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PRESS RELEASE:
2008 Cape Town International Jazz Festival
Addition of Lee Ritenour makes the festival a real guitar fête
If one looks at the 21-artists announced today, there is no doubt that the 2008 Cape Town International Jazz Festival will go down as the ‘Festival of the Guitars? Six of the groups on the additional line-up unveiled in Johannesburg’s Latinova design district for this year’s Africa’s Grandest Gathering, are guitar outfits or are led by guitarists. Leading the pack is award-winning US guitarist Lee Ritenour. Joining Ritenour as part of the line-up is the rising star of the jazz guitar Lionel Loueke who comes from Benin, South African-based Mozambican guitarist Jimmy Dludlu, guitarist Kunle Ayo from Nigeria and US soul vocalist/guitarist Raul Midón. Also on stage is a string of South African guitarists who will perform with the Bebop Guitars, a US band constituted by members of the guitar faculty at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Massachusetts. The six guitar units join Zimbabwean guitarist/vocalist Oliver Mtukudzi whose appearance at the festival was announced with the release of the initial 21-musicians in November 2007. “In line with the festival ethos of bringing under one roof varied musical styles, the music of the guitarists who will be at this year’s festival ranges from straight ahead jazz to more contemporary sounds. We are also pleased to have on the line-up the cream of Africa’s guitarists? says festival director Rashid Lombard.
Ritenour’s appearance at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival on the 28-29 March is a follow-up to his first visit to South Africa in August 2005. Talking about his experience in the country the 56-year old artist said, “I was more excited by the native African players and some of the most intoxicating percussion and rhythm guitar playing I’d ever heard. Over the years, I have become more attracted to African music, and this trip solidified that connection for me? Since his visit, Ritenour has recorded Smoke N?Mirrors, a CD with tunes like “Capetown?and “Township? Also featured in three songs on the album is South Africa’s vocalist Zamajobe. Ritenour heard the singer when watching television during his stay in South Africa.
Another second-time visitor to the Cape Town International Jazz Festival is Benin’s Lionel Loueke. Now based in the US, Loueke appeared at the festival in 2006 as the member of the Terence Blanchard band. His guitar chords reflected levels of artistry not commensurate with his age. But it was his vocalising that brought the house down. This round, Loueke appears at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival with his trio, Gilfema made up of the guitarist, Hungarian drummer/percussionist Ferenc Nemeth and bassist Massimo Biolcati who is of Italian descent although he grew up in Sweden. Loueke’s appearance at this year’s festival will happen a few days after the release of his debut album Karibu with Blue Note records. In addition to the two musicians that will share the stage with Loueke at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), the CD which is due in March has Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock as guests.
But not everything in the new line-up is about guitar strumming. The two other headliners are vibraphonist Mike Mainieri & Steps Ahead, Javon Jackson Super Band and Dutch saxophonist Candy Dulfer. There is also South Africa’s multi-instrumentalist Zim Ngqawana who leads his new Zimology Quartet and our own songstress Vicky Sampson who bounced back with her new album released in 2007. Although the composition of the group has changed over the years, Steps Ahead remains steeped in the jazz-fusion idiom that made the group popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Thanks to Mainieri whose association goes back to 1979 when the group was established. Another band that is a definite crowd-puller at this year’s festival is Javon Jackson Super Band. A graduate of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Jackson has his roots in hard bop. His recent albums have seen him producing interpretations of funk music stretching back to Cannonball Adderley and James Brown. A member of the Javon Jackson Super Band is John Coltrane’s drummer Jimmy Cobb. The 79-year old musician appeared at the festival in 2007 as a member of the Geri Allen Trio.
On the experimental side the new line-up is bountiful with different collaborations put up for the festival. One such collaboration is between South African drummer Kesivan Naidoo, Mozambican djembe and mbira-player Rolando Lamussene and two Swiss drummers ?Peter Conradin Zumthor and Lucas Niggli. Having connected in 2007, the quartet which calls itself the Beat Bag Bohemia toured Switzerland and Germany in 2007. The band describes its music as a combination of influences from rock, jazz, African and contemporary music. A day before their performance at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the band will launch its CD as a celebration of their year-long collaboration.
The second collaboration is between a South African piano-bass-drum trio Offshore and trumpeter Marcus Wyatt. Saxophonist Buddy Wells will join the collaboration. Made up of Martin Wolfaardt on piano, Jonno Sweetman on percussion and Paul Gibbings on bass, Offshore has worked with New York-based saxophonist Sam Thomas and US guitarist and proponent of Thelonius Monk’s music, Gary Wittner. The band is also the rhythm section in Jonathan Crossley Electric Band’s 2007 recording Funk for the Shaolin Monk. Another attractive collaboration for those who are into more youthful genres is that of Kolo Novo Movie Band. This is a Cape Town based group whose performances range from a small intimate trio to an explosive live stage act of 12 musicians. The band’s music has strong Eastern Europe inflections and fuses Balkan and Mediterranean styles of music.
But a real eye-opener will be an Indo-Jazz fusion band, Quartet Babu. The four Cape Town-based musicians combine jazz forms and harmonies with Indian ragas and talas to create pulsating music and energy-loaded impulses. Formed in 2006 when the Indian High Commission invited some of the members of the quartet to perform on India’s Independence Day, the starting point for the band are the Indian scales and beat cycles. Quartet Babu then builds on top of these scales and cycles, jazz idiosyncrasies, chords and rhythms.
The complete list of the musicians that were announced today is: a 51-year old close vocal harmony group African Inkspots (RSA), Beat Bag Bohemia (Mozambique/RSA/Switzerland), Bebop Guitars (US/RSA), Candy Dulfer (Netherlands), Darius and the UKZN Rolling Reunion Band (RSA), Javon Jackson Super Band featuring Jimmy Cobb, Jimmy Dludlu (RSA), Kolo Novo Movie Band (RSA), Kunle Ayo (Nigeria), Lee Ritenour (US), Lionel Loueke (Benin/US), Mike Mainieri & Steps Ahead (RSA), Offshore featuring Buddy Wells and Marcus Wyatt, Raul Midón (US), Quartet Babu, hip-hop group Skwatta Kamp (RSA), The Little Giants (RSA) youth band, rap group Timbuktu & Damn featuring Zoro (Sweden), vocalist Wanda Baloyi (RSA), Vicky Sampson (RSA) and Zimology Quartet (RSA)
This 21 adds to the initial list announced in November 2007: Ananda Project (US); Bongani Sotshononda Project (RSA); Gavin Minter with the Mother City Jazz Orchestra (RSA); Gerald Albright (US); Hiromi (Japan); Kenny Barron Trio (US); Lennart Åberg Band (Sweden) feat. Peter Erskine (US); Leslie Klein-Smith & Mother City Groove (RSA); Oliver Mtukudzi (Zimbabwe); Sérgio Mendes (Brazil/US), Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band (RSA); The Bays (US); Najee (US); The Big Idea (RSA); The Four Sounds feat Zelda Benjamin & Phyllis Madikwa (RSA); The Manhattans feat. Gerald Alston & Blue Lovett (US); The Soul Brother (RSA); Tierney Sutton (US); Tutu Puoane (RSA/Belgium); and Zola (RSA).
The Gold sponsors for the Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2008 are, South African Broadcasting Commission (SABC), Standard Bank, South African Rail Commuters Corporation and the Department of Arts and Culture.
Mr Clement Motale ?Director: Group Sponsorships for Standard Bank said: ‘’Standard Bank is excited and honoured to once again be a gold sponsor of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. It has been an exciting opportunity for us, a way for us to connect with our customers the Standard Bank way - through our values; centered on making a difference in the communities we serve. We understand the richness, diversity and value of the arts in building a society and have hence, stayed in the forefront through investment in various art disciplines.’’
Head: Group Communications of the SABC Kaizer Kganyago said: We are indeed very proud to once again be one of the Gold sponsors of the 9th Cape Town International Jazz Festival. We welcome the opportunity to support an activity that helps us to deliver on our mandate and to provide entertainment to our citizens, the people of South Africa. Our involvement is also based on the fact that we want to promote the music industry in this country and thus support a festival that develops and support local talent while at the same time exposing them to international talent. This clearly helps us build a common future with the festival, the musicians and the people of South Africa.
The SABC taking an active role in, amongst other issues, (i) the creation of a platform for the development of music across all genre’s, (ii) the collaboration and partnership with the public and private sector on music industry development initiatives, (iii) the provision of a platform for the identification, development and nurturing of talent across all genre’s and stars of music, and (iv) the creation of social security programme for musicians.
Tiro Holele of the SARCC said: The Cape Town Jazz Festival has grown into a unique South African brand that appeals to people from all walks of life in this multicultural country. We support the Jazz Festival as it assists us to promote passenger rail, so that rail it is used by South Africans to travel to work, school and for recreational purposes such as attending the Jazz Festival. The strategic purpose of Government’s investment in rail is to ensure that the service is one of first choice for the traveling public. Just as this festival appeals to all, so will our passenger rail service appeal to all in the not too distant future. So, that’s why the South African Rail Commuter Corporation is on board this great South African jazz train.
The Silver sponsor is Pilsner Urquell, and other secondary sponsors and/or funding principals include Cape Town & Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports, City of Cape Town, SA Tourism, South Atlantic Arts & Culture Trust, Swedish Jazz Foundation, Iziko, ZASE JAZZ, Telkom, Cape Town Partnership, The City of Cape Town and Cape Town Routes Unlimited.
Ticket prices for the 2008 Festival are: single day passes will be R299.00 and full weekend passes will be R440.00. As in previous years, there will be an extra fee of R25 for patrons wishing to attend concerts on the Rosies stage. Tickets are available from Computicket.
Ends/…….
For further information please visit the website at: www.capetownjazzfest.com or contact Thompson n Team on jeni@t-n-t.co.za or call 021 465 3314.
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