Vusumuzi Dube
Sandisiwe Gumbo. Sunday Life Reporter
THE much-anticipated Zimbabwe Jazz Festival 2023 is set to take place on 22 September in Bulawayo and in Harare on the following day, bringing together some of the country’s finest jazz musicians and an international act.
Hosted by the Zimbabwe Jazz Community Trust and Alliance Française, the festival promises to deliver an electrifying experience with a lineup that boasts some of the biggest names in local and regional jazz. In Bulawayo, the festival will be hosted by Alliance Française de Bulawayo at their premises. The line-up includes Ngoma iNgoma, George Phahlane, Mahlaba, and Josh Meck from Harare.
Meanwhile, in Harare, the lineup features renowned artists such as Max Vidima from South Africa, Victor Kunonga, Vera, Nicholar, Patrick Lupi, visitors Cool Crooners from Bulawayo, The Travellers Band from Gweru as well as Filbert Marpva and Friends.
According to the ZJCT, the festival aims to promote and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Zimbabwean jazz, while also providing a platform for local musicians to showcase their talent to a wider audience.
“Following the success of 2022, this year’s festival promises to leave an equally enduring flavour on the musical tastebuds of the Jazz- lover. 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 whet their Jazz appetite and leave them with an enjoyable, lingering local flavour playing on their minds,” said ZJCT chairperson Robert Basvi.
Bongani Ndlovu