US jazz saxophonist
FRIDAY
Kamasi Washington
I first came across Kamasi Washington when searching online for variations of Clair de Lune, this after Dope St Jude did a crazy beautiful hip-hop cover and got me hooked on Claude Debussy. Washington scored the string arrangements and played sax on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, the tour de force about black identity that won five Grammy awards.
Washington’s masterwork, The Epic, is exactly that — who makes three-hour records in this day and age? — and has been described as a “generational intervention” because of its appeal to crossover audiences that are new to jazz. He is bebop, modal jazz, fusion and classical all in one, but he also tours with Snoop Dogg and puts albums out on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint.
An interviewer once said to him that, to the average person who doesn’t know much about jazz, “it seems like a genre for the restless: there are millions of permutations you can explore”. To which he replied: “Yeah, but after a certain point you get used to the million permutations, and you want 10-million permutations.” I’m looking forward to seeing him perform all of them.
Taylor McFerrin and Marcus Gilmore
Taylor McFerrin is the son of jazz vocalist and conductor Bobby McFerrin. Just let that sink in for a minute. The man has won 10 Grammy awards, so it’s little surprise his son turned out to be a musical magician. Marcus Gilmore is the grandson of iconic drummer Roy Haynes, one of the most recorded drummers in jazz. As an instrument drums — the trap set — are pretty new, like 100 years old. So these guys aren’t only par excellence in their own right, they’re descendants of jazz pioneer royalty. Decisions is a good teaser if you want to see what they’re about. Also, they are both cah-yoooot!
Jonas Gwangwa
Seasoned jazz trombonist and award-winning composer Jonas Gwangwa is a grootman in South African jazz history. He was part of the 1965 Sound of Africa concert at Carnegie Hall that included Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Letta Mbulu. During his 30 years in exile, he remained a vocal opponent of apartheid as the composer and artistic director of the Amandla Cultural Ensemble.
Deepak Pandit, Marcus Wyatt and Ranjit Barot
One of the most sought-after violinists today, Deepak Pandit composes for films and is known to be a master of Indian classical music, which he strives to make more accessible to younger audiences. Also from India, Ranjit Baron has been described by guitar legend John McLaughlin as “one of the leading edges in drumming”. Marcus Wyatt is a trumpet player and composer from Port Elizabeth, with a reputation for being one of the most versatile and in-demand trumpet players in the country. He seems adept at hosting conversations between South African jazz traditions and a more international resonance.
Tom Misch
Imagine lying on the grass with your eyes closed, daydreaming and drifting on cool vocals, catchy hooks and easy beats. Tom Misch’s instrumental and vocal tracks are going to lull and subdue you — be careful you aren’t hypnotised without noticing.
SATURDAY
Judith Sephuma
This a no-brainer, but I see the name Judith Sephuma and immediately think A Cry, a Smile, a Dance, and get excited because that is literally the best of life and I want to see it live.
Andra Day
In 2010, Stevie Wonder’s then-wife, Kai Millard, noticed Andra Day performing at a strip mall and brought her to the attention of her husband. She also caught the attention of Spike Lee while performing at the Sundance Film Festival and he volunteered to direct a music video for her. Don’t be fooled by her doeks and vintage furs, this woman is known for her modern mashups, including one that patched together Big Poppa and Let’s Get It On. Her debut album Cheers to the Fall featured contributions from Raphael Saadiq and ?uestlove. Listen to Only Love and feel comforted that even though Amy Winehouse isn’t around anymore, there are other songstresses with that delicious tomcat yowl.
Nomfundo Xaluva
I watched Nomfundo Xaluva perform Themba Lam on the Expresso breakfast show and it made me want to go to church. She took home the Metro award for best urban jazz album in 2016 and 2014. This is no ordinary musician. Her voice and talent as a pianist are backed up by a master’s degree in jazz studies and she has performed with legends such as Sibongile Khumalo in a tribute show to Miriam Makeba, who was also the subject of her master’s dissertation. I can think of nothing better than a live lecture in jazz.
The Internet
If you don’t know this group, then let me put it this way: it’s music for millennials, which means it’s all about love and heartache with pleasingly off-kilter melodies that resonate with the weed-smoking aesthetic that seems to be what “alternative R&B” is all about. The thing is, Alt-R&B accolades seem to be falling at the feet of the offbeat boys club, so it’s a big deal that frontwoman Syd tha Kyd is getting the band Grammy nods. The instrumentation is so cost-effective it’s as though there’s just enough room in the budget alongside the clean and crisp sounds for her writing and singing to hold hands with the hybrid of hip-hop, jazz, funk and rock for which the band is known. Unfortunately, they have a reputation for bad live performances. I imagine it’s because they’re music geeks who want to get high, make music and talk about girls. Though I definitely do not begrudge them that, I am hopeful that they will deliver the goods.
Laura Mvula
Laura Mvula sounds like herself. There is no precedent for her voice or her combination of classical training and orchestral pop. But she’s often compared with neo-soul artists such as Amy Winehouse and Jill Scott. Pitchfork says: “Mvula shares considerable DNA with Nina Simone, most obviously in her unyielding charisma, her musical virtuosity and her profoundly central blackness.” Goodness gracious. If that isn’t convincing enough, check out Overcome.
Dope Saint Jude
As a brief disclaimer, I am a bit biased because this is my bestie. But this closeness informs my insights. I DJed for her when she performed at the Les Escales music festival in France last year, so I had a brilliant view of the crowd of thousands. They oscillated between open-mouthed wonder and raptured jiving. You would have thought these mostly rural Frenchmen also came from the Cape Flats.
Many hip-hop reviewers (read: male and mediocre) have said her debut EP, Reimagine, is too “experimental” and “more art than hip-hop”, but that is clearly what got her a prime spot performing at one of the biggest music festivals in the world. It is also important to note that she is not musically trained, produces all her music herself and has only been doing this for about three years.
It will be Dope Saint Jude’s first time performing with a live and established orchestra. I have visions of Kanye West’s Live Orchestration recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Listen on SoundCloud (my favourites are Clair de Lune and Outro) and trust me when I say she is going to be the breakout performer of the festival.
The Cape Town International Jazz Festival takes place on Friday March 31 and Saturday April 1. For more information, go to capetownjazzfest.com.