Free Cape Town Jazz Festival Concert, Green Market Square, Today @4.30pm
This year the debate will have a focus on jazz and the gender question
IT’S all systems go for the 19th annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF), which opens with a free concert that will light up Greenmarket Square today and set the tone for the two-day event.
The festival, known as “Africa’s grandest gathering”, is the largest music event in sub-Saharan Africa and famous for its star-studded line-up of local and international artists, hosting in excess of 37 000 music lovers on Friday and Saturday.
It boasts five stages with more than 40 artists performing.
The CTIJF’s director, Billy Domingo, said: “We are always excited to be able to stage this free community event, but this year we will be making Greenmarket Square the place to be on the eve of Human Rights Day.
“We expect the festive atmosphere to be bigger than ever, but I am asking everyone to party responsibly. Make sure you get to Greenmarket Square early, as this year festivities will begin earlier than usual.”
Opening the proceedings will be the festival’s All Star Band, which is comprises a selection of talented young musicians from the CTIJF music and career workshops.
EspYoung Legends 2018 winner Jarrad Ricketts will have crowds moving and grooving.
Local artist and entertainer Alistair Izobell is guaranteed to stir up some dust as he unpacks a classic Cape party.
The compelling voice of Belhar’s Claire Phillips (SA) is set to deliver a forceful repertoire of funk, R&B and fusion. The Soil are also set to wow the crowds.
The annual free-of-charge public debate will also take place today at the Artscape Opera Bar. This year the debate will have a focus on jazz and the gender question.
Author, commentator and arts journalism course director Percy Mabandu said: “In 2018, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival Arts Journalism Public Debate also turns its lens on gender – not just on harassment and inequalities in representation and pay, but also on questions of the media portrayal of women in music.”
International jazz artists, including drummer Terri Lyne Harrington and reed players Tia Fuller and Nicole Mitchell, have added a jazz voice to the #MeToo movement through the We Have Voice collective (http://www.wehavevoice. org/).
Music writer Gwen Ansell, who will chair the debate, said: “We’ll be looking at jazz history and literature too, and the stereotypes that often govern popular perceptions of ‘men’s music’ and ‘women’s music’.”
The event will take place from 1.30pm and although it is free, booking is advisable, and those wishing to attend are requested to please apply online at www.capetownjazzfest.com/ public-debate-booking
The free concert gets under way at 4.30pm.