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With a line up of
over 30 International jazz artists and home-grown talent, the 2010
annual Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival kicked off on a high note in
the Newtown Precinct of Johannesburg, South Africa on August 26 and ran
for three days, closing on August 28.

The entry fees
ranging from 330 to 500 South African Rands, and the chilly winter
wind, were not enough to stop Jazz enthusiasts from catching a glimpse
of their favourite musicians. There were also a range of other musical
styles, from Soul to R’n’B and traditional West African rhythms – but
all from a Jazz perspective.

The event opened at
the Dinaledi stage with the Gauteng Jazz Orchestra, Auriol Hays
followed by up and coming R’n’B singer, Brian Temba. Rahsaan Patterson
closed off with a stellar performance, showing off his outstanding
vocal abilities on his own songs and a few surprise covers.

A surprisingly
large number of young people in attendance on the opening night were at
home with the vibes from the Gauteng Jazz Orchestra. South African
homeboy Brian Temba, got the ladies screaming at the top of their
voices with his good looks, sex appeal and rich R’n’B/Soul sound.
American Soul singer, Rahsaan Patterson – who got the house singing
along with him when he performed a cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Human
Nature’ and Sade’s ‘Stronger Than Pride’ – also got much love from the
crowd.

Enter the Legends

After that
well-received opening, the second night consisted of performances on
four stages by the likes of sultry Jazz diva Lalah Hathaway; Wassoulou
queen, Oumou Sangare; Kim Waters, Four Play, Poncho Sanchez and Ravi
Coltrane. They all graced the different stages simultaneously, thus
making it easy for fans of the respective artistes to attend separate
concerts.

Many headed towards
the Mbira stage where the Malian songstress Sangare, clad in a long,
cream coloured skirt in the Malian style, was holding sway. Before
stepping out on stage her drummers, back-up singers and dancers warmed
things up for the fired-up audience.

Although she
performed at the Mbira Stage, which had no sitting arrangements, as
guests had to either stand or sit on the lush red carpet which covered
the entire indoor location, it did not in any way stop the fun. And the
Malian deservedly emerged as the star attraction of the night as well
as the following night. One advantage provided by the lack of seats at
the Mbira stage was that it gave guests, who were predominantly
Caucasians, ample opportunity to express themselves through dancing,
thus savouring every minute of the evening.

The 42-year-old
Sangare stole the show on the night. Her vibrant and energetic dancers
also added colour to the event. She also introduced the audience to
tracks of her recently released fifth album, “Seya” which dwells on
issues concerning marriage, forced love and women emancipation.

Singing her
signature Wassoulou music, the ecstatic crowd was excited to see the
French and Bambara speaker take pains to explain the themes of some of
her songs in halting English, even in the absence of an interpreter.
Music is a universal language, they say, and Sangare’s fans didn’t seem
to mind.

As the night drew
to a close, the guests, unsurprisingly, refused to go home and the
delighted singer could not help but show appreciation for her devoted
fans by rendering more of her hit songs.

Outside the main
stage venue, songs by the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti could be heard
drifting from not too far away – from the free-entry gigs at Sophiatown
and Nikki’s Oasis venues, where upcoming acts like Quiet Storm and
Pebbles held sway.

Japanese Jazz, Irish folklore

Some in the
audience confessed to not having heard about Japanese Jazz musician
Sadao Wantanabe until this year’s festival. But they would not forget
him after seeing his performance. Wantanabe, a 72-year-old saxophonist
and flutist, instantly struck a chord with the audience. As with
Sangare, the septugenarian also performed at the Mbira Stage, where he
left the audience enthralled by his dexterity. His rendition of the
popular traditional South African folk song, “Shosholoza” got the crowd
screaming for more. From the beginning to the end, Wantanabe’s festival
appearance was filled with surprises.

With his
instrument, Johannesburg based flutist, Wouter Kellerman, turned on the
heat with his uncanny ability to fuse classical and contemporary
sounds. Kellerman, who perfomed at the closing ceremony of the 2010
FIFA World Cup, experimented with different music genres during his
set, from Irish folklore to classical songs.

Climax

If the opening two
nights of the festival were eventful, the last day was action-packed.
It was announced over the radio that tickets were sold-out, but this
was not in the least a surprise, as the line-up was star-studded.

On parade were
South African pianist Kyle Shepherd, who opened the Bassline stage with
her unique African-inspired jazz, as well as her countryman, vocalist
Nhlanhla Nciza, who was recording a live video at the Market Theatre.

Hathaway and
Patterson even got to share a stage and performed to a full house whose
mood was not in the least dampened by a series of technical hitches,
perhaps not uncommon for a live show of such magnitude. What was
however unusual, at least by South African standards, was the sudden
blackout that occurred midway through Ravi Coltrane’s performance. The
audience however responded by bringing out their cell phones and
cigarette lighters to illuminate the venue, while screaming for more.
The blackout was temporary, and the show did go on.

In the end, the 2010 Joy of Jazz Festival lived up to its billing;
even though the rest of the African continent was not well represented,
save for the Malian Sangare and a handful of South African acts. One of
the organisers, Peter Tladi, however disclosed to NEXT that plans are
underway to ensure that the continent is better represented next year,
with a view to making the Standard Joy of Jazz Festival a truly African
event.