Music is one of a country’s uniquely distinctive features and nowhere in South Africa is the jazz industry’s vivacious cultural and lifestyle influence and ethnic energy more evident than in the Newtown Precinct. The Newtown Precinct in recent years has therefore become a cultural hub in South Africa and a tourist hotspot.
That explains why soon and pretty soon… it is going to be that time of the year when Johannesburg jives, bops and boogies to the smooth sounds of live jazz. Like it is expected again this year, last August, the Joy of Jazz Festival took the centre stage from its headquarters in the Newtown Precinct.
Last year, it was four days of sexy creativity, excitement, self expression and warmth which drew thousands of jazz lovers both from Johannesburg and from further afield. Not a few people flocked to the Joy of Jazz Festival from all over South Africa and other neighbouring countries such as Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique and even from African countries further away like Nigeria, Kenya and Angola. They all came to Jo’burg to celebrate Jazz.
And for music buffs, especially jazz connoisseurs who made the pilgrimage once, it’s almost certain they will return this year, with Joy of Jazz already spinning into a somewhat annual ritual.
Beat this, since the debut of the first edition about eight years ago, Jazz lovers from all over the world, as a matter of routine, now come to worship at the feet of jazz legends… or legends in the making and one such legend was Tu Nokwe who featured brilliantly last year. Tu Nokwe has the DNA of one of South Africa’s greatest musical families. She released her debut album, Inyakanyaka in 1996. Her distinctive style combines New Age African, spiritual, and Afro-jazz funk. Tu is a well-travelled performer and has delighted audiences around the world with her fabulous live shows one of which LEADERSHIP SUNDAY watched live in Jo’burg last year.
While she is well-travelled, Tu still has two favourite places in the city of gold; the Newtown Precinct and the Greenside coffee society in this charming village in the north of Johannesburg.
Major attractions include the Museum Africa and the Market Theater. However, Jazz lovers can stop by Horror Cafe (music and street poetry), Songwriter’s Club, Carfax and the Bassline. “My favourite spot is Sophiatown in Newtown, especially on Saturday nights to mingle with different kinds of people, watch and listen to local quality music by young bands,” says Tu.
Greenside is one of Jo’burg’s favourite weekend destinations, with streets lined with some of the city’s best eateries.? The area is renowned for its lifestyle and décor shopping and is one of the best places to spend an early-spring Johannesburg afternoon. The streets are best explored on foot and over a few hours; exploring every store and stopping for pavement-side refreshments and snacks along the way.
LEADERSHIP SUNDAY asked Tu what inspires her music about Jo’burg, she responded, “The way jazz is loosely interpreted allows freedom of musical expression, simplicity, confidence and creative license to experiment with the blend of different genres.”
LEADERSHIP SUNDAY gathered that many of South Africa’s great Jazz musicians have performed and found fame in Newtown. The Joy of Jazz 2011 for instance brought South Africa’s great musicians back to Newtown and they performed in seven venues last year -? Conga Stage which is the brand new main stage featuring upbeat jazz and world music, Dinaledi stage, Mbira Stage, Bassline, Sophiatown, Shikisha and Nikki’s Oasis.
Another Jazz legend who was the cynosure of all eyes was Simphiwe Dana, an award?winning singer whose albums have triumphed on both the local and international music charts. Her music has continued to captivate and capture the hearts of her admirers and fans. Her third album, released in 2010; Kulture Noir ? has been receiving praise from all over the world.
Simphiwe’s favourite spot in Johannesburg is Emmarentia and in particular, the Botanic Gardens. The beautiful vast green surroundings are popular with picnickers, cyclists and runners. On weekends, the sloped grass embankments are filled with those taking part in picnics or braais. Emmarentia Dam (adjacent to the Botanic Gardens) is another great spot to enjoy canoeing, sailing and wind surfing.
Simphiwe told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY at the event that she was deeply inspired by the people of Johannesburg. “This is a very cosmopolitan city. Parts of Johannesburg are deeply, and deliciously, African. And parts of it are very European. The mix of cultures, styles, languages, forms of expression is a pressure cooker for creativity. I love this city.”
Like it had been since the beginning, the South African Tourism once again supported the Jo’burg Joy of Jazz last year, with a determined bid to promote the country as a lifestyle destination to its overseas and in particular African markets.
“We at South African Tourism are excited to support the 2011 Standard Bank Joy of Jazz and it will serve as a platform for South Africa to showcase Johannesburg as a music capital and South Africans as warm and welcoming people. Music is such an integral part of our culture and who we are and we are pleased to share our diversity, creativity and heritage with the rest of the world,” Sugen Pillay, Global Manager: Events at South African Tourism told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY.
Pillay further explained that the Joy of Jazz also presented an opportunity for South Africa to showcase its Arts and Culture and Africa’s greatest and most cosmopolitan city.
The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Jo’burg Festival took place from August 24 to 27 and it paraded musicians like the legendary American jazz great, Wynton Marsails as well as Dee Dee Bridgewater and McCoy Tyner. There were also South African greats, Hugh Masekela and Sibongile Khumalo and other African music acts like Nigeria’s Olufemi, Angola’s Bonga and Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi.
And as the days keep rolling by for 2012 Edition of Joy of Jazz Festival, the question already being asked by the teeming millions of Jazz buffs the world over, especially from the African continent is, what do we expect from S.A Tourism this year?