Jazz is back in its usual home at the DSG Music Hall. The young jazz stars of the National Youth Jazz Festival again join local and international musicians at the National Jazz Festival to learn, collaborate and share through daily shows and late jams. JOY HINYIKIWILE caught up with festival director Alan Webster. Cue: Tell us about the history of the National Youth Jazz Festival. Alan Webster: The National Youth Jazz Festival began in 1992, although the Jazz Festival in Makhanda, which was then Grahamstown, began in 1989 as a spinoff of the [Cape Town International] Jazz Festival. In 2004,…
Author: Rod Amner
By CHESLEY DANIELS Veteran Nico Kock produced a Man of the Match performance as Rosebuds United and Klipfontein United played to a titanic 20-20 draw in their second-round EPRU Sedru Regional League fixture at the Alicedale Sports Ground on Saturday afternoon. The home side was narrowly ahead by 7-5 at the break. The draw saw Klipfontein moving down to third position with OC moving up to second after receiving soft points against Wanderers. A decent crowd were present on a beautiful day for rugby and were not disappointed by the two teams. Both teams started scrappily and made too many…
By CHESLEY DANIELS St Mark’s Alicedale extended their lead at the top of the EPRU Sedru Regional Log after an impressive 24-6 away win against host Kowie United. The second round fixture was played at the Station Hill Sports Ground in Port Alfred over the weekend. The visitors also took a narrow 10-6 lead at halftime. The win puts St Mark’s seven points clear of second place Old Collegians (OC) on the overall log standings. Kowie moved one place down from third position to fourth. This second-round encounter was billed as a revenge match for Kowie after losing their first-round…
CIRCUS: Urban circusReview by JENNA KRETZMANN A love letter to the thrilling acrobatics of big city life. A rebellion against corporate culture. A circus without animal exploitation, just the feats of the human body. A nail-biting, wheel-spinning, fantastical escapade from small town to the city; this is Urban Circus. As the Monument’s grand Guy Butler Auditorium hummed with a full house and Pharrell William’s catchy Freedom bounced through the opening act, performers from Jozi circus company, Cirk set up the energy to come. Under the direction of Daniel Buckland, who toured with the famed Cirque de Soleil, this contemporary circus…
MUSIC: Kaecy’s AutumnReview by CASEY LUDICK The lead guitarist is riffing, making those strings wail. But hang on, this is supposed to be slam poetry. What’s going on here? Kaecy’s Autumn is a performance based on a poem by singer Kgothatso “KAECY” Sethole, in which he bares his soul, addressing his own experience of love and rejection, with the performance meant to “ignite the vulnerability of the audience”, according to the programme. However, many who had shelled out for tickets were not ready to get vulnerable. They fled, leaving the National Arts Festival technicians to lead the scattering of applause between…
FAMILY THEATRE: Betti and the YetiReview by JENNA KRETZMANN Renowned Eastern Cape theatre company, UBOM! (also known as Heart Beat Theatre) is at it again with their latest children’s theatre production of Betti & the Yeti. Filled with song, dance, interactivity, colour, laughter, and poignant themes, this is a show that both young and old will enjoy. The fantastical story follows the life of young Betiswa (Betti), a resident of the hilly Village of Silver Trees. Her town is known for its beautiful woodlands, cheerful spirit, and happy inhabitants. When the trees start to die, the townspeople turn nasty, and…
COMEDY: I’m not angry – I swear!Review by Mzwandile Mamaila Trevor Noah set the mood for the local comedy scene by using humour to spark conversations about politics and race. Many comedians have followed suit, using satire to comment on the state of post-Apartheid South Africa. Comics Choice Awards nominee Emilio Tobias shares his hometown debacles in a standup comedy show titled: I’m Not Angry – I Swear! Born and raised in Eldorado Park, Tobias confidently takes over the stage as a proud coloured man from Eldos. He takes time to commemorate the late Nathaniel Julies, a victim of police…
ARTIST WALKABOUT: We are sky’s things Review by CASEY LUDICK When art is lacklustre, it’s easy to pinpoint why. But when something is good, it’s hard to identify why this is so. The latter was not the case for the photographic exhibition; We are Sky’s Things. It was straightforward. Perhaps too much so. So, let’s play a game first, shall we? We’ll name a few things and then say the word we associate with that thing. I’ll start with these: Pizza – AmazingBeyonce – BeychellaMakhanda – DroughtMath – BoringNorth America – Shitshow South Africa – LoadsheddingWe Are Sky’s Things, the photographic…
JAZZ: Mthunzi Mvubu QuartetReview by MZWANDILE MAMAILA From the time in the 20th Century when the late Hugh Masekela reigned supreme to the present, jazz has played a huge role in telling South African stories. Mthunzi Mvubu reinvigorates the beauty of jazz for the new-schoolers with a lively modern sound. It turns out that I share the same hometown with Mvubu, so I make my way up to the DSG hall to learn how a 34-year-old man from Ekurhuleni has succeeded in playing jazz for the past 20 years. We were schooled in hip hop and house music. A renowned…
By SAM VAN HEERDEN Two years ago, artists and performers left the stage as the pandemic turned the arts world on its head. The absence of theatre, dance, exhibitions, and live music left a gaping hole in our lives and artists were challenged in ways never experienced before. The National Arts Festival (NAF) entered unchartered territory as it moved online. But this year, the Festival is back in-person and with it the powerful experience of sitting in a darkened room and being immersed in distant worlds and sounds, encountering the uncomfortable, and sharing these memorable moments with strangers. We spoke…