July 12, 2007
By Lucky Sindane
INTERNATIONAL jazz masters who are billed to perform at the 2007 Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival will host a series of free workshops for aspiring jazz musicians.
The stars include the Count Basie Orchestra; the Clarke/Duke Project, featuring Stanley Clarke and George Duke; trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis; acclaimed fusion jazz band Pieces of a Dream; Israel's Common Bond; France's No Jazz and local saxophonist Shannon Mowday.
Mandie van der Spuy, the head of arts sponsorship at Standard Bank, said, "The festival not only offers local jazz lovers the best of international and African jazz, it also hopes to give something back.
"The information and knowledge that these musical giants share during the workshops goes a long way in affirming and mentoring young South African musicians and, hopefully, sees to the success of the industry in years to come."
The festival, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, opens on Thursday, 23 August at the Jazz Dome in Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown. It runs until Saturday, 25 August.
Other venues in Newtown that are taking part are Bassline, Dance Factory, Mbira Stage, Kippies, Sophiatown and Nikki's Oasis.
Arts writers
As part of Women’s Month celebrations, the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz is also offering a weeklong practical workshop for female arts writers.
The writing course, which runs from 20 to 24 August in Newtown, will be run by Gwen Ansell, the music and jazz writer and journalism trainer. The course will tackle two basic skills that music writers employ - profiling and reviewing.
The Count Basie Orchestra will conduct a workshop on big bands at the Music Academy of Gauteng
It is for free for applicants who meet the scholarship requirements, and only 15 places are available. The cost for those who don't qualify for the scholarship is R1 500 for both days, including catering and workshop materials.
To qualify for the scholarship you must be a Gauteng resident and under the age of 25.
You must be a women broadcast or print journalist in mainstream or community media, covering the arts and entertainment beat or wishing to do so, working in public relations or arts or heritage administration, or a music student, a junior journalist, or on a journalism learnership or cadet programme.
To apply send your CV, including at least two current references with up-to-date contact details, a one-page motivation letter indicating why you wish to attend the course, plus - if you are applying for a scholarship - a 500-word essay with the theme:
"Not only do women have equal opportunity in show business, they have better opportunities than men – just look at stars like Beyonce!" Do you agree or disagree with this statement, and why?
Applications can be emailed to sisgwen@iafrica.com
OR
post them to Gwen Ansell:
PO Box 719
Bruma
Johannesburg
2026
Applications close on Friday, 10 August 2007.
For more information contact Mojalefa Gwangwa on 011 326 0141 or email ar@tmusicman.co.za
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