Cape Town - This year 37 000 people are expected to attend the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, with the Western Cape economy getting an expected injection of over R700 million from the event.
The festivities start with a free concert on March 29 in Greenmarket Square, an event which serves as an appetiser for the two-day extravaganza on Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1.
The festival will feature a mix of 40 local and international artists on five stages and caters for all musical tastes.
Acclaimed local and international artists will include Cape Town trombonist Jonas Mosa Gwangwa, Indian classical vocalist/violinist Deepak Pandit, popular Afro-funk, jazz and gospel singer Judith
Sephuma, Sama award-winning trumpeter/composer Marcus Wyatt and US all-female R&B group En Vogue.
With them will be Sama and Kora award-winning guitarist Ernie Smith, US jazz singer Gretchen Parlato, SA trumpeter Darren English, Argentinian jazz and tango group Escalan Drum and the US contemporary jazz, funk and soul trio of saxophonist Everette Harp, keyboardist Jeff Lorber and guitarist Paul Jackson.
Additional jazz festival features include a photographic exhibition capturing the essence of Jazz in Action and its emergence and growth globally.
There will also be a golf day at Westlake Golf Club and a Fashion and all that Jazz gala dinner.
The festival attracted visitors from Africa, the US, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, said Kaz Henderson, spokesperson for the company linked to the promotion of the event.
The MEC responsible for tourism, economic development and agriculture, Alan Winde, said: “The Western Cape is a world-class and versatile events destination.”
Henderson said the jazz festival had a strong, sustainable training and development programme that offered free master-classes where performing artists shared their knowledge and experience with students and other professionals.