Sephuma brings ‘element of surprise’ to fest
JUDITH Sephuma has promised a show full of surprises at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) next month.
“It is going to be so good. I want there to be an element of surprise for you guys. My show will be one of surprises,” Sephuma told a media conference on Tuesday evening.
“If you are an artist and you have performed on that stage, you have to think about coming back, and coming back better. It is fun up there.”
Sephuma said it was an honour to share the stage with big names in the industry she had admired throughout her career.
She applauded the CTIJF for giving artists a platform to showcase their talent.
“It is something amazing to experience over and over again. For me, every time I get on the stage I go ‘wow’. I am like a little kid,” she said.
The March 27-28 festival, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, will also feature Manou Gallo from Côte d’Ivoire, South African jazz legend Abdullah Ibrahim, as well as Grammy award winners PJ Morgan from the US and the UK’s Jacob Collier.
The line-up of more than 40 artists also includes Lira, Lady Zamar, the Ndlovu Youth Choir, AusTebza, Gabi Motuba and Seba Kaapstad.
Saxophonist Don Vino said he was grateful for the platform at the prestigious event, adding it was not an opportunity which musicians got every day.
Vino recalled the first time he performed at the festival as an overwhelming experience. “I stood there and I got so emotional,” he said.
Festival director Billy Domingo said the CTIJF, and the run-up to the twoday event, offered South Africans a chance to see all their favourite local and international musicians on one stage.
He said the free concert allowed about 14 500 people from different backgrounds to come together and see world class artists perform.
Domingo urged African artists not to stand back, but rather come forward and take up their place on the stage.
“When (African artists) shine (their) light is bright on that stage, it is to say: I am an African, welcome to my world,” he said.
Tickets for the festival are available at Computicket.