Line-up for Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2012

Headline acts and artists for the 2012 Cape Town Jazz Festival announced

The line-up of artists performing at the 2012 edition of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival is promising to ensure it stays one of the best events on the annual Cape Town event calendar. 

Smooth, soulful and sexy—jazz is the music form most associated with smoky rooms and pouty girls. And in South Africa it means we come out in easy outfits or 100% Mzansi bling.

Aficionados and music lovers can get their harmonic fix at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.

Known as Africa's Grandest Gathering, the festival which will be in its thirteen year when it which takes place on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 March 2012 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). The organisers, ESP Africa, have pulled out all stops and have secured a glittering line-up, from sultry vocalists to foot-tapping instrumentals.

Alfredo Rodriguez
At just 25, the now USA-based star has performed at top jazz festivals across the globe. Last year, his composition Better City, Better Life was selected official theme song of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

Alexander Sinton Jazz High School Jazz Band
Inspired and mentored by some of SA’s jazz greats, the Cape Town-based Alexander Sinton Jazz High School Jazz Band has shot up from an enthusiastic UCT student jazz group to a well-known 14-piece ensemble.

Videos: Alfredo Rodriguez and Alexander Sinton Jazz Band

Atmosphere
Commended for its signature blending voice, bluesy guitar and keyboard, Atmosphere launched The Family Sign earlier this year, describing it as their most personal album yet.

Brubecks Play Brubeck with special guest Mike Rossi
Dan Brubeck’s original drumming style, distinctive solos and his use of odd time signatures have earned the respect of critics worldwide. He has toured the international music circuit for over four decades as the leader of his own groups and as a featured soloist with leading symphonies and jazz artists.

Videos: Atmosphere and Brubecks Play Brubeck

    

The Moreira Project
Multi-award winning Moreira Chonguica is a celebrated Cape Town-based musician from Mozambique, where his fame as a funky, hip and happening musician began. A saxophonist, ethnomusicologist, producer and composer, he holds a degree from the UCT, has released his own albums and shared the stage with - and produced for - several top musicians.

GoodLuck
GoodLuck are astonishing South Africans and the world with their unique electro swing. Their distinctive blend of electronic beats with sounds of saxophone, electronic percussion, jazzy vocals, synthesiser and keyboards has been heard is now well known across SA.

Videos: The Moreira Project and GoodLuck

Jean Grae
Cape Town-born Jean Grae, daughter of pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, rose to prominence in the underground hip-hop scene in New York.

Donald Harrison, Ron Carter and Lenny White
Donald Harrison is a celebrated jazz saxophonist, composer and teacher.
Ron Carter is among the most prolific and influential bassists in jazz. With more than 2 000 albums to his credit, he has recorded with greats like Tommy Flanagan and B.B. King and performed throughout the USA and Europe.
Lenny White, a self-taught, left-handed drummer on a right-handed kit, studied in New York and first started playing with Jackie McLean in the late 1960s.

Videos: Jean Grae, Donald Harrison, Ron Carter and Lenny White

 


James Ingram
Music icon, multi GRAMMY award winner and Oscar nominee James Ingram is a singer, performer, songwriter, composer, arranger and producer. With his funk, soul, R&B, pop, adult contemporary, inspirational and more, he has dazzled the American music scene since the early 1980s.

Dave Koz with special guest Patti Austin
In a career that spans twenty years and a dozen albums, saxophonist Dave Koz has established himself as one of the most prominent figures in contemporary music. Patti Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at age four and fast became a prolific session musician charting some twenty R&B songs between 1969 and 1991.

Vidoes: James Ingram and Dave Koz

The Andre Petersen Quintet
Award-winning pianist, composer and educator, the music of Andre Petersen captures his strong sense of post-apartheid South Africa. He holds a masters degree from the Lemmens Institute (Belgium) and is one of South Africa's most sought after jazz pianists.

Jason Reolon Trio
Jason Reolon, founder of the Jason Reolon Trio and renowned SA jazz Group, Breakfast Included, holds a degree and lecturing post at the University of Cape Town Jazz department. Jason's father Bobby Gien, was the drummer in the Ronnie Scott Trio in the 1970's.

Videos: Jason Reolon Trio

   

David Sanchez and Lionel Loueke
David Sanchez hails from Puerto Rico and is an internationally acclaimed 2005 GRAMMY winning jazz tenor saxophonist. His early influences range from Afro-Caribbean to danza, and European to Latin classical. Lionel Loueke - After his initial to exposure to jazz in Benin and then the Ivory Coast, Loueke left Africa in 1994 to pursue jazz studies in Paris, after which he went to the USA on a scholarship and graduated from the Berklee College of Music.

Mike Stern and Dave Weckl
In a career that spans three decades and a discography that includes more than a dozen eclectic and innovative recordings, six-time GRAMMY nominee Mike Stern has established himself as one of the premier jazz and jazz-fusion guitarists and composers of his generation. US-born drummer, Dave Weckl, has been drumming since the age of eight. His cutting-edge technique and innovative use of electronic and acoustic drums has brought him world recognition.

Vidoes: David Sanchez, Lionel Loueke, Mike Stern and Dave Weckl

Zahara
Born and raised in the Eastern Cape, Zahara, born Bulelwa Mkuthukana, grew up in humble surroundings. She discovered her love for the stage at school and her love for singing at Sunday school. Later she became lead singer of a church worship team, capturing congregations with her soulful voice.

Virtual Jazz Reality
Established in 1993, VJR has performed throughout Africa, USA and Dubai becoming acclaimed for its comprehensive jazz repertoire. They have worked with artists such as Pavarotti, Jonathan Butler, Shirley Bassey, Liberache, Bono, Anastasia, Shakatak and many more.

Videos: Zahara and Virtual Jazz Reality

   


Read more about ticket prices and times for the the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.

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