Jazz @ The Grahamstown National Arts Festival

The country's biggest arts festival, the The National Arts Festival (also know as The Grahamstown Arts Festival) kicked off officially on Thursday 3rd July. This year's jazz festival lineup also features a stellar lineup of local and international jazz musicians, including the 2014 Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner for Jazz, Kyle Shepherd, and the South African jazz legend Bra Hugh Masekela.

Since I will not be attending this year's festival, I decided to dig out some of the shots I took at last year's festival and share them with you - to give you a glimpse of what happens at the jazz halls of this wonderful festival that celebrates all forms of creativity. Enjoy...

Lwanda Gogwana @ Katzys, Johannesburg (Rosebank)

On the evening of Tuesday the 26^th of March 2013, Lwanda Gogwana performed his first public show in Johannesburg at Katzys, a posh live music venue in the heart of Rosebank. This, I felt, was a piece of South African Jazz History in the making, and worthy of being noted. The performance was part of an event called “Up-&-Coming”, aimed at promoting aspiring musicians. Many will agree with me that this is a classification that Lwanda, whose debut album Songbook Chapter One was nominated for a South African Music Award (SAMA) for Best Jazz Album (2012), has long outgrown. 

The trendy interior of Katzys and the dim lights created the perfect ambiance for the night. Lwanda’s quintet was the second act of the night, and they put up a great show, despite the 40 minutes time limit each one of the three bands was allowed, on stage. They performed 4 songs in total, two of them from Songbook Chapter One. The other two were Vusi Khumalo’s Song for the Gurus and Ray Hargrove’s Stransbourg St Denis. Lwanda’s soothing trumpet sounds were reminiscent of the sounds of Miles Davies and Roy Hargrove, and the overall performance of the band left everyone with something to smile and talk about on the way home after the show. 

The quintet, whom Lwanda introduced as “the best band in the whole world”, were Sisonke Xonti on Tenor Saxophone, Thandi Ntuli on Keys, Tumi Mogorosi on Drums, Tseke Malatjie on electric Bass, and Lwanda himself on Trumpet and Flugelhorn.

Below are some of the photos from the show. A BIG THANK YOU to Lwanda Gogwana and Mandisa Bardill for making this blog post possible. If you do not have a copy of Songbook Chapter One, you can order it from Jazz Essay Record Bar.

 

Inside Katzys.

 

The Quintet in full swing.

 

Lwanda Gogwana on Trumpet and Flugelhorn.

 

Tseke Malatjie on electric Bass

 

Lwanda and Sisonke doing their bit in Song for the Gurus.

 

  

 Thandi Ntuli on Keys.

  

Sisonke Xonti on Tenor Saxophone

 

Tumi Mogorosi on Drums.

 

Lwanda Gogwana.

Herbie Tsoaeli Quartet @ Niki's Oasis, Johannesburg (Newtown)

On the warm evening of Saturday 16th February 2013 Herbie Tsoaeli and his band performed songs from his debut album African Time, and a few new compositions, to an eager audience at Niki's Oasis, one of Johannesburg's top jazz venues, in Newtown. The audience trickled into the rustic venue whilst the band was doing sound checks, but by the time the show started all the best seats were occupied.

The band wasted no time in dishing out what everyone came for, kicking off the show with an energetic and intense performance of a new composition called "Where are the majors", a song Herbie says he dedicates to the jazz legends that paved the way for him and other jazz musicians. The band played with great enthusiasm and zest throughout the show, and the effect of the energetic improvisations and solos was evident in the audience's regular cheerful applause. Bra Herbie explained the style of play as "Jazz Moya" (Jazz Spirits), which simply means playing jazz with the guidance of spirits. Below are some of the photos from the show.

Big thanks to sis'Niki and the Herbie Tsoaeli Quartet for making this post possible.  

 

The Welcome sign at Niki's Oasis.

The Herbie Tsoaeli Quartet.

Jazz Moya in full swing.

The band's possession by Jazz Spirits was unmistakable.

Herbie Tsoaeli on Bass, giving the crowd what they came for.

Ayanda Sikade on Drums.

Nduduzo Makhathini on Keys.

 Sisonke Xonti on Tenor Saxophone.

Herbie Tsoaeli.

Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya @ Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg

*Big thanks to Marysa Leukes and The Jazz Orchestra for some of the photos published below. Thank you very much !*