(Marcus
Wyatt)
The 2018 Standard Bank Jazz Festival in
Grahamstown presents a programme of exciting performances to mark key
milestones for iconic jazz legacies.
Savvy jazz lovers are in for exciting
musical treats, with performances marking the impact of The Blue Notes, led by
trumpeter Marcus Wyatt; 50 years of
Yakhal’inkomo, the historic record by Winston Mankunku Ngozi; 30 years of
the collaborative relationship between McCoy Mrubata and Paul Hanmer; 30 years
of Mike Campbell at the helm as founding head of the UCT Jazz School; and an
imaginative memorial to Michael Brecker, the American saxophonist and composer
by Norwegian saxophonist Petter Wettre.
Taking place during the National Arts
Festival, this year’s Standard Bank Jazz Festival (SBJF) - the longest-running
jazz festival on the African continent - will live up to its reputation with an
imaginative set of performances that pay homage to historic jazz projects,
iconic records, and groundbreaking musicians, all presented with a youthful
energy.
Celebrating 30 years of a continuing
collaborative relationship, McCoy Mrubata and Paul Hanmer will ascend the stage
to share the magic that has kept them going for three decades as mainstays of
the jazz world. The saxophonist and pianist have respectively presided over
some of the groundbreaking projects in contemporary jazz, in their own albums
or broader collaborations. They will perform what is promising to be a historic
duet set at the festival.
Marcus Wyatt has established the Blue Note
Tribute Orkestra with the intention of reminding musicians and South African
audiences of the immense impact made by the passionate young quintet led in the
1960s to 80s by pianist Chris McGregor. The Blue Notes impacted significantly
on the development of European and British jazz in the period of the South
Africans’ exile, and that music has yet to be appreciated fully at home.
Writer Percy Mabandu will mark 50 Years of Yakhal’inkomo, the historic
record released in 1968 by Cape Town-born saxophonist and composer, Winston
Mankunku Ngozi. Mabandu will lead an interdisciplinary performance that
converges jazz music with literature with an all-star band that includes,
Sisonke Xonti and Linda Sikhakhane on saxophones, Andile Yenana on piano,
Ayanda Sikade on drums and Shane Cooper on bass.
It’s already over 10 years since the
passing of the great American saxophonist and composer, Michael Brecker, who
built a massive legacy, and Norwegian saxophonist Petter Wettre will lead his
own quintet in a celebration of the memory of the iconic jazz musician that
Brecker was.
The UCT Big Band will perform under the
baton of their conductor, Professor Mike Campbell, in a nod of observance to
his 30 years as founding head of the UCT Jazz School. Over the years the school
has produced the lion’s share of young professional jazz musicians all the way
from its first intake that included Marcus Wyatt and Buddy Wells and has gone
on to include 10 of the last 13 Standard Bank Young Artists for Jazz, including
Shane Cooper, Bokani Dyer and Benjamin Jephta.
“As the longest running jazz festival not
only in South Africa but on the African continent, we’ve been witnesses to some
memorable milestones in the development of the music. Many iconic musicians
have been on our stages over the years as they built careers that have become
important parts of our shared jazz heritage and legacies. It makes sense for us
to celebrate these musicians and their work with imaginative programming that
reimagines their work for a new audience,” says Alan Webster, Director of the
Standard Bank Jazz Festival.
“We see the festival as much more than a joyous
event that highlights our nation’s best artistic talents. The work of the
festival is also to mark key moments in the life of our society. It helps us
measure our progress in deeper cultural terms. It is important for us to see
this historic aspect reflected in how we think about this festival as the
longest running jazz festival on the continent,” says Jenny Pfeiffer, Head:
Brand, Sponsorships and Events at Standard Bank.
Standard Bank card holders qualify for a
20% discount subject to terms and conditions. For more information and to book
visit www.standardbank.com/naf.
Stay informed of the Standard Bank Jazz
Festival by connecting with Standard Bank Arts on
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Facebook: www.facebook.com/standardbankarts
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Twitter: @standardbankart #Jazztown #NAF18 #Art_is
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Website: www.standardbank.com/naf | www.nationalartsfestival.co.za
(To
link direct to the NAF site click on the large banner that runs across the top
of this blog)
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