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| Cape Town International Jazz Festival For the past six years, traditionally on the last weekend in March, the City and People of Cape Town have welcomed music lovers from all over the world to the annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival. This year is no different, as the 7th staging of this prestigious and popular festival, now affectionately known as 'Africa's Grandest Gathering', will once again take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Friday 31 March and Saturday 1 April 2006, without doubt the two most exciting and important days on the South African Jazz calendar. Tickets for the Festival have been selling as briskly as in previous years, with large numbers of jazz fans due to fly in to the Mother City from across Southern Africa and from countries around the world. espAfrika (Pty) Ltd, the organisers of the Festival, are once again anticipating a vibrant and dynamic Festival with full attendances on both nights. The venue has five stages, featuring 40 acts in total, comprising the traditional 50/50 split between African and International artists. In addition to the main Festival, there will be a number of associated events organised by espAfrika (Pty) Ltd. There will be a series of Music Workshops at the Iziko Museum; there will also be a Jazz Photography Exhibition at the Duo-Tone Gallery featuring the work of Dr Peter Magubane, Fani Jason, and Mike Mzilene; and there will be the inaugural, one-day South Atlantic Jazz Music Conference, which will take place on the Thursday prior to the festival at the Cape Sun Hotel. espAfrika (Pty) Ltd will once again lay on the traditional Free Community Jazz Concert on Greenmarket Square, in the centre of the City, for the people of Cape Town on Thursday 30 March, the day before the Festival opens. This Community Concert is sponsored and staged by the festival organisers, and is aimed at giving many city music fans a taste of what is on offer at the Festival. This well-attended Free Concert also acts as an appetiser for all those out-of-town visitors who are in Cape Town to attend the Festival. The concert will begin at 17H00 and will again draw many music fans to the city after hours to see acts like Dan Patlan & The New Orleans All Star Blues Band, Kani, Relax, Juan Carlos Romero Trio, Kwani Experience, and the University of Cape Town Big Band. But it is the main event with its 40 International and African acts, spread over five stages that draws music lovers to the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Two years ago the Festival moved to its new home at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and to mark the occasion, espAfrika (Pty) Ltd added an extra fifth stage to the venue and named it 'Molelekwa', in honour of Moses Taiwa Molelekwa, the much-missed South African jazz genius who died in tragic circumstances a few years ago. The other four stages at the festival are traditionally named in honour of four of Cape Town's premier Jazz Clubs of years gone by. They are 'Kippies', 'Manenberg', 'Rosies', and 'Bassline'. (NB: This year the 'Manenberg' stage will be renamed 'The Basil 'Manenberg' Coetzee' stage in honour of the man who contributed to much to South African jazz). write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |