Newsletter-2013-03

News Bulletin March 2013

Hailed as the prince of the saxophone, Andrew Young and his band of South African musicians will perform a combination of smooth jazz, funk and gospel at sunset in the Helderberg Nature Reserve on Saturday 9 March 2013 at 17:00.

Special guests in the show include EMI Recording Artist Selim Kagee and Pipe Major Tony Reis of the Cape Town Caledonian Pipe Band. Andrew is supported by band members Paul Williams on piano and keyboard, Robbie DuPont on bass and Basil DuPont on drums.

Born in Liverpool, England and now residing in Vienna, Austria, Young has performed across the globe to audiences as far afield as Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, China, Turkey and Tunisia.

A six-year stint in South Africa led to the formation of the five piece Jazz/Funk/Fusion Band, Let It Flow. Young’s 1994 debut album Soul People (BMG) topped the South African charts twice and was nominated five times for the South African Music Awards. He released seven more albums, including A Christmas Album in 1999, Live in Vienna in 2007 and In A Quiet Moment… in 2009.

Enjoy soulful sax from Andrew Young on 9 March 2013.

His influence on the South African music scene has been impressive. Young played with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra for six years and has also put his classical music training to good use with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, as well as others.

He has performed at various music festivals in South Africa, including the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Jazzathon, JPL Jazz Festival in Durban and the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

He has shared the stage with South African artists like Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Jonathan Butler, as well as international stars like Shakatak, Shirley Bassey, James Galway, Keith Washington, Dionne Warwick, Gino Vannelli and Pop/Jazz/Funk luminaries like Matt Bianco and Precious Wilson Band.

Gates open at 15:00 and the show runs from 17:00 to 19:30. Bring a picnic and some chairs or blankets and enjoy a great show in this lovely venue.

Tickets at R120 per person are available through Computicket or book directly using their booking widget at the side of this page. All proceeds will go towards environmental projects in the Reserve.

View Andrew Young’s music on youtube – also a performance by Selim Kagee.

For more information telephone 021 852 4060.

Newsletter-2013-02

What started as a dream and a fledgling band under the guidance of veteran musician and producer Alex Power just over 12 years ago, has evolved into the Jesse Jordan Band, a musical expression of note with three albums, four music videos and hundreds of live shows under its belt.

The band released its debut album, “Lately When She Cries” in 2000 through Universal Studios. The first single “Eastern Bridge” garnered widespread radio airplay and bagged them the winning slot for 1999’s “Shell Road To Fame” in the “Pop/Rock” category.

In the wake of this victory, the Jesse Jordan Band started playing the local Cape Town circuit and soon had a loyal following of fans, leading to nation-wide appearances at festivals, including KKNK, Woodstock 4 & 5 and Aardklop, amongst others.

The Jesse Jordan Band is all set to entertain you on Sunday, 24 February.

“Inconsistent Behaviour”, their second album, was released in 2004. Their hit single, “Not Here” climbed the playlists of notable radio stations such as 5FM, MFM and RSG and their follow-up single “There Goes My Mind”, was chosen by legendary DJ Barney Simon to be on the 5FM/SL Magazine’s “Unearthed” CD.

Not content with just radio,the band soon found itself courting national television and was featured on KYKNET and MNET’s “Dis Hoe Dit Is”, hosted by Steve Hofmeyer.

Their most recent album, titled “World Piece”, features 12 tracks of new and revamped hits and has made quite a name for itself. The first track – “Be with you” – went to number one on 5FM and the music video did extremely well on DSTV music channel Mk89.

With the acquisition of new members in late 2008, the Jesse Jordan Band is full of new energy and has been developing a new sound which is continuing to gain new fans for the talented members – Jesse Jordan (acoustic and vocals), Hein Schultz (guitar and backing vocals), Logan Scott (bass) and JP Crouch (drums).

The proceeds of the concerts are used to support conservation and environmental education projects at the Reserve. The tickets for the Summer Sunset Concerts cost R40 per adult and R10 for scholars and the price includes entrance to the Reserve. There is no admission fee for children under the age of five. Tickets are available at the Nature Reserve Information Centre or on concert days at the gate.

Take a rock ’n roll trip down memory lane with the six-piece local rock band, Early Edition, who will play at the Helderberg Nature Reserve in Somerset West on Sunday, 10 February 2013 at 17:30.

Playing hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s, Early Edition comprises Mike on drums, Al on bass, Des on lead guitar with Gavin on second lead, Rob on rhythm guitar and vocals and Clive on trumpet and percussion. All the band members do vocals and many of the songs performed feature multiple harmonies.

Early Edition on stage.

Early Edition has played at various venues in the Cape Town and Somerset West areas, as well as at many corporate, charity and fund-raising functions.

The proceeds of the concerts are used to support conservation and environmental education projects at the Reserve. The tickets for the Summer Sunset Concerts cost R40 per adult and R10 for scholars and the price includes entrance to the Reserve. There is no admission fee for children under the age of five. Tickets are available at the Nature Reserve Information Centre or on concert days at the gate.

Newsletter-2013-01

Bring your picnic and relax to the sound of jazz masters, Virtual Jazz Reality, at 17:30 on Sunday, 27 January 2013 at the Helderberg Nature Reserve in Somerset West.

Formed in 1993, Virtual Jazz Reality (VJR) comprises some of the most respected, versatile and experienced artists on the South African music scene. Collectively and/or individually, they have performed throughout Africa, the United Kingdom, America (New Orleans and New York), Far East, UAE (Dubai), Australia, Sweden, Denmark and elsewhere in Europe.

The band’s jazz repertoire includes over 100 original compositions (some of which have reached the top of the jazz charts) and all the popular jazz standards.

Virtual Jazz Reality perform in the Reserve

The band has done numerous television and radio specials and has worked with artists such as Pavarotti, Jonathan Butler, Shirley Bassey, Liberace, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Bono, Anastasia, Shakatak, Latoya Jackson, Judith Sephuma (a former member of VJR) and Jimmy Dludlu.

Comprising Ian Smith (trumpet, flugelhorn, and vocals), Andrew Ford (keyboards, drums and bass), Sammy Webber (bass and vocals) and Frank Paco (drums and vocals), VJR have impressive individual pedigrees as band leaders, studio musicians, music educators and performers.

Having played with numerous ensembles of his own creation including Concert Boulevard, Pound Seats, MJ-9, The Tony Schilder Quartet, Airborne and Inside Out, Ian Smith is one of the most sought after studio musicians. His prowess as a trumpet player has also earned him a place as a soloist for the UCT Big Band and for the CAPAB and CTSO orchestras. He was also one of the influential figures, along with Prof Mike Campbell, in the formation of the Cape Jazz Orchestra.

Andrew Ford has studied piano and percussion – both classical and jazz – for the past sixteen years and in 1980 began performing with the Richmond-Upon-Thames Youth Band in London. Despite having performed extensively with his own trios and groups (Inside Out), as well as being a regular with the CAPAB, CTSO and Cape Jazz Orchestra, his talents as a producer are extensive. His appointment as musical director for B&S Studios while at the same time running his own successful recording studio, the ‘Nuthouse’, bears tribute to this fact.

Sammy Webber has been playing bass from the age of 17 and started playing in his first band at the age of only 19. Since then he has played with the successful duo U-Turn with Tony Paulse and is also the bass player for Inside Out and MJ-9. He is increasingly in demand as a session musician and is considered a vital contributor by the members of VJR.

Self-taught musician, Frank Paco, started playing drums at the age of 16 whilst living in Mozambique. He has performed with Zairian-born French singing sensation Papa Wemba, South African renowned vocalist Miriam Makeba and has toured with Afrojazz band Sakhile. More recently he featured on the FNB and Gold album by Jimmy Dludlu, “Echoes From The Past,

The proceeds of the concerts are used to support conservation and environmental education projects at the Reserve. The tickets for the Summer Sunset Concerts cost R40 per adult and R10 for scholars and the price includes entrance to the Reserve. There is no admission fee for children under the age of five. Tickets are available at the Nature Reserve Information Centre or on concert days at the gate.

Newsletter-2012-12

The popular local group, Shiraz, performing in the Reserve.

Three members of Shiraz might be better remembered as the chart-topping family group from the UK, The Dooleys. Anne and Rob Walsh and Helen Dooley were members of the original Dooleys who came to South Africa in 1982. Here Terry Weyer teamed up with them and soon their combined talents were winning awards for musicals.

Helen is on keyboards, Terry on lead/rhythm guitar and Rob on bass guitar. Lead vocals usually falls to Anne, but all four members contribute giving Shiraz a varied repertoire of popular music from the 60’s to the present. They will be joined on stage by some talented friends and family from the UK, eight cast members from their ‘60s style musical “A Slice of Saturday Night” and a drummer.

The proceeds of the concerts are used to support conservation and environmental education projects at the Reserve. The tickets for the Summer Sunset Concerts cost R40 per adult and R10 for scholars and the price includes entrance to the Reserve. There is no admission fee for children under the age of five. Tickets are available at the Nature Reserve Information Centre or on concert days at the gate.