September 15, 2003
By Bongani Majola
SOUTH AFRICA'S own Afro-jazz diva, Gloria Bosman, will join US ballad queen Patti Austin to launch the Johannesburg Arts Alive International Festival on 17 September.
Austin, known the world over for her "Baby Come to Me" duet with James Ingram, headlines the bill at the Standard Bank Arena, in New Doornfontein. Austin, who has worked with a galaxy of stars including Quincy Jones, Sammy Davis jnr, Roberta Flack, George Benson and Harry Belafonte, will be backed by South African jazz group, Dondo.
The US singer will be joined on stage by the country's own Afro-jazz diva Gloria Bosman and Zambian-born singer Marsha Moyo. Moyo will perform songs from her debut album Dark Child. It's an eclectic mix of funk, pop, R&B, jazz, blues and gospel.
Discovered at Newtown's Market Theatre in 1993, Bosman has amassed an impressive musical biography, having performed with the cream of South African musicians including opera diva Sibongile Khumalo, the late Moses Taiwa Molelekwa, contemporary jazz group Tananas, renowned trumpeter Hugh Masekela, and trombonist Jonas Gwangwa.
Bosman brings to the Arts Alive diva night the powerful voice that she used to stunning effect in her three albums, Tranquillity, The Many Faces of Gloria Bosman and Stop and Think. A representative of an increasingly influential group, women in the jazz renaissance, Bosman will dish out popular songs from all three albums.
A proponent of Afro-jazz, with a heavy Xhosa and Sotho influence, Bosman says much of the music she will deliver on the night will be original. "My show will create a lot of heat and excitement," she says. "If you want to hear an experimental approach to music that is already well-known, then you have to be at the Arts Alive opening night."
The divine divas will perform to invited guests and dignitaries from the City of Johannesburg, including Executive Mayor Amos Masondo. The concert starts at 7pm and marks the official opening of the Arts Alive International Festival.
Tickets are available at Computicket from R109 to R212.
