CTIJF Free Community Concert’s line-up to Jazz up the city

Cape Town, 09 March 2017 – Greenmarket Square will come alive to the sounds of the very best Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) artists at 17h00 on Wednesday 29^th March 2017. The annual Free Community Concert, set in the heart of Cape Town, is a free event that welcomes music fans from near and far to enjoy an incredible showcase of performing artists from this year’s CTIJF line-up.

This year, the festival has curated an outstanding line-up to entertain and unite Cape Town’s public, featuring the “real funky divas” RnB sensation En Vogue (USA), local afro-pop heroes Mango Groove (SA), SAMA-winning reedman Moreira Chonguiça (MOZ), 2017 espYoungLegends winner VuDu (SA), SACTWU talent winner Danielle Jacobs (SA) and the CTIJF Sustainable Training & Development All Star Band.

Crowds will gather to dance, sing and reminisce to the headline performance by RnB group En Vogue, who will transport fans back to the 90’s with their soulful, up-tempo hits, and give them a taste of what the “real funky divas” have been working on with their upcoming album Electric Café.  

Fan favourites Mango Groove, with the soaring vocals of Claire Johnston, and the classic African pennywhistle that forms their big band ‘Marabi-Pop’ sound, will get the Greenmarket Square audience moving to their uniquely infectious groove, with their classic hits and exciting on-stage presence. 

For real jazz fans, the adventurous musical identity of Matol-born, SAMA-winning reedman, composer, producer and ethnomusicologist Moreira Chonguiça will captivate Cape Town.  Playing many styles from places such as Mozambique, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Congo in a mixture of different genres with a bit of hip hop, funk, and contemporary, Moreira lets his ancestors talk through him to connect with everyone willing to hear.  

“Because the CTIJF is firmly rooted in sustaining the future of the music industry in South Africa, and promoting the arts and culture movement, we have included the brilliantly talented VuDu, winner of the second annual espYoungLegends competition, in the line-up for this year’s Free Community Concert, as well as a young band and a fledgling solo performer, all of whom will entertain and give us a glimpse as to what audiences can expect in the future of South African music,” said CTIJF Festival Director, Billy Domingo.

VuDu will certainly live up to Domingo’s expectations and that of the crowds. The nu-jazz collective from Port Elizabeth, was formed to play straight-ahead jazz standards but has evolved into an outfit specialising in the fusion of traditional and African jazz with urban contemporary genres.

The young performer who will take the stage for her first live concert, is Danielle Jacobs the winner of the annual Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union’s talent competition, while the band to round off the line-up, is the carefully selected group of young performers from the CTIJF Sustainable Training & Development Music and Career workshops, dubbed the All Star Band.

Sponsors of the 18^th Cape Town International Jazz Festival Free Community Concert include: Department of Arts and Culture, Independent Media, National Lottery, South Atlantic Arts & Culture Trust, City of Cape Town, Coca Cola, Cape Town Central Improvement District.

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For further information and media enquiries, please contact:

Nomsa Mdhuli:  Nomsa@networxpr.co.za

Or

Kaz Henderson: Kaz@networxpr.co.za

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About The Cape Town International Jazz Festival

The Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) is the flagship event for the leading events management and production company espAfrika, which has staged and produced several world-renowned events. Affectionately referred to as “Africa’s Grandest Gathering”, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival is the largest music event in sub-Saharan Africa. The Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF), now preparing for its 17th year, is an annual event. It is famous for delivering a star-studded line up featuring international and local artists in the jazz and jazz-related genres. This proudly South African event is hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) each year on the last weekend of March or the first weekend of April. The festival boasts multiple stages with over forty artists performing over two nights. The festival hosts an excess of 37, 000 music lovers over the two show days and is combined with the CTIJF Sustainable Training & Development programme that aims to uplift and educate the youth. http://www.capetownjazzfest.com/

About espAfrika

espAfrika is a global leader in creating and producing unique entertaining experiences. With nearly twenty years in the industry, the company has grown into one of the most highly-awarded event management and production organisations in South Africa. espAfrika thrives on realising clients’ ideas and creating exceptional concepts that are relevant and engaging to today’s audiences. espAfrika owns and manages annual events such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival which attracts festinos from around the world. espAfrika is a proud subsidiary of African Equity Empowerment Investments (AEEI)

www.espafrika.com