by
Standard Bank, The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, Eastern Cape
Government, Department of Arts and Culture, City Press and M Net.
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