Spoiled for choice at Joy of Jazz

The festival line-up sparkles with names such as the four-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves; Delfeayo Marsalis; British R&B star Billy Ocean; one of the leading champions of the “Great American Songbook”, Ann Hampton Callaway; this year’s Best Jazz Vocal Grammy recipient Gregory Porter; trumpeter Roy Hargrove and local stars Jonas Gwangwa and Sibongile Khumalo.

The event takes place for the first time at the Sandton Convention Centre from September 25 to 27. The new-look 2014 Standard Bank Joy of Jazz begins a new era for the event, according to producer Peter Tladi of T-Musicman, who says he is delighted with this year’s bill: “We were determined to bring audiences a star-studded line-up that appeals to all tastes thanks to a range of diverse styles. The artists performing this year are all highly respected, heavyweight musicians, whether newcomers or icons of the global jazz scene.”

R&B hitmaker Billy Ocean will visit South Africa in September.

Other performers include Filipino recording artist and cultural trailblazer Charmaine Clamor; New Orleans trumpeter Christian Scott; Independent Music Award winner Omar Sosa from Cuba; Italian jazz singer and Grammy nominee Roberta Gambarini; Cameroon’s Richard Bona; Dwele from the US and trumpeter and composer Tomasz Stanko, regarded as Poland’s most important jazz ambassador, who will be performing with some top young jazz performers from Finland and Denmark.

Performers from South Africa include Feya Faku and his quintet; the Mike Rossi Project; as well as Herbie Tsoaeli and Carlos Mombelli, both of whom will be performing with their quartets.

SA music icon Sibongile Khumalo is part of this year’s Standard Bank Joy Of Jazz offering. Picture: Supplied.

An interesting facet is that a number of Standard Bank Young Artist winners are also on the bill including Gloria Bosman (2000), Tutu Puoane (2004), Kesivan Naidoo (2009), Melanie Scholtz (2010), Shane Cooper (2013) and Kyle Shepherd (2014).

Germany’s Wolfgang Diefenbach is the founder and artistic director of the Hessian State Youth Jazz Orchestra and he will be providing a big band sound at this year’s festival. Delfeayo Marsalis will be appearing with acclaimed Uptown Jazz Orchestra (UJO) who play everything from traditional New Orleans music, swing and bebop to modern-day brass band funk.

Says Marsalis: “I originally formed the Uptown Jazz Orchestra so that New Orleans students could hear what a real swinging big band sounded like. It’s important that… students know about the more sophisticated styles of American music.”

Dianne Reeves is known for her unique jazz and R&B stylings, and is regarded as one of the greatest female jazz vocalists in the world.