2011 Cape Town International Jazz Festival
This year will mark the twelfth annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival, an event that jazz lovers should not miss out on. Even those who are not completely sold on jazz attend this festival as it is known for its breathtaking line-ups, wonderful attractions and non-stop entertainment for both adults and children. This year the festival will be hosted at the Cape Town International Conventional Centre on the 25th and 26th of March 2011. Organizers have secured the presence of the international sensation Earth, Wind & Fire to headline the jazz festival.
Earth, Wind & Fire was established in 1969 and is also referred to as EWF. They have won numerous Grammy Awards and American Music Awards for their contribution to the music industry and have also been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Over and above performances by this legendary US band, the rest of the festival will be an exciting mixture of both local and international talents. Some of the local jazz artists to grace the stage includes Gazelle, the Lisa Bauer Quartet, Ivan Mazuze, Simphiwe Dana, The Flames and Dave Ledbetter and the Clearing. Other international stars gracing the stage will be Christian Scott, a trumpeter born in New Orleans, the Wayne Shorter Quartet, Dave Koz, Patricia Barber, Sandra Cordeiro,Hanjin Tan, Hubert Laws, Youssou N’Dour, Monique Bingham and Esperanza Spalding.
Each year the Cape Town International Jazz Festival creates approximately seven hundred temporary employment positions. Looking at last year’s festival, it is estimated that more than thirty thousand jazz lovers will attend the festival. The festival will also include a golf day, a free concert, music workshops, after parties where audience members can see their favorite bands perform at a more personal level, Gigs for Kids, master classes and even an arts journalism workshop. The 2011 Cape Town International Jazz Festival is a diverse musical event that brings the world of local and international talent together under one roof and offers South Africa a festival of sound and color like no other.
