South African and American women musicians combine to give jazz a real clout
The Jazz
Unity takes flight with innovative soundscapes.
Four
influential and innovative women in jazz will combine their creative forces as
a group, The Jazz Unity, for two concerts-of-a-life time.
This
will be at the upcoming Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival 2019 at Sandton
Convention Centre on Friday, 27 September, and Saturday, 28 September, on the
Diphala Stage.
Two
phenomenal South African artists, Nomfundo Xaluva and
Zoë Modiga, will
join internationally recognised names, LeFrae Sci and Lakecia Benjamin, for an
historic musical journey. It is guaranteed to lift the rafters as these highly
innovative musicians parade their wares, exchanging musical ideas as they
explore the jazz idioms.
Nomfundo Xaluva
is a Port Elizabeth-bornJazz vocalist who is at her best when performing or
making records. She also teaches at the University of Cape Town. Her compositions have been an
integral part of South African repertoire at both school level and at higher
institutions of learning.
A
two-time recipient of the Metro FM Music Award for Best Urban Jazz Album,
Xaluva performed at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz in 2016 and the Cape Town International
Jazz Festival in 2017. She is also a classical trained pianist and educator.
Xaluva
made her debut at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in April 2017 to critical
acclaim. She also headlined the iMbokodo Jazz Festival in Durban in 2017 and
again in 2018.
She
was nominated for the Mbokodo Awards for Women in Jazz in 2015 and a South
African Afro Music Award for Best Jazz Album.
She
brings to The Jazz Unity her own unique styling.
It is said of Zoë
Modiga that she is an artist who represents the present and future
of African music. She says she draws from the roots of African storytelling, Jazz
compositions and Motown soul but creates a sound entirely her own in order
to communicate an evolving African sound without losing its essence.
Modiga loved music from
an early age and attended the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg,
studying classical piano, clarinet and vocals. At the College of Music, at Cape
Town University, she honed her skills as a Jazz performer.
Over the years Modigas
has collaborated with a number of established South African artists, including
the iconic Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Johnny Clegg, Simphiwe Dana and Tshepo
Tshola, and performed at numerous festivals, such as the Standard Bank Joy of
Jazz, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, MTN Bushfire Festival and the Hugh
Masekela Heritage Festival. Last year her debut album was nominated for
"Best Jazz Album" and "Best African Artist" at the SAMA
Awards. She also received the Mbokodo Award for music in 2018 among her many
other accolades.
New Yorker Lakecia
Benjamin is one of the world's most charismatic and dynamic saxophonists
and band leaders who has shared the stage with such illustrious names as Stevie
Wonder, Alicia, Keys and Macy Gray. She has her own band, Lakecia Benjamin and
Soul Squad, which performs regularly, bringing a heady mix of Soul, Funk and
Classic Jazz to the masses.
The fourth member of this
illustrious outfit is another American, LaFrae Sci, an internationally recognised composer,
drummer and producer. She writes for film, television, and
large orchestral ensembles and was the
conductor and director of
the Middle School Jazz Academy at Jazz at Lincoln Center for several years.
Sci brings her special talent to the
band's overall impact and judging by the pedigrees of these performers Jazz
fans are in for an unforgettable experience where the best of South African
talent meets America's finest in a musical journey of great expectations.
Five
stages will be used where Jazz lovers will be treated to a diverse range of
musical genres.
At its best, Jazz is free, fun, and unleashed.
Check out the website: http://www.joyofjazz.co.za/home
Tickets
can also be obtained from Computicket and Checkers.
Prices are:
·
Opening
night: R750,
·
1
Day Pass Friday or Saturday: R795,
·
2
Day Pass: R1 350
Standard
Bank cardholders can qualify for a discount. All debit and cheque card holders
get a 10% discount, and a 15% discount if using a Standard Bank credit
card. The offer is limited to two
tickets per person, and only on usage of a valid Standard Bank debit and/or
credit card. This offer is subject to
availability and is valid from 10 April – 31 August 2019.
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