Online Jazz Festival Because Jazz Matters
South African Jazz: Connecting the Tradition
The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and Arts & Culture at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) will join hands this month with the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music at UKZN and the South African Association for Jazz Education to present a one-day free to attend online mini-festival on Tuesday 27 April to mark Jazz Appreciation Month.
Jazz Appreciation Month (fondly known as "JAM") is a global event held in April every year to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. JAM is intended to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz - to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and more.
“This first collaboration came about as a result of one idea and one Zoom meeting - cultural activists and administrators getting things done! And so, we are now able to present South African Jazz : Connecting the Tradition, a one-day online celebration of South African Jazz Education during Jazz Appreciation Month,” says Di Rossi speaking on behalf of the South African Association for Jazz Education (SAJE).
The free one-day online mini-festival will feature both performances and lectures as well as a public participation programme that begs the question, “Does Jazz Matter?”. This pertinent question would have been the theme of the 15th SAJE Jazz Conference in August 2021. The conference had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 national lockdowns. The conference has since been reconfigured into a series of smaller events over the course of the year featuring collaborations and digital events.
“The Centre for Creative Arts and the Arts & Culture at the University of Johannesburg both have a track record for strong engagement with the cultural sector. We believe that this inaugural partnership between the arts centres at our two universities is vital to support the South African Association for Jazz Education and the Centre for Jazz & Contemporary Music to consider how an arts economy that has been almost decimated by the pandemic can be rebuilt,” says Ismail Mahomed, the Director for the Centre for Creative Arts.
“Now, more than ever, it is important for role players in the arts and culture industry to collaborate and combine efforts and resources to maximise the impact of our projects on both the industry and the communities we serve. We are thrilled to be partnering on the presentation of this one-day educational jazz celebration and to be marking Jazz Appreciation Month in such a meaningful way,” says Head of Arts & Culture at the University Johannesburg, Pieter Jacobs.
The two university centres are at the forefront of creating platforms for scholarly engagement and showcasing good quality performances. The collaboration between the two centres and their jazz partners aims to raise the profile of South African Jazz through a series of webinars, performances and a public engagement initiative. The mini festival will feature webinars moderated by media personalities Brenda Sisane, Sam Mathe and Atiyyah Khan.
Brenda Sisane will present a showcase of performance by young South African jazz musicians and will moderate a discussion with them about the future of South African jazz. Atiyyah Khan will speak to jazz festival promoters and venue operators about the impact of Covid-19 and the recovery plans for the sector. Sam Mathe will moderate a discussion about the legacy of Todd Matshikiza.
The full programme which features musicians, jazz writers and academic scholars will be published online this week.
The Festival will be freely live-streamed on the social media platforms of all the partners.
For media enquiries on behalf of the four partners, please contact Lakin Morgan Baatjies at lakinmb@uj.ac.za
South African Jazz: Connecting the Tradition
The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and Arts & Culture at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) will join hands this month with the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music at UKZN and the South African Association for Jazz Education to present a one-day free to attend online mini-festival on Tuesday 27 April to mark Jazz Appreciation Month.
Jazz Appreciation Month (fondly known as "JAM") is a global event held in April every year to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. JAM is intended to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz - to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and more.
“This first collaboration came about as a result of one idea and one Zoom meeting - cultural activists and administrators getting things done! And so, we are now able to present South African Jazz : Connecting the Tradition, a one-day online celebration of South African Jazz Education during Jazz Appreciation Month,” says Di Rossi speaking on behalf of the South African Association for Jazz Education (SAJE).
The free one-day online mini-festival will feature both performances and lectures as well as a public participation programme that begs the question, “Does Jazz Matter?”. This pertinent question would have been the theme of the 15th SAJE Jazz Conference in August 2021. The conference had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 national lockdowns. The conference has since been reconfigured into a series of smaller events over the course of the year featuring collaborations and digital events.
“The Centre for Creative Arts and the Arts & Culture at the University of Johannesburg both have a track record for strong engagement with the cultural sector. We believe that this inaugural partnership between the arts centres at our two universities is vital to support the South African Association for Jazz Education and the Centre for Jazz & Contemporary Music to consider how an arts economy that has been almost decimated by the pandemic can be rebuilt,” says Ismail Mahomed, the Director for the Centre for Creative Arts.
“Now, more than ever, it is important for role players in the arts and culture industry to collaborate and combine efforts and resources to maximise the impact of our projects on both the industry and the communities we serve. We are thrilled to be partnering on the presentation of this one-day educational jazz celebration and to be marking Jazz Appreciation Month in such a meaningful way,” says Head of Arts & Culture at the University Johannesburg, Pieter Jacobs.
The two university centres are at the forefront of creating platforms for scholarly engagement and showcasing good quality performances. The collaboration between the two centres and their jazz partners aims to raise the profile of South African Jazz through a series of webinars, performances and a public engagement initiative. The mini festival will feature webinars moderated by media personalities Brenda Sisane, Sam Mathe and Atiyyah Khan.
Brenda Sisane will present a showcase of performance by young South African jazz musicians and will moderate a discussion with them about the future of South African jazz. Atiyyah Khan will speak to jazz festival promoters and venue operators about the impact of Covid-19 and the recovery plans for the sector. Sam Mathe will moderate a discussion about the legacy of Todd Matshikiza.
The full programme which features musicians, jazz writers and academic scholars will be published online this week.
The Festival will be freely live-streamed on the social media platforms of all the partners.
For media enquiries on behalf of the four partners, please contact Lakin Morgan Baatjies at lakinmb@uj.ac.za
|
|
#SouthAfricanJazzStories
An online jazz video project during 2020 lockdown with supporting grants from the SAMRO Foundation and from Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) Stories come and go but some hang around - influencing, teaching, inspiring and enlightening. *The first #jazzstory was released on our SAJE Youtube Channel and other social media platforms on 1 September. Here is the link to our youtube channel. Please SUBSCRIBE - thanks. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqzfy6QefW7ypvGFHkGDnFw?view_as=subscriber |
Welcome to the SAJE home page!
The mission of the South African Association for Jazz Education is:
- to assure the growth of jazz in South Africa and the development of jazz and jazz education in urban and rural areas,
- to build the jazz arts community by advancing education and research,
- to promote skills development and performance,
- to develop new audiences,
- to document, preserve and archive our South African jazz heritage.
- The 15th SAJE Jazz Conference : Does Jazz Matter?
- Due to Covid-19 and other restrictions, the 15th SAJE Jazz Conference in August 2021 has been reconfigured into a series of smaller events over the course of the year featuring collaborations and digital events. Watch this space!
SBJOJ22 - Jazz Honours 2019
Special Awards evening at the Sandton Sun Convention Centre, Johannesburg, Saturday 24 August 2019
A special awards evening was held in Johannesburg by the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival in conjunction with MNS Attorneys to acknowledge and celebrate those who have contributed to the South African Arts and Culture sector. Among those who received awards that evening were Mike Rossi and Diane Rossi for their contribution to Jazz Education over the past 30 plus years.
Special Awards evening at the Sandton Sun Convention Centre, Johannesburg, Saturday 24 August 2019
A special awards evening was held in Johannesburg by the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival in conjunction with MNS Attorneys to acknowledge and celebrate those who have contributed to the South African Arts and Culture sector. Among those who received awards that evening were Mike Rossi and Diane Rossi for their contribution to Jazz Education over the past 30 plus years.
Mike Rossi (SAJE Board member and past President) Diane Rossi (SAJE) and Peter Tladi (T-musicman) Article in THE STAR newspaper
