dyton mupawaenda
Arts Reporter
Organisers of the Zimbabwe Jazz Festival which begins today and ends on the weekend have said this year’s edition will be staged in two cities –Harare and Bulawayo.
Hosted by the Zimbabwe Jazz Community Trust (ZJCT) and the Alliance Francaise, the festival kicks off in Bulawayo tonight, with a free show at AllianceFrançaise de Bulawayo.
The line-up includes Ngoma iNgoma, George Phahlane, Mahlaba, and from Harare there is Josh Meck.
In Harare, the event offers a solid eight hours of great music with eight great acts such as Max Vidima, Victor Kunonga, Filbert Marova and Friends, Vera, Nicholar, Patrick Lupi, from Bulawayo, Cool Crooners and The Travellers Band.
For Harare, the event will be at Alliance Française.
ZJCT chairperson Robert Basvi, said: “This year’s festival promises to leave an equally enduring flavour on the musical tastebuds of the jazz lovers. Running on a theme ‘centred on local flavour’, audiences can expect a mixed bag of local jazz interpretations dished out by Zimbabwe’s various polished artists.
“We urge all jazz lovers to come and enjoy sweet home-brewed jazz which will certainly wet their jazz appetite and leave them with an enjoyable, lingering local flavour playing on their minds.
“The ZJCT is very grateful to the main sponsors that have remained consistent in sponsoring the annual Zimbabwe Jazz festival and these are the French Embassy, the Alliance Française Harare and Alliance Française Bulawayo.
“Other sponsors who are also to be commended for supporting the art of jazz in Zimbabwe are Total Energies, cfao, Utande, FastJet, and Seed Co.”
Basvi said ZJCT is the brainchild of jazz veteran Filbert Marova and is steered by a small, dynamic committee that comprises both jazz artistes and jazz lovers, who aim to revive, promote, and preserve the jazz culture of Zimbabwe, providing quality entertainment and education, thus culturally enriching the country.
“Established in 2016, the trust immediately set out to stage a series of high-quality jazz performances, featuring both well-known and lesser-known hand-picked local jazz artists to keep the spirit of jazz alive,” he said.
Online Reporter