Artists and fans alike are gearing up for East Coast Radio Durban Day, presented by Durban Tourism, which is just over a week away. Eight bands will take to the stage at Moses Mabhida’s Peoples Park on Sunday 8 September. Gates open at 11h30 and the winners of East Coast Radio’s ‘Be the Band’ competition, the Kickstands, will welcome the crowds.
They’ll be followed by local lass Toya Delazy and then Zakes Bantwini who originally hails from Durban. He says he sees the event as an opportunity to, “Perform for people I grew up with and who come from places where I’ve walked and from the streets where I use to play as a child.” Mango Groove’s Claire Johnston says historically, quite a few of the band members are also from Durban. She says, “Some of our favourite concerts ever have been in Durban it also has a special place in our heart. It feels like coming home.”
East Coast Radio Durban Day showcases the best in talent from across the country and other acts include Prime Circle, Mi Casa, Lira and Goldfish. Electronic duo Goldfish will be the final act of the day. The band’s Dominic Peters says they’re really looking forward to it, “We love playing in Durban. The crowds are always up for anything and that energy is something we really feed off during our show. An energetic crowd co-creates the experience as much as we do.”
The event is an opportunity for families to enjoy great music in a laidback setting and concert goers can bring along their own picnic baskets with food or by from vendors on the day. No beverages will be allowed, these will be on sale. Other prohibited items include umbrellas and gazebos. Parking will be available at the Mustering Fields opposite the Kings Park swimming pool for R20 per vehicle.
Tickets are available from Computicket for R150 each. Children under the age of 12 enter for free. For more information visit www.ecr.co.za.
(Source - East Coast Radio)
UKZN Standard Bank Jazz Jol
(ILdo Nandja of Afro Latino)
The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music located at the University of KwaZulu-Natal will host the 25th Edition of the very popular Standard Bank Jazz Jol on Saturday, 31 August at 19:00pm with the likes of Cape Town resident Shane Cooper, Kesivan Naidoo, Africa Plus and Mozambican quartet Afro Latino to take the stage.
With the event having become a popular feature on the Durban calendar, this year’s event will feature the recipient of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award 2013, bassist Shane Cooper with the event having featured last year’s Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner Afrika Mkhize. Sharing the stage with Shane Cooper will be members of his band which consist of previous Standard Bank Young Artist winner Kevisan Naidoo on the drums, Reza Khota on the guitar and Justin Bellairs on the alto saxophone.
The young and exciting Durban based trio of Africa Plus consist of Prince Bulo on the bass, Sphelelo Mazibuko on the drums and Lungelo Ngcobo on the piano and keyboards. Their musical influence is drawn from rich traditional African elements with the base drawn from Western advanced harmonies. Formally trained at the University of KwaZulu-Natal this vibrant outfit full of rhythmic complexities and melodies that include mainly original music composed by the band are sure to entertain audiences.
The Mozambican quartet of Afro Latino will bring the night to a close and they consist of guitarist and vocalist Milton Chissano who provides the Latin grooves to the group, Ildo Nandja as percussionist and bassist, Alberto Chemane on the percussion and drums and lastly Njabulo Shabalala on the percussion.
Proceeds from the concert go towards the Ronnie Madonsela Scholarship which is a scholarship that assists disadvantaged jazz students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal with general support, financial aid, and bursaries. The scholarship also helps fund the travelling and accommodation costs for educational festivals such as the National Youth Jazz Festival held annually in Grahamstown along with workshops and conferences.
Tickets are R 100 (R 80 for pensioners and R 50 for students) there are early bird discounts of R 80 and group discounts for pensioners at R 75 for groups of ten. To book your tickets you can call Thulile Zama on (031) 260-3385 or e-mail her on Zamat1@ukzn.ac.za, tickets will also be available at the door on the night.
(Source - Standard Bank Jazz Jol and UKZN)