Guardian

AHEAD of the annual Standard Bank Joy of Jazz concert billed to open on August 22, organisers of the jazz gig have unveiled South African jazz great Abdullah Ibrahim, to join Grammy award- winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard and celebrated pianist Ahmad Jamal at the opening night of show in Newstown, Johannesburg.

The festival, which runs through August 24, will parade other notable names such as American Carmen Lundy, an enduring artiste in a jazz vocal tradition that stretches all the way back to Billie Holiday. Acclaimed ‘Big Chief’ of the sax, Donald Harrison, will also be performing with his nephew, Christian Scott, as well as South African trumpeter Lwanda Gogwana. Also on the bill are Grammy award-winning tenor saxophonist Eddie Daniels; Japanese jazz pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto and American saxophonist Tia Fuller, who was a member of the all-female band touring with Beyoncé.

This year’s gig will features more than 50 artistes, including Dennis Edwards, a former lead singer for the Motown act, The Temptations, who will be appearing in The Temptations Review, which features Paul Williams Jnr, son of original Temptations member Paul Williams. Peter White from the UK, who first gained fame with his distinctive guitar style as accompanist to Al Stewart and played on Stewart’s landmark Year of the Cat album, will also be on parade. Argentina’s Tango String Quartet; the DRC’s Ray Lema; US vocalist René Marie; Cape Verde’s Marie de Barros and Lenora Raphael from the US.

The South African contingent includes Ray Phiri and Stimela; Mlungisi Gegana, who will be paying tribute to the late South African jazz double bassist and pianist Johnny Dyani; Sipho Mabuse who pays homage to Zim Ngqawana and Sibongile Mngoma (a former Standard Bank Young Artist), who will release an album in June this year in which classical meets jazz, Afrotraction. Kabomo, Selaelo Selota, Mbuso Khoza, Ivan Mazuze, Jeff Maluleke and Themba Mkhize are also on the bill.

From his roots growing up in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South African composer and keyboardist Adam Glasser is now recognised as one of the world’s leading jazz harmonica players. Glasser has put together a unique jazz collaboration for Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, combining musicians he has played with in both the UK and South Africa including Australia’s Carl Orr, South Africa’s Concord Nkabinde (former Standard Bank Young Artist winner for jazz) and Nduduzo Makhathini as well as Ghana’s Frank Tontoh.

Shane Cooper, the 2013 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for Jazz, will be performing with Bokani Dyer, Kesivan Naidoo (another former Standard Bank Young Artist winner for jazz), Reza Khota and Justin Bellairs. There will also be a performance from the Peter Auret Trio comprising Auret, Roland Moses and James Sunney of Watershed fame, with special guest Joe Penn on saxophone.

Described as the most gifted musician ever to blend African and American music, Abdullah Ibrahim has enjoyed a career that has spanned half a century as a pianist and composer. He has worked with many legends of South African and global jazz. When he returned to South Africa in the 1970s to record his masterpiece, Mannenberg, he earned his place among South Africa’s greatest musicians. His sold-out performances continue to thrill jazz fans from around the world.

In his autobiography, Miles Davis describes the impact of hearing celebrated pianist Ahmad Jamal: “He knocked me out with his concept of space, his lightness of touch, his understatement.”

Though he has four Grammy Awards for his jazz recordings, Terence Blanchard also ranks among the most creative, in-demand film score composers, particularly for his collaborations with Spike Lee. He is now putting the finishing touches on his first opera, commissioned for Opera St. Louis.

The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz will take place on eight stages in Newtown including the Dinaledi Stage, the Conga, Mbira, Bassline and The Market Theatre. Other venues include free concerts at Sophiatown, Shikisha and Nikki’s Oasis.

“Over the years, we’ve brought the finest jazz musicians to our shores as desired by the event’s fans, friends and supporters. Because we believe all people deserve to hear the best musicians the world has to offer, our 2013 line-up pays tribute to the listener’s choice as it were, it is our gift to our friends and festivalgoers who insist on the most interesting, the out of the ordinary, the push the boundaries type of artist, and most importantly the best of class,” event producer Peter Tladi of T-Musicman said.

According to the Head of Group Sponsorships at Standard Bank, Hazel Chimhandamba, “We are delighted that during the 14-year history of Standard Bank Joy of Jazz we have continued to discover and explore both the heritage and riches of home-grown talent while playing host to an enviable array of international stars and meeting the young jazz stars of the future”.