Press Article

2007 February 16   "Now it's Cape Town and all that jazz"
Publication: Freestyle, Cape Times
Byline: Jane Mayne

USING Chinese zither player Lili Feng on his latest This Is My World album, Nkabinde showcases a need for expression that expands boundaries. Says Concord: "I tend to always write music with specific musicians in mind. This was Duke Ellington's strength. He wrote parts knowing the strengths and weaknesses of his band. It helps in making the music sound strong."
Maduvha Madima also appears on the CD. "Maduvha showed amazing maturity in being not just a singer but, an interpreter of song. She becomes even more alive when she sings in TshiVenda. Through her involvement with the Revolution duo, she also embodies the new sound of skilled young musicians who are pursuing popular genres - which is great for the development of the industry in dealing with the notion that 'all skilled musicians end up playing jazz or classical music and the not so skilled play popular genres'.

"The overall idea of the project is my journey of self-discovery as a South African, interacting and dealing with the world at large. In that process I am finding my world: a world that has shaped me, but also a world I want to shape.”
"The album has messages of encouragement as we come out of a 'not so great' history, celebrating the present and working for a better future. That's a common theme anywhere in the world. I feel that by involving all these musicians from different walks of life, my mission and vision of breaking down walls is being sustained."

Concord's band at the CTIJF will feature Brendan Ross sax, Nqubeko Mbatha piano, Xoli Nkosi keys, and Rob Watson drums. "I am really looking forward to this performance, especially since the audience is a 'broad' jazz audience and the music we do is broad in that sense."
Since its onset, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival has been offering a mixed bag of musi¬cal delights. From the otherworldly Arabic highs of Dhaffer Youssef to the velvet cream of Cassandra Wilson, this multi-stage event always holds the promise of some unexpected surprise.

Of the tantalising options that could prove intriguing this year is pianist Diego Amador. A member of flamenco-rock band Pata Negra, Amador is rooted in gypsy approach to rhythm and harmonic structure and is hailed as a provocative force.
Another man to watch is Algerian-born Fethi Tabet. In addition to playing lute and violin, Tabel is accomplished on hurdy-gurdy with bow, and hopefully he'll contribute some unusual world music inflections.
Then there's three-time Grammy nominee, Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez, who fuses Pan-American jazz by incorporating the music of the Americas and world music.

The international heavyweights who're sure to pull the crowds are obvious. Soulful Randy Crawford, Joe Sample, Jack DeJohnette, Byron Wallen and (not yet con¬firmed) Nils Landgren. And of the local presence there's Lira, Bheki Khoza, The Standard Bank National Youth Jazz band, Rudi¬mentals, Hilton Schilder, Bev Scott-Brown, Bruce Muirhead Quartet, Shannon Mowday, Stimela and bassist Concord Nkabinde.

Another aspect of the festival this year is an arts journalism workshop, Reviving the Drumbeat, running from March 24 - 31. This specialist training program will see participants providing coverage of the sights and sounds at CTIJF via the Festival website. The course will be co-ordinated by Gwen Ansell. The week's tuition fee is R1 500, and scholarships are also available. Send applications to sisgwen@iafrica.com with "CTIJF course application" in the subject line. Include CV, two references and a letter about why you want to attend the course. Deadline Febru¬ary 23.