There are very few musical platforms that draw fourteen different nations together with a single vision. The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival, the biggest annual Jazz festival to be held in Johannesburg offers such a platform. The Festival showcases the talents of local and international artists at venues around Newtown Precinct.
Running from 25-27 August, the 2011 line-up features artists from America, Brazil, Croatia and Belgium who will share billing with performers from South Africa and the African Diaspora.
South African Jazz greats Hugh Masekela and Sibongile Khumalo are part of a strong South African line-up including Mango Groove, Simphiwe Dana, The African Jazz Pioneers, Tu Nokwe, Kwela Tebza, Victor Noni, McCoy Mrubatha, Ringo, Julius Schultz and pianist Bokani Dyer, the 2011 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for jazz.
They join performers from the African continent including Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi, Angola’s Bonga and Nigeria’s Olufeni. Already announced for the festival is jazz great Wynton Marsalis who will perform at Emperor’s Palace on Thursday 25 August.
The legendary trumpeter, winner of nine Grammies and the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, is arguably the biggest jazz artist to ever grace the South African stage.
Standard Bank Joy of Jazz continues in Newtown from 26-27 August on seven stages including the brand new Conga Stage which is to be built between Bassline and Newtown’s Turbine Hall. The Dinaledi Stage and the Mbira Stage will once again be erected on Mary Fitzgerald square. Other venues include The Bassline, Sophiatown, Shikisha and Nikki’s Oasis.
Tickets are on sale at Computicket with a 15% discount for all Standard Bank customers (terms and conditions apply).
Source: DESTINYMAN.COM
Festival web site
