Guitarist Allou April will perform with a collective of some of the best guitar players in Cape Town including Cameron Ward , Timothy Ehrenreich and Mark Williams . The project, called the Guitar Cartel, is the brainchild of Cameron Ward who has recently returned to Cape Town after his 10-year stint with Hugh Masekela.
The Cape Town Jazzathon will take place from Friday June 17 to Sunday June 19 at GrandWest’s Grand Arena.
Performances will include collaborations by some of South Africa’s finest jazz musicians on Friday and Saturday, while Sunday’s show is dedicated to gospel music.
This year’s Jazzathon event will introduce some big changes in celebration of its 25th anniversary. “While the format had to undergo dramatic changes in order for the event to survive the new normal, another notable change is the venue,” says festival director Craig Parks.
“There have been too many requests from fans of the festival to ‘take it up a notch’, so we had to take a long, hard look at the way forward. I think we will be ready to unveil the new evolution of Jazzathon soon,” says Parks.
“Most importantly, we need fans of the festival to understand that without their support, the festival would not be able to exist.”
This is the first time that there will be an entry fee at Jazzathon. Tickets cost between R100 and R155 a day. Organisers have added a special matinee segment on Saturday, where tickets will range from R75 to R130. All tickets are pre-sold and will only be available via TicketMaster.
Proceeds from the event will go towards various music programmes and initiatives as a way of supporting young, local musicians and is aligned with the festival’s aim to encourage and uplift the youth. Tickets bought before Saturday April 30 will qualify for early bird specials.
There will be a programme of events leading up to, and after, the festival, which include workshops, satellite performances, and online showcases of various events that have taken place over the past year.
Search for @Jazzathon on Facebook, @capetownjazzathon on Instagram and @JazzathonTV on YouTube. Visit www.jazzathon.co.za for more information.