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SAJE NEWS
Newsletter of the South African Association for Jazz Education
Number 33, November 2013. EDITOR: Diane Rossi. CONTACT: sajejazz@gmail.com
South African Association
for Jazz Education
www.saje.org.za
Mission Statement: The Mission of the South African Association for Jazz Education is to assure the
growth of jazz in South Africa and the development of jazz and jazz education in urban and rural areas.
SAJE is also dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting skills
development, performance and research, and developing new audiences.
Massimo Morganti
Jazz educator/trombonist from Italy
SAJE cultural exchange project
Page 3
3rd SAJE Jazz Festival - Durban
Mike Rossi (UCT) , Kamil Erdem (Turkey), Kesivan Naidoo
Pages 3 and 4
VCU/UKZN “Leap of Faith” CD
VCU/UKZN Jazz partnership project
Page 7
CONTENTS:
Message from the President – page 2
SAJE News – pages 3-5
3rd SAJE Jazz Festival, Durban – pages 4-5
News from UKZN – pages 6-7
News from UCT – page 8
Sathima Bea Benjamin – page 8
News from NMMU and Jazz at the Nassau- page 9
Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival – pages 10-13
South African Jazz has never been better! – page 14
CD releases – page 15
Stirling Jazz Band Tour 2013 – page 15
SAJE Membership info – page 16
MESSAGE FROM THE SAJE PRESIDENT
3 November 2013
Dear SAJE Family and Friends,
As we head into end of year exams and the much deserved break coming up, I would like to pause for a moment
and echo the words of veteran award winning Jazz Journalist Don Albert that “South African Jazz has never been
better” (see page 14). Since the last Message from the President (May 2013), jazz and jazz education in South
Africa has continued to grow on an upward spiral. South Africa is now enjoying the fruits of countless educators
who have worked over the years (in the trenches) in order to develop skills, uplift marginalized communities,
prepare the next generation for employment in the jazz industry and in many cases create future leaders with
jazz skills that can work and be productive in many far-ranging fields. Please take a moment to check out this
recent article in The New York Times on how studying music has been central to the success of many top
business leaders, arts related professions and even politicians!
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/opinion/sunday/is-music-the-key-to-success.html
Since my last letter we have seen once again a very successful Grahamstown National Jazz Festival with a host of
international collaborations and top-notch local talent, and another enriching and exciting SAJE Festival hosted
by our SAJE friends at UKZN - Neil Gonsalves, Debbie Mari and Thulile Zama with Diane Rossi’s generous
assistance. Diane and SAJE Vice President Dr. Mageshen Naidoo also attended the IASJ Meeting in Denmark and
gave an impressive presentation on Cape Town’s ability to host the 24th IASJ Jazz Meeting on the African
Continent for the very first time. I urge everyone to try and attend the IASJ Meeting 22-27 June 2014 at UCT (see
pages 3 and 5).
Early next year with the kind assistance of the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, SAJE will
be involved with working in some of the poorest communities in the Western Cape with a series of workshops
and teacher training sessions in the Darling area. In many of the impoverished areas of the Western Cape there
are dedicated teachers offering music instruction to the most needy and vulnerable. SAJE will be assisting these
teachers and students where we can with the hope that this can turn into a national initiative.
In closing, I want to express my sincerest thanks to everyone involved with SAJE. We have made new friends
over the past months and caught up with old friends in Durban during the SAJE Festival. We are pleased to be
involved with jazz educators Chi-pin Hseih and Kai-ya Chang from Taiwan, as they are in many instances
experiencing many of the hurdles we have faced, and are still facing in South Africa. However it is encouraging
and exciting to help where we can and make new friends. The gathering in Durban was also very special in
seeing Prof Dennis Tini (Wayne State University) again who has contributed so generously to SAJE over the years
and was “instrumental” in forming our truly international jazz education organization - SAJE!
My very best,
Mike Rossi
SAJE President
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2012-2014 SAJE Executive Board
President: Mike Rossi (UCT)
Vice President: Mageshen Naidoo (Unisa)
Secretary: Ann Barr (CTBBJF)
Treasurer: Diane Rossi
International Rep: Paul Sedres
Board Members (2012-2014)
Mike Campbell (UCT)
Marc Duby (UNISA)
Neil Gonsalves (UKZN)
Karen Devroop (UNISA)
Nick Carter
Thulile Zama (UKZN)
Suli Moosa
Ronel Nagfaal (Groote Schuur High)
David Bass
Eric Alan (All Jazz Radio)
Alan Webster NYJF (ex-officio)
Darius Brubeck (ex-officio)
Contact SAJE
Diane Rossi
PO Box 175, Observatory 7935
Cell: 082-515-7051
Email:sajejazz@gmail.com
SAJE NEWS
IASJ (International Association of Schools of Jazz)
Dr Mageshen Naidoo (SAJE Vice-President)
and Diane Rossi (SAJE Treasurer) attended
the 23rd IASJ Jazz Meeting in Denmark, 29
June - 5 July 2013. Swinging Europe in
Herning and the Royal Academy of Music in
Aarhus were the hosts. It is the second time
the IASJ Jazz Meeting was hosted by a jazz
school in Denmark. Participating jazz schools
for the 2013 Meeting were from Israel, USA,
Portugal, Estonia, Austria, Brazil, Greece,
Ireland, Germany, Spain, Finland, France,
Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Japan, Italy
and Denmark. Please visit www.iasj.com
The 24th IASJ Jazz Meeting will be hosted by the SA College of Music at UCT and SAJE in Cape Town from 22 to
27 June 2014 – the first time on the African continent.
♫ Editor: Please see letter from Wouter Turkenburg (IASJ Executive Director) on page 4 and photographs from the IASJ Jazz Meeting in Denmark.
SOUTH AFRICA - ITALY: SAJE 2013 student-teacher exchange project
The first SAJE International Student-Teacher Exchange Project in conjunction with the Arcevia Jazz Feast
(Italy) and UCT (an initiative of Prof Mike Rossi) saw Vuyo Sotashe (voice) and Siya Charles (trombone) both
from the UCT Jazz Studies Dept, spend 3 weeks in Italy during July/August 2012 on a cultural exchange bursary.
They studied, performed, travelled and soaked up the fabulous Italian culture. Two Italian jazz students –
Francesca Biancoli (voice) and Riccardo Traselli (bass) spent 3 weeks in Cape Town on a similar bursary.
This year the two recipients of the cultural exchange bursary were Benjamin Jephta (bass) and Marlon Witbooi
(drums) who spend 3 weeks in Italy during July/August accompanied by Prof Mike Rossi.
During August we hosted two Italian students, Francesco Cangi (trombone) and Nico
Tangherlini (piano) who spent 3 weeks in Cape Town. They were accompanied by jazz
educator Massimo Morganti (trombone) who teaches jazz trombone and big band at
the G.B. Martini Conservatory in Bologna as well as jazz trombone at the L. D'Annunzio
Conservatory in Pescara. http://www.massimorganti.com Mr Morganti is also the
director of the Colours Jazz Orchestra which he founded in 2005. The repertoire of
the orchestra mainly focuses on the music of Maria Schneider, Kenny Wheeler and Ayn
Inserto. http://www.coloursjazzorchestra.com
Many thanks to the Italian Consul Edoardo Vitali and the Dante Alighieri Society in
Cape Town and to the UCT Jazz Faculty and students for all their assistance.
Visit the SAJE website www.saje.org.za and the Arcevia Jazz Feast
www.arceviajazzfeast.it for more information.
3rd SAJE Jazz Festival – 13-15 September 2013, Durban
A spectacular line-up awaited those who attended the 3rd SAJE Jazz Festival. Established in
2009, the biennial SAJE Jazz Festival celebrates local and international jazz and jazz education.
This year the festival was held at the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music at the University of
KwaZulu-Natal, Durban from 13 to 15 September. Included in the three day line-up were a
diverse group of world-class jazz artists, educators and jazz bands with collaborative performances
at the Hilton Arts Festival, The Jazzy Rainbow (concerts and jam sessions) and at the Rainbow
Restaurant in Pinetown.
The stellar line up of local and international jazz artists and educators reflects SAJE’s commitment to
promote jazz and jazz education in South Africa, to promote skills development and to develop new
audiences.
International participants in this year’s Festival included Dutch pianist Mike del Ferro, Dennis Tini and Russ
Miller from Wayne State University, Detroit, Turkish bassist Kamil Erdem, jazz educators Chi-pin Hseih and
Kai-ya Chang from Taiwan, and vocalists Nicky Schrire (now resident in New York), and Deborah Tanguy from
Paris. Local participants included jazz artists from Durban, Cape Town and Pretoria like Melvin Peters, Kesivan
Naidoo and Marc Duby, jazz educators from UCT, UNISA and UKZN, professional and student bands from in and
around Durban – Africa Plus, the New Sounds and Musical Democracy, The Durban Music School Band, UC Jazz
Ensemble, ComTech Voices, Siyakhula Jazz Band from Umlazi and the UKZN Foundation Ensemble, plus the
Stirling High Big Band from East London, and the CAFCA Jazz Band from Mamelodi.
A highlight of this year’s Festival was the presence of the SAJE Jazz Festival’s 2013 Artist-InResidence, Mike del Ferro, which was made possible by a generous grant from the Kingdom of the
Netherlands. Besides performing at the Festival and at TRIOS for the PIANO PASSION concert on Wednesday 11
September at CJPM, del Ferro conducted various masterclasses and clinics, one-on-one lessons, and gave
history of jazz lectures on Jazz in Holland at the CJPM during the week leading up to the Festival.
Jazz Workshops for high school students, teachers and others, took place at the CJPM on 13 and 14
September. This year, students from schools in and around Durban, had the opportunity to immerse
themselves in jazz study and performance with a star-studded line-up of professional musicians and educators.
Through the generosity of its sponsors, the SAJE Jazz Festival provides subsidies for students in need to make
the workshops financially accessible.
Grateful thanks to our sponsors: the SAMRO Foundation, Business and Arts South Africa
(BASA) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Kai-ya Chang and Chi-pin Hseih – Taipei, Taiwan
Melvin Peters
Mike Rossi, Kamil Erdem (Turkey) and Kesivan Naidoo
Sazi Dlamini performing at the Jazzy Rainbow
Moss Mogale Unit – Rainbow Restaurant
Mike del Ferro (Holland) and Nicky Schrire (SA/USA)
Russ Miller and Dennis Tini – Wayne State University, Detroit, USA
Roland Moses Debbie Mari, Mageshen Naidoo, Karen Devroop
2012-2013 SAJE Jazz Empowerment Project: Education through workshops:
This is an SAJE outreach project to junior and high schools in the Western Cape,
sponsored by a generous grant from the Western Cape Department of Cultural
Affairs and Sport. Local and international jazz musicians and educators provide
ongoing jazz empowerment workshops for students from a variety of backgrounds.
This year the teachers included Gordon Vernick and Feya Faku (trumpet), Deborah
Tanguy (vocals), Mike Rossi and Dan Shout (saxophone), Romy Brauteseth and
Shaun Johannes (bass), and Frank Paco (drums).
Dr Gordon Vernick (USA) at Heathfield High
Please visit the SAJE website at www.saje.org.za for more info re: jazz events,
conferences and festivals, special projects, photographs and other information.
Your feedback and contributions or suggestions are always welcome!
Please join the SAJE group page on FACEBOOK or “like” our Facebook page
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Dear SAJE friends,
Greetings from The Hague, The Netherlands, the headquarters of the IASJ, the International Association of Schools of Jazz.
In this part we are slowly slipping into the winter with low temperatures, lots of rain and dark days.
I am sure that, like me, many of my colleagues from various schools of jazz in Europe and elsewhere are looking forward to
go to South Africa at the end of June to attend the 2014 IASJ Jazz Meeting in Cape Town. Some will stay on and go to
Grahamstown to participate in the activities that Alan Webster is setting up at the Jazz Festival. June is winter in South
Africa, I know, but your winter equals our summer!
It is hard to express in words how much it means to me as the Executive Director of the IASJ, to David Liebman as the
Artistic Director and to the entire IASJ membership, to have our 24th IASJ Jazz Meeting in Africa where the deepest roots of
jazz are. The IASJ Jazz Meeting is an open event and we, students, teachers and representatives from all over the world,
are thrilled by the notion to meet, play and network with lots of new friends and colleagues from South Africa.
Hope to see you in South Africa in June 2014!
With kind regards,
Wouter Turkenburg
Jazz Department, Royal Conservatory
The Hague, The Netherlands
IASJ Executive Director
Photos from the 23rd IASJ Jazz Meeting in Aarhus, Denmark – July 2013
Blood Sweat Drum and Bass Orchestra, Aarhus
Dave Liebman
(IASJ Artistic Director)
Nitin Chandy (True School of Music,
Mumbai, India) and Mageshen
Naidoo (UNISA, South Africa)
Students performing on the final night
NEWS FROM UKZN
25th Annual Jazz Jol - Thulile Zama
On Saturday 31 August 2013, The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music in partnership with Standard Bank proudly presented
the 25th Annual Jazz Jol.
The event featured the UKZN Voices, a close-harmony jazz vocal group, Mozambican quartet Afro Latino consisting of
Milton Chissano (guitar and vocals), Ildo Nandja (bass and percussion), Alberto Chemane (drums and percussion), and
Njabulo Shabalala (percussions), an exciting young trio, Africa Plus, which comprises of Prince Bulo on bass, Sphelelo
Mazibuko on drums and Lungelo Ngcobo on piano and keyboards and Special guest, the 2013 recipient of the Standard
Bank Young Artist award for Jazz, bassist Shane Cooper, and his band which included previous Standard Bank Young artist,
Kesivan Naidoo on drums, as well as Reza Khota on guitar and Justin Bellairs on alto saxophone.
Proceeds from the concert went towards the Ronnie Madonsela Scholarship which assists disadvantaged jazz students at
UKZN with financial aid or support. The Ronnie Madonsela Scholarship also provides bursaries for deserving students and
also funds students’ travel and accommodation to the National Youth Jazz Festival in Grahamstown and other educational
festivals, workshops and conferences.
With the event having become a popular feature on the Durban calendar it attracts jazz lovers of all ages.
2013 Jazz outreach projects at UKZN – Debbie Mari
During the 3-day SAJE event held in Durban, Jazz Studies students from UKZN were very enthusiastic about all that was on
offer during the SAJE Festival and expressed their gratitude for Durban being the host city!
Student bands performed throughout the festival, participated in free workshops and master classes with local and
international musicians and educators and attended a range of concerts from Mike Del Ferro’s solo piano set, the intimate
and enchanting sounds of Deborah Tanguy and Amanda Tiffin to the extended Jazz Quartet with String Quartet with
Dennis Tini and Russ Miller and others already outlined in the main SAJE report.
The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music is actively making connections with local schools and Music teachers who are
interested in including Jazz in the school Music curriculum in KZN. The 2013 SAJE Festival provided an important
opportunity to acknowledge and enhance those links with invitations to several local schools and community projects to
perform at the festival which opened with the Friday lunch-hour concert featuring UKZN Voices - a close harmony Jazz
vocal group led by Debbie Mari (UKZN); the Durban Music School Band conducted by Prof Salim Washington (UKZN);
Siyakhula Jazz Band – a community music project from Umlazi led by Durban trumpeter Khulekani Bhengu followed by the
UC Jazz Ensemble – a school band from Umlazi Comprehensive Technical High School led by ex-UKZN student Xolani
Hlongwe. The same afternoon a workshop was co-presented by Mike Campbell and Alan Webster featuring the Stirling
High Big Band from East London where valuable advice from two of the country’s leading big band directors was shared
with learners and Music teachers from across KZN. Participating schools and teachers in attendance included Eden College,
COPA KZN, Michaelhouse, Umlazi Comprehensive Technical High School, UKUSA Arts Programme, Durban Music School,
Siyakhula, Esayidi FET College, BAT Centre and others. The Subject Advisor for Music in the KZN Department of Education
also attended the Friday concert and workshop.
Learners from Umlazi Comprehensive Technical High School performing
at the opening of the 2013 SAJE Festival
Mike Del Ferro with Sanele Phakhati and Xolelwa Mgandela during
the workshop with pianists and vocalists
During the week leading up to the festival Mike Del Ferro spent 3 days working with UKZN students in a variety of settings:
pianists and singers were treated to a workshop on communication between soloist and accompanist; Jazz History
students took a break from the regular History syllabus to learn about the History of Dutch Jazz and the free jazz
movement in Holland. Piano students also enjoyed an additional Jazz piano workshop with Del Ferro, all made possible by
a generous grant from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
UKZN hosts visiting artists and educators throughout the year to perform and present workshops, master classes and
concerts at various events. A recent visit, made possible by the American Music Abroad Programme and the US
Consulates in South Africa, brought the Anthony Stanco Ensemble, on tour from Michigan State University, to the Centre
for Jazz and Popular Music for a lunch-hour concert and workshop for UKZN students followed by a workshop at Umlazi
Comprehensive Technical High School. Other workshops this year include Francois Le Roux, also known as the Ha! Man
who presented ideas around spontaneous expression activities; Tony Cox gave a guitar workshop and members of the
Insurrections project Tina Schouw, Neo Muyanga and Pritam Ghosal presented a workshop in collaboration with the UKZN
Centre for Creative Arts. In Durban for the Poetry Africa Festival, the poet-musicians introduced ideas around making
sense of song and the spoken word in a variety of languages. For many years the KZNPO has included 2 concerts per year
which feature Music students from UKZN in a campus concert. This year, for the first time, Jazz students were able to
audition for the concert: Jazz Voice students Xolelwa Mgandela and Kwena Ramahuta sang orchestral arrangements for
Night And Day and Aint Misbehavin.
Kwena Ramahuta singing with the KZNPO
Earlier in the year Debbie Mari and Neil Gonsalves met with a group of school Music teachers from the Umlazi District to
consider Jazz Teacher training, Practical Teaching opportunities for current UKZN students in schools who wish to include
Jazz in their curriculum and the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music as a resource centre to the public and not just current
UKZN staff and students.
VCU/UKZN Jazz Partnership
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Jazz in Virginia, USA recently received an “International Partnerships Major
Initiatives Award” (IPMI) to bring American and African citizens together in musical and personal understanding. VCUarts
generously matched the grant. Titled “VCU and the University of KwaZulu-Natal: A Jazz Bridge to Greater Understanding,”
this grant project brought together students and faculty of the Jazz Studies Programs of Virginia Commonwealth
University and the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa over a period of two years starting in July 2012.
Antonio Garcia has created a wonderful VCU blog at http://wp.vcu.edu/vcujazz which
contains travelogues, photos, and student reflections from all four trips (in 2012 and
2013), as well as information about the "Leap of Faith" CD which was released on the
African continent on September 13, when UKZN's Centre for Jazz and Popular Music
hosted the South African Association for Jazz Education Festival from September 13-15.
The UKZN Jazz Legacy Ensemble from last year's project reunited and performed at The
Jazzy Rainbow during the Festival.
The CD is available from http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/vcujazz3 or locally from Thulile Zama
at the Centre for Jazz, UKZN. Email: Zamat1@ukzn.ac.za or phone 031 260-3385
The October 2013 issue of Down Beat includes a one-page article on the VCU/UKZN jazz partnership. Titled "VCU Jazz
Students, Faculty Members Connect with South African Counterparts from UKZN" - the article was co-authored by Neil
Gonsalves and Antonio Garcia.
♫ Editor: Note from Neil Gonsalves, Director, Centre for Jazz and Popular Music, UKZN:
The UKZN Jazz Legacy Ensemble is immensely proud to represent the long tradition of jazz and jazz education in South
Africa. UKZN was the first tertiary institution on the African continent to offer a formal jazz program way back in 1983 with
the arrival of Darius Brubeck in Durban, South Africa. The program took root in fertile soil where African-American culture
and jazz in particular had been a constant influence and aspirational force since the 1920s and had provided a beacon of
light and freedom in the darkest days of apartheid. South African jazz has its own swagger though, which is rooted in the
many kinds of urban music that are part and parcel of a migrant culture. Through the gift of this exchange, we can proudly
say that local South African music forms and styles such as mbaqanga, maskanda, and marabi have taken their place
alongside the blues, standard tunes, and bebop as platforms for musical dialogue between our respective ensembles. We
humbly acknowledge and thank our VCU friends for their generosity, both financially and in spirit—and special thanks to
Prof Antonio García for his vision, incredible work ethic, and constant encouragement and support. (edited)
NEWS FROM THE SA COLLEGE OF MUSIC - UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
•
There were many international artists who conducted workshops at UCT this year. Some of the
highlights included Massimo Morganti (trombone - Italy), Gordon Vernick (trumpet - USA), and
Chi-pin Hseih (violin) and his wife Kai-ya Chang (piano) - jazz educators from Taipei, Taiwan.
SAJE organized two workshops by Joe Lovano (in April) and Eddie Daniels (in August).
Kai-ya Chang, Chi-pin Hseih, Shaun Johannes, Kevin Gibson
•
•
•
•
Joe Lovano
Eddie Daniels
Seven of the eight members of The Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band 2013 are from UCT.
Another highlight was certainly the annual SACM Jazz Festival held over three days in October 2013, which
featured the UCT Big Band, UCT Jazz Voices and other groups from the jazz programme, as well as staff
members Mike Campbell, Mike Rossi, Amanda Tiffin, Darryl Andrews, Andrew Lilley and Alvin Dyers.
The UCT Big Band performed in a variety of settings this year – at the BAXTER, Jazz at the Nassau, at St George’s
Cathedral, Kirstenbosch Market and at the CRYPT, amongst others.
The Mike Rossi Project performed at the JAZZKIFF International Jazz Festival in Kinshasa, DRC in June and at the
Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival in Grahamstown in July.
SATHIMA BEA BENJAMIN: 1936 - 2013
Singer/composer Sathima Bea Benjamin passed away on
20 August 2013. She was 76. Living her life intuitively, she
stayed true to her vision and her "sound": she sang in a
totally unique style. Whether interpreting Ellington, old
songs learnt as a child or her own songs of protest and
identity, she followed (in the words of Noël Coward) her
"secret heart".
From Cape Town fame as Bea Benjamin to exile in Europe,
where she engineered Dollar Brand, her husband-to-be's
life-changing meeting with Duke Ellington, Sathima's
journey is one of love and sacrifice, with her hypersensitivity
living alongside a toughness of spirit. Following her recent
divorce from Abdullah Ibrahim (formerly Dollar Brand), she returned to Cape Town from New York, her place of
residence for many years. Sadly, she didn't live long enough to enjoy being truly home.
On Sunday, 17 November 2013 at 2.30 p.m. SAfm 104-107 will broadcast Nigel Vermaas's documentary about
the late Sathima Bea Benjamin, THE SECRET HEART OF SATHIMA BEA BENJAMIN. It will include material
from three interviews he's conducted with her at various times (most recently at the SAJE Conference 2012) plus
contributions from AbdulIah Ibrahim, Jean Grae (her daughter Tsidi) and exile Ed Wethley, who was in Maputo to
advise the Mozambiquan agricultural ministry in August 1982, when Sathima and her husband gave a concert in
memory of Ruth First, who had been assassinated by letter bomb that week.
Nigel has made many documentaries and features on S.A. jazz musicians including Robbie Jansen, Zim
Ngqawana, Hotep Idris Galeta, Basil Moses and the Ngcukana Dynasty. He is currently working on a
documentary on Chris McGregor, whose widow Maxine has written a memoir CHRIS McGREGOR AND THE
BROTHERHOOD OF BREATH, which Nigel reviewed for the Mail & Guardian in October 2013.
NEWS FROM NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
Correspondent: John Edwards
1. ISISUSA JAZZ CONCERT FEATURING FEYA FAKU
The NMMU Arts and Culture Department in collaboration with the Music
Department presented ISISUSA at the Port Elizabeth Opera House on 17 September
(see photo). The concert featured a variety of local jazz bands and included
trumpeter Feya Faku as a special guest. He performed a set of his original works with
the John Edwards Trio which also included local trombonist Kyle du Preez as a special
guest. The trio comprises John Edwards on piano, Andrew Warneke on bass guitar
and Devon van Rooyen on drums. Jazz guitarist and 2012 SAMRO instrumentalist
finalist Creshwell October opened the show and his band performed original
compositions from his recently released album. Two of the Music Department’s
premier jazz ensembles were showcased at ISISUSA– Sharp9 and the NMMU Big
Band. Sharp9 is an acapella group of five vocalists led by Muz Sirenya, the band’s
repertoire includes standards and popular tunes. Crazy and outrageous
improvisations were the order of the night as each individual brought his or her own
infectiously catchy sound to the vocal collective! The 16-piece NMMU Big Band, led
by jazz studies lecturer and pianist John Edwards (and featuring Feya Faku on
selected tracks), closed the show. The band’s repertoire emphasizes South African
jazz masterpieces like Abdullah Ibrahim’s Chisa and The Wedding and MRA by The Brotherhood of Breath. The band also
performed a fiery Afro-Cuban number entitled Classiquando and a big and brassy piece by band director Edwards entitled
Strumpet. The event closed with a collaborative performance by the Big Band and Sharp 9 - an arrangement by Edwards
and Sirenya that was inspired by Sibongile Khumalo’s Township Medley. The event was very well supported and was on all
accounts a resounding success.
2. LOCAL RECORDINGS AND COMPACT DISC RELEASES
The JOHN EDWARDS TRIO (see pic) officially launched their first album, ‘By the Baai’, (see
album sleeve) at the NMMU South Campus Auditorium earlier in the year. The album
comprises original pieces composed by Edwards and arranged for the trio format. Although
essentially a jazz album, the compositions are varied in style and include Brazilian and South
African flavours mixed with classical, jazz and rock styles. The disc is priced at R100 and has
been selling well. Copies are still available so if anyone is interested then contact
john.edwards@nmmu.ac.za
CRESHWELL OCTOBER released his debut album titled Introducing Creshwell October (see pic) in a public concert at the
Port Elizabeth Opera House on 12 October. The album features 12 original jazz and R&B compositions. The line up for the
event included artists such as Titi Luzipo, Leon Japhta, Chapter Three, Gino Lee, Brenton Goldman and many more.
Performers on the album include Virgil Matrass (piano), Grant Allison (bass guitar) and SAMRO award winner Phumlani
Mtiti (alto saxophone). Contact creshwell@gmail.com if you would like a copy of the album.
3. VISITING ARTISTS: CONCERTS AND WORKSHOPS
Thanks to the sponsorship of the American Embassy, the NMMU Music Department was able to host the Anthony Stanco
Quintet from Michigan State University for a workshop and concert on 8 October 2012. The quintet gave generously of
their time and expertise at the daytime workshop and the students were clearly enriched and inspired (see pic) by the
experience - as were the jazz loving Port Elizabeth public at the enthusiastically supported evening concert in the South
Campus Auditorium.
The Music Department also hosted Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekhaya on 17 October in the South Campus Auditorium where he
delivered a workshop on 17 October prior to his concerts over the weekend in the Port Elizabeth Opera House.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jazz at the Nassau (Cape Town) has presented another year of fabulous jazz concerts featuring
both local and international jazz artists including Vivian Buczek with the Andrew Ford Quartet,
SHOUT, Mike Rossi Project, Lee Gold Quartet, Mike del Ferro Trio, Sammy Hartman Quartet, and
the UCT Big Band.
The final concert of the year on Sunday 8 December features the London based Darius Brubeck
Quartet with Darius Brubeck on piano, Mike Rossi on Saxophones, Matt Ridley on bass and
Wesley Gibbens on Drums.
Contact: Cliff Wallis at cliffwallis@gmail.com or 076 401 0008 or visit their facebook page for more
information about next year’s progamme.
21st STANDARD BANK NATIONAL YOUTH JAZZ FESTIVAL – 2013
350 students, 40 teachers and 65 musicians descended upon the small
university town of Grahamstown to attend the annual SBNYJF which took
place concurrent with the National Arts Festival, from Wednesday 26 June
to Tues 2 July at the Music School of the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG).
This festival sits at the forefront of every jazz student’s mind and is
undoubtedly the place to be if one is going to take jazz seriously as a career.
The friendships that are formed and the networking opportunities for both
students and musicians alike are of the most positive aspects to come out of
the festival. The quality of the jazz is a given.
Every day, each course participant was able to rehearse in a big band or vocal group and chose to attend an array of
workshops and electives on jazz topics such as improvisation, jazz history, music technology, instrumental clinics,
composition or jazz harmony. These were led by a collection of some of the best professional jazz players and educators in
the country as well as visiting foreign teachers and performers.
The following musicians performed this year in a variety of collaborations:
Drums/Perc
Kevin Gibson, Kesivan Naidoo, Jonno Sweetman, Ayanda Sikade, Lloyd Martin, Ronan Skillen, Håkon Mjåset
Johansen (Norway), Felix Schlarmann (Holland)
Bass
Shaun Johannes, Shane Cooper, Carlo Mombelli, Wesley Rustin, Romy Brauteseth, Nick Williams, Magne
Thormosaeter (Norway), Hein van de Geyn (Holland), Thomas Rolff (Holland)
Piano
Andrew Lilley, Mark Fransman, Kyle Shepherd, Bokani Dyer, Nduduzo Makhathini, Jason Reolon, Malcolm Braff
(Swiss), Laurent Coq (France), Svein Olav Herstad (Norway), Jeroen van Vliet (Holland)
Guitar
David Ledbetter, Gorm Helfjord (Norway/SA), Ola Bengtsson (Sweden), Ralph Lavital (France)
Trumpet
Brian Thusi, Marcus Wyatt, Lee Thomson, Sydney Mavundla, Neil Engel, Adam Howard, Ian Darrington (UK), Bruce
Cassidy (Canada), Marius Haltli (Norway)
Trombone
John Davies, James Bassingthwaighte, William Haubrich, Justin Sasman, Steve Turre (US), Andreas Tschopp (Swiss),
Erik Johanessen (Norway)
Sax
Mike Rossi, Rus Nerwich, Dan Shout, Marc de Kock, Justin Bellairs, Marc Stucki (Swiss), Mark Ginsberg (Australia),
Atle Nymo (Norway), Maarten Hogenhuis (Holland)
Vocals
Natalie Rungan, Nash Reed, Justin Binek (US), AJ Brown (UK), Paulien van Schaik (Holland), Nicolas Pélage
(France)
Other instruments: Folkert Oosterbeeck (Hammond Organ - Holland)
Rus Nerwich
The Awesome Big Band
Dr. Ian Darrington (UK) conducted the Standard Bank National Schools’ Big Band
Global Express: Bruce Cassidy (Canada) & Mark Ginsburg (Aus)
Bruut ! (Holland)
Malcolm Braff (Switzerland)
Steve Turre (USA)
Svein Olav Herstad (Norway)
Marc Stucki, Shane Cooper, Andreas Tschopp
Standard Bank Jazz & Blues Cafe
NATIONAL BANDS
Two national bands were chosen at the Festival: the STANDARD BANK NATIONAL SCHOOLS’ JAZZ BAND (age limit 18 on
1/1/2013, and attending high school) and the STANDARD BANK NATIONAL YOUTH JAZZ BAND (age limit 26 on 1/1/2013).
These bands performed on the main jazz stage of the National Arts Festival and the SBNYJB toured later in the year to
Johannesburg. The SBNSBB was conducted by Dr Ian Darrington (UK), and the SBNYJB by Marcus Wyatt.
The Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band 2013
The
Back: L-R: Marcus Wyatt (conductor), Marlon Witbooi (drums), Sibusiso
Mkhize (trumpet), Benjamin Jephta (bass)
Front: L-R: Matthew Ehrenreich (alto), Zeke le Grange (tenor), Palesa
Modiga (voice), Murray Buitendag (trombone)
Absent: Thandi Ntuli (piano)
The Standard Bank National Schools’ Big Band 2013
Back: L-R:
Middle: L-R:
Kneeling: L-R:
Robert van der Merwe (baritone), Luke Erickson (trumpet), Sean Sanby (bass), Samuel Burger
(drums), Evan Froud (alto), Ben Cloete (tenor), Matthew Poulter (trombone), Dominic Moss (alto), Christian Chandler
(trombone)
Marco Maritz (trumpet), Jonathan Chuter (tenor), Nathina Pakade
(trombone), Zintle Thomas (trombone), Dr Ian Darrinton (conductor), Cristina Rossi (voice)
Jonathan Prest (trumpet), Bradley Prince (guitar), Simon de Wet (piano) Marcell Adams (trumpet)
Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band 2013 performs at Joy of Jazz, Johannesburg
The Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band performed at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival held in
Newtown, JHB from 22-24 August 2013. A full day of rehearsal was necessary to catch up on the Grahamstown
repertoire and thanks to Marcus Wyatt for providing the use of his studio as a rehearsal venue. On Friday 23
August the NYJB was invited to be the house band for the Morning Live shoot on SABC 2. Call time was 5:00
a.m. - way too early for jazz but the NYJB were able to meet and jam with Adam Glasser, Donald Harisson, Rene
Marie, Peter White and many more artists who were booked to perform at the festival. That evening the NYJF
opened at the Bassline with a fantastic set of music by conductor Marcus Wyatt. Unfortunately there were no
opportunities for the NYJB to tour abroad this year.
NYJB 2013 at the Morning Live shoot in Newtown
Shane Cooper: Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz 2013
Bassist Shane Cooper, Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz 2013, is an
eclectic young musician who has rapidly emerged in the jazz world as
first-call bassist for serious jazz. For his first Young Artist performance in
Grahamstown he draws on collaborations that emerged out of the Jazz
Werkstatt in Bern, Switzerland – a fascinating festival run by young Swiss
musicians who bring together like-minded musicians from around the
world. He performed in Grahamstown with two of the festival
organisers, and the concert developed in layers, exploring the diverse
sounds created by different mixes of instruments with all members of
the collaboration providing original compositions. The personnel for this
concert were Marc Stucki (sax - CH), Andreas Tschopp (trombone - CH),
Kyle Shepherd (piano), Shane Cooper (bass), Kesivan Naidoo (drums)
Shane Cooper’s final Young Artist performance featured his own original
music in a group of some of his favourite South African musicians. The
music goes from left-field groove to post-bop to South African rhythms
to introspective ballads, and features two past winners of the Standard
Bank Young Artist Award for Jazz – Kesivan Naidoo and Bokani Dyer.
Justin Bellairs (sax), Bokani Dyer (piano), Reza Khota (guitar), Shane
Kyle Shepherd: Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz 2014
For more information about the 2014 winners go to:
http://www.nationalartsfestival.co.za/young-artist-award-winners/
DATES FOR THE 22nd STANDARD BANK NATIONAL YOUTH JAZZ FESTIVAL 2014 ARE:
WEDNESDAY 2 JULY – TUESDAY 8 JULY 2014
APPLICATION FORMS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE IN FEBRUARY 2014
www.youthjazz.co.za
www.standardbankarts.co.za
South African jazz has never been better!
Don Albert
07/24/2013 16:27:44
Jazzaholic by Don Albert: Just after our first democratic elections there was a giant step forward in SA jazz
which went through a dynamic change.
Artists could get passports and they travelled overseas and discovered it wasn’t worthwhile cloning what was
already there, so they decided to use African rhythms and tunes and mixed it with a back-beat and contemporary
jazz rhythms. It was fresh and inventive and record companies started recording African jazz artists.
Whether it was the record companies or the musicians, I don’t know but, suddenly just about every guitarist had
to play and sing like George Benson, and slowly the music generally deteriorated into a cloning of pop artists and
the jazz started disappearing except for a few who tried to keep the flag flying. Suddenly everything was South
Africa-jazz whether it had to do with jazz or not. The word jazz was so distorted by ignorant DJs, journalists,
record companies, radio announcers, that the music (real-jazz), was relegated to the back-burner.
After years of stagnation the scene started blossoming again and today the jazz scene is hot, though the lack of
venues is appalling. It seems only Cape Town has jazz rooms and clubs, as well as commercial hotels offering
jazz brunches. Nevertheless the standard of musicianship is higher today than ever before.
Here are a few jazz CDs that we can be mighty proud of. First up two 5 Star CDs I have
been writing about recently that can easily compete in the overseas market.
Trespassing Permitted by The Mike Rossi Project (dynamite post-bop tight ensemble
work and good solos) www.mikerossijazz.com and Turn Of The Tide by the Peter Auret
Trio (ECM feel played superbly.) info@peterauret.com
Easily one of the best and most creative trumpeters in South Africa is Marcus Wyatt. His
latest is titled One Life In The Sun recorded in Basel and mixed and mastered in South
Africa by Peter Auret (yes he’s not just a talented drummer). Wyatt plays trumpet and
flugelhorn with Domenic Landorf tenor and bass clarinet, Baenz Oester upright bass and
Dominic Igli drums. The music is contemporary, what might be called Afro-Euro Scandinavian jazz, but when you
listen to “Annake Tassou” you’ll be transported to the Cape Town beat, which eventually moves into some ‘out’
playing. “The Day She Left” is a moving piece and obviously had an effect on Wyatt who you can hear crying on
his horn. If you like Wyatt and modern music, this is a must. www.marcuswyatt.com
At last someone has come up with a new slant on South African standards like “Meadowlands”, “Pata Pata”,
“Skokiaan”, “Ntyilo Ntyilo”, “Zambezi”, “Yakhal’Inkomo” and the beautiful Abdullah Ibrahim ballad “The Wedding”
while “Mannenberg” gets a brilliant fresh approach. There are 10 such standards in all on the 11 tracks with
“Lakutshon’Ilanga getting two versions, one subtitled (carnival with happy toes), the other (dream beach sunset
with loving knees) on Kevin Davidson’s Our Land Our Music. Davidson on saxes, Dan Selsick trombone and
bass trombone, Hugo De Vaal electric guitar, Adrian Levi electric and acoustic bass, Daniel Isele drums and Dio
Santos percussion and drums on some tracks. There is also some over dubbing. This CD will make any South
African proud. Indeed this is Our Land and this is Our Music. Good one Kevin. Kevin Davidson 082 456-3692.
The 2013 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Jazz is bassist/composer Shane
Cooper for his impressive debut album named Oscillations, has assembled some of
Cape Town’s finest. Besides the leader there is Bokani Dyer piano and keyboards,
Kesivan Naidoo drums, Reza Khota guitar, Justin Bellairs alto sax and Buddy Wells
tenor sax. Over the past year Dyer has matured into one of the leading jazz pianists in
the country. Bellairs is a fine player with flowing ideas who I hadn’t heard before, and
Khota is a soaring and stinging player. Wells only has one outing but he makes it
memorable. It’s always a pleasure to listen to his inventive playing. The whole thing is
held together by the passionate and probing playing of Naidoo plus the subtle and thoughtful Cooper, who is the
thinking man’s bassist. His compositions are interesting and different, especially “Dead Letters”. A good example
of where jazz in South Africa is today. www.shanecoopermusic.com
Make 2013 the year of supporting South African jazz by giving friends and/or family a CD. At Christmas time it’s
a wonderful present for sending overseas and a good stocking filler.
I suggest you send two, The Kevin Davidson and any other one that takes your fancy.
Don Albert is a saxophonist and jazz journalist. He spent 12 years with The Star Newspaper on the Tonight! section writing
about jazz. Currently he writes jazz CD and book reviews for Financial Mail and is the South African Correspondent for
Downbeat (USA) and Jazz Journal International (UK). He has presented radio programmes on jazz and served.as judge at
prestigious competitions. He has also won numerous awards.
ARTSLINK article link: http://www.artlink.co.za/news_article.htm?contentID=33407
♫ Editor: Article reprinted by kind permission of the author
Nicky Schrire: Space and Time (September 2013)
Track Listing: You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You; I Wish You Love; A Song For A
Simple Time; Someone To Watch Over Me; Teardrop; Bless The Telephone; And So I Sing;
Seliyana; When You Go; Say It Isn't So; Here Comes The Sun; Space & Time.
Personnel: Nicky Schrire: vocals; Fabian Almazan: piano (3, 5, 7, 10); Gerald Clayton:
piano (2, 6, 9, 11); Gil Goldstein: piano (1, 4, 8, 12).
Record Label: Magenta Label Group
For upcoming gigs and more information visit: http://www.nickyschrire.com/
TARABU: Journey to the Unexpected (November 2013)
Francois le Roux – saxophones/clarinets
Philip Malan – guitar
Lucas Heinen – accordion
Eldred Schilder - bass
David Parks - drums
For more information visit: http://tarabumusic.wix.com/tarabu
Stirling Jazz Band Tour 2013 –
Donne Dowlman
As with most busy high schools it is always a tight squeeze to fit a band tour into the calendar and the last time the Stirling
Jazz Band embarked on a tour was to Durban in 2011. Thus the highlight of the 2013 year was the band’s whistle-stop tour
in September. After a meander through the foothills of the Drakensberg via Encgobo, Elliot and Matatiele, the tour started
on Thursday 12 September with a performance at St. Patrick’s School in Kokstad. Friday saw us on the road to Durban to
participate in the South African Association for Jazz Education Festival at the Jazz School of UKZN. Delegates from around
the country, as well as a number from overseas, were gathered and there was great jazz on offer and interesting
workshops. The band formed the vehicle for a lengthy workshop on school Big Bands, presented jointly by Mr Webster and
Prof Mike Campbell from UCT. A special part of this workshop was the chance for Prof Campbell to conduct the Stirling
band on a chart he had written and arranged. On Saturday we travelled up to the Hilton Arts Festival to perform in the big
tent erected there. The festival – on the grounds of Hilton College - was impressive and an audience of about 500 gave the
band great support. After a heavy drive into the wind on Sunday morning, the band arrived in Johannesburg and
immediately joined St. Mary’s in their stunning theatre for a joint workshop and performance.
Monday night’s performance was probably the musical pinnacle of the year for the band. The Joburg Big Band, a collection
of professional jazz musicians, meets weekly at Zoo Lake Bowling Club for an informal performance and Stirling was invited
to perform briefly between their two sets. The professionals started with an intimidating, powerful set to an audience of
serious jazz listeners and we wondered whether it was not particularly foolhardy to be on the same stage as some of the
country’s leading musicians. But the band rose magnificently to the occasion, producing a nuanced and surprisingly
confident performance, much to the surprise and voluble delight of the audience and the magnanimous support of the
professional band. On Tuesday the band played at the Gauteng Big Band Festival at Saheti School and our final
performance was in Bloemfontein at St. Andrews on Wednesday– a well-attended event that ended in the audience
dancing and cheering loudly.
Stirling Jazz Band performing at the Hilton Arts Festival
Workshop with St Mary’s at the Edge Theatre
• Please remember to renew or apply for SAJE membership!
SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION FOR JAZZ EDUCATION
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION/RENEWAL 2013/2014
[ ] NEW
[ ] RENEWAL
NAME: …………………………………………….SURNAME:……………………………………………………TITLE: …………
ADDRESS:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….POSTAL CODE:…………...............
EMAIL:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
TEL:………………………………….............................. CELL: ……………………………………………………………………
WEBSITE/OTHER:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Please tick appropriate category:
[ ]
Individual student ……………….. R200
[ ]
Individual member ………………. R300
[ ]
Associate membership ………… R900
or
2 members per institution/association
2 teachers + 4-6 students per institution
• Associate members will be listed in each newsletter (3 per year), on the SAJE website, and in our
Festival and Conference programmes and also on our FACEBOOK info page.
Please send to SAJE Treasurer:
DIANE ROSSI
PO Box 175, Observatory 7935
Email: sajejazz@gmail.com
EFT or direct bank deposit:
SAJE
Standard Bank
Account Number: 077337697 (Plus Plan)
Branch: 025109 Claremont
• Please mail or e-mail proof of payment to the SAJE Treasurer Diane Rossi
Current SAJE ASSOCIATE MEMBERS:
Bishops (Diocesan College), CAFCA – Mamelodi, Cape Town Big Band Jazz Festival, Centre for Jazz and
Popular Music @ UKZN, Groote Schuur High School, Music Directorate @ UNISA, Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan University, Rondebosch Boys High School, Rustenburg Girls High School, SA College of
Music @ University of Cape Town, St Mary’s School, Waverley – thank you for your continued support!
Honorary Life Members: Dennis Tini, Cathy and Darius Brubeck, Glynis Malcolm-Smith