Jazzing it up with the greats at Unisa

Award-winning jazz maestro Nduduzo Makhathini and songstress Zoë Modiga wooed jazz lovers at the inaugural Unisa Jazz Festival held at the Muckleneuk campus on Friday.

The duo was billed to perform with other jazz heavyweights like legendary Capetonian jazz trumpeter Feya Faku.

Faku has been on the jazz scene for decades, producing jazz masterpieces with the late Winston Mankunku Ngozi, whose classic Yakhal’inkomo turns 50 this year.

Sharing the stage with the three jazz maestros was Sibusiso “Mash”’ Mashiloane, whose Pretoria tour is set for mid-May at the SA State Theatre.

Project coordinator professor Karendra Devroop said the event was aimed at bringing jazz heavyweights to the capital.

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“We always have big jazz events in big cities like Cape Town and Joburg, but we hardly have any big events in Tshwane, one of the biggest cities and the capital of the country,” Devroop said.

He said the event was the first of many.

“We are planning on organising more of this, but we are looking at hosting the next one with Tshwane-based artists,” he said.

“This event is for the people of Tshwane.”

On Friday, up-and-coming artists were given the opportunity to showcase their talents in the lunch hour jazz at the university gardens.