Women of the World, Skyjack and Giuliette Price are now on the upcoming Journey to Jazz bill (J2J 2004) – the gig takes place in Prince Albert in the Karoo.
The showcase will run from 1 to 5 May, 2024. This second annual Journey to Jazz festival event is certainly shaping up to be a great gig, with several new artists added to the solid lineup announced last month.
New acts on the bill
Much loved South African jazz vocalist, pianist, and composer, Thandi Ntuli, will present a Swiss/SA collab band titled A Million O Clock. This is a special ensemble comprising some of the artists she met whilst on her studio residency in Switzerland in 2019.
Much like the Art Ensemble project, which she recorded at the Jazzwerkstaat Bern festival, Ntuli and her Swiss band member Benedikt Reising, will be putting together a set of compositions and arrangements curated exclusively for the Journey to Jazz programme.
Women of the World is an exciting unity of voices and part of the Berklee Indian Ensemble that was founded by bandleader Annette Phillip in 2011. “There is a unique power when musicians from different cultural and musical backgrounds make art together with vulnerability and openness in a space that celebrates their similarities and differences,” says Philip.
“The music that gets created in this space comes across viscerally and allows a song in a foreign language to feel completely relatable because of the human connection, making you want to be part of it.” The ensemble for Journey to Jazz comprises: Ayumi Ueda (Japan), Annette Philip (India), Stacy Rene Erenberg (USA) and Heiraza (Turkey) with, Hinako Sato (Japan) on piano and keyboard.
Skyjack will be debuting in South Africa, airing their new release titled Light Cycle. According to the album’s description, Light Cycle is a multidimensional creature with a big heart and a powerful imagination. Part science fiction adventure, part sentimental journey, it aims to reconcile expansive cosmic soundscapes with a solid grounding in memory and folklore.
The quintet comprises Marc Stucki (saxophone), Andreas Tschopp (Trombone, Kudu Horn), Kyle Shepherd (piano), Shane Cooper (double bass) and Jonno Sweetman on drums.
In keeping with the festival’s ideal of grooming young talent, the Artistic Director’s choice for 2024, Kyle Shepherd, has selected vocalist and songwriter, Giuliette Price to perform at this year’s Journey to Jazz. Price, who was part of last year’s UCT Little Big Band who played at the inaugural festival, returns to Prince Albert as a bandleader in her own right.
Price will invite festival goers to “an evening of brutal honesty, and original music exploring her musical navigation around life, relationships, love, lust, and heartbreak.” Her music is jazzy and soulful with a touch of “sad boy-bedroom pop”.
Read Weekend Special’s interview with vocalist Guilette Price here.
Other artists at the 2024 J2J
Afrika Mkhize Quartet (SA)
Adam Zanolini’s Heliacal Rising of Sothis (US)
Cameron Ward (SA)
Darren English Quartet (SA and US)
Giovanni Guidi Trio (Italy/US)
UCT Little Big Band (SA)
The Karoo Jazz Project – Directed by Ramon Alexander (SA)
Jonathan Rubain en die Koortjies Band (SA)
Festivalgoers can also indulge in supplementary activities such as sunrise yoga, guided walks in the Swartberg pass and Wolwekrans and ghost walk.
For Prince Albert accommodation see www.princealbert.org.za
What: Journey to Jazz 2024
Where: Multi-venues throughout Prince Albert, Karoo, Western Cape
When: Prince Albert from 1 to 5 May 2024
Journey to Jazz tickets: Quicket
Prices: From R100 per person per single performance, to day passes at R610 (Friday) and R830 (Saturday), Weekend Passes R1430
WS
