Jazz musos do EC proud

Jazz lovers were left begging for more after being wowed by some of the Eastern Cape’s finest afro pop musicians at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.

The Dakawa Jazz Series is an annual showcase of the province’s jazz musicians featured in a programme that aims to create opportunities for emerging musicians.

Running over five days at the Dakawa Arts Centre, the series has a lineup that includes jazz legends such as Feya Faku and Andile Yenana and upcoming talents such as Msaki, Nomfundo Xaluva and Thembelani Batala.

The Daily Dispatch attended day two of the series on Wednesday night and were treated to performances by the finalists and winners of the first Eastern Cape Music Talent Search launched by sport, recreation, arts and culture MEC Pemmy Majodina and implemented by the Eastern Cape Audio Visual Centre.

Joint winners afro-soul singer and composer Odwa Nokwali and jazz singer Qhawekazi Giyose gave stellar performances that showed the audience just why they came out tops in the competition.

Nokwali performed three of his own compositions while Giyose performed classic jazz tune Ntyilo Ntyilo.

Also in the lineup was emerging star Thembelani Batala, who had the crowd on its feet with his catchy jazzy compositions.

The real star of the show, however, was afro pop musician Sliq Angel of Amantongomane fame, who stole the limelight and closed the show off with a bang.

Sliq Angel performed all his classics including Umngqusho, Mbombela and a recent single, Nomasundu, which is currently getting a lot of radio play.

Majodina was also in attendance, and she said it was pleasing to see the artists, who started out as finalists in the competition, finally hold their own on a professional stage. — zipon@dispatch.co.za