Journey to Jazz announces Artist Line-up and a bounty of festival activities. Recipe for success – World class music, a world heritage enviornment, gourmet food and great hospitality.
Masterclass – Thursday 4 May 2023
Performances – Friday 5th, Saturday 6th and Monday 7th May 2023
Prince Albert, 24 March 2023 – In the first week of May this year, the creative and friendly village of Prince Albert in the Karoo, will come alive to the sounds of an inaugural, yet world-class, jazz festival called ‘Journey to Jazz’, which will be produced alongside 100 of the town’s youth, through the auspices and outreach works of the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT).
This unique event is a showcase for the skills these youth, and many others, have developed over the years of working through PACT’s numerous programmes and are an extension of their mentors – several of whom are resident in the town and are recognised professionals in their fields. Their skills include event production, sound engineering, photography and videography, media, and marketing as well as music performers and artists and crafters.
Brenda Sisane, who is the 2023 Creative Director for Journey to Jazz says: “Music, has always found a way to unite people and the jazz genre, specifically, has a knack for storytelling and is a style that is recognised and celebrated throughout the world. International Jazz Day is celebrated annually on 30th April, consequently the dates for Journey for Jazz of 3-7 May, were chosen with purpose and we can’t wait to share this incredible experience with everyone.”
Although, this will be the first time that the Karoo Dorp has focused a festival on jazz specifically, the line-up for this maiden event, is truly first-class and bodes well for future iterations.
Artists appearing at Journey to Jazz 2023:
· Celle and Adrian Adriaansen
· The Mike Rossi Project: Roots and Routes – Mike Rossi, Blake Hellaby, Sibusiso Matsimela, and Lilavan Gangen
· Hassan’adas – John Hassan, Lucas Khumalo, Trevino Isaacs, Nathan Carolus, and Keegan Williams
· Kyle Shepherd Trio – Kyle Shepherd, Shane Cooper and Jonno Sweetman
· Melanie Scholtz featuring Hein Ven Der Geyn
· Derek Gripper
· UCT Little Big Band
· Amanda Tiffin Trio
· Karien De Waal and friends – strings and guitar
· Ramon Alexander and the Maties Jazz Society
· Karoo Jazz Project with Tribal Echo and Ramon Alexander
· Unity Vocal Quartet with Mads
· Chester Meyer.
Nestled underneath the majestic Swartberg mountains and home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Swartberg Pass – Prince Albert has made a name for itself as a creative and culinary destination. Journey to Jazz will solidify this reputation with a long weekend of festivities and, of course, exquisite music.
The festival footprint
Prince Albert’s main road will be the centre of action on the Friday and Saturday to host a series of markets, food stalls and the local restaurants will welcome local music artists, buskers, dancers, painters, and more. Additionally, a vibrant local flavour can be experienced on Blues Street, outside the PACT centre in Noordeinde on the Saturday and is a must for festival goers.
The principal performances will take place in the NG Church in the main road, whose acoustics are comparable to some of the best stages around. Tickets will be sold to each performance with limited number of weekend passes available and the proceeds going to PACT to continue the good works this NPO performs on a daily basis.
But, for festival goers looking for even more intimate and exclusive performances, there will be a select number of lunch or dinner concerts happening at some of the restaurant venues in town. Seats for these exclusive ‘in conversation with’ concerts will be up to 50 per performance.
Being a festival and uniting the town with its feelgood vibes, the townsfolk have also come together and have curated several other experiences that will also be on offer on the Journey to Jazz Quicket platform.
J2J Experiences include:
· The Premiere of the Strijdom Van der Merwe Film – Sculpting this Earth – an ecology art film
· An artisanal pizza and wine pairing and other food and music pairings at restaurants throughout the town
· A creative sausage workshop at Jeremy’s
· A Southeast Asia Sensory Cooking Journey workshop at Jeremy’s
· A Tapas workshop at African Relish
· Sunrise Yoga under the open skies
· A ghost walk – suitable for all ages
· Sleeping out under the stars 4th /5th May
· Guided walks through the Wolwekraal Reserve
· Guided mountain bike trail through exclusive areas
· Guided walks through the Swartberg Mountain Pass
· Night at the Museum supper with local storytelling
· Walk the word labyrinth on the farm, Aswater, with land art.
· Prince Albert Gallery Guided Walkabout.
Percentage of takings from these activities are donated to PACT.
Prince Albert, and the Karoo itself, are also known for legendary hospitality and the town has a variety of welcoming guesthouses, but locals are also expected to open their doors to visitors looking for a bed for a night or two, along with a glamping option which will be located within easy walking distance of the main event.
Journey to Jazz has also had the blessing of some luminary names in the jazz world to help guide it. Aside from the inimitable Brenda Sisane, award-winning pianist, and composer, Bokani Dyer has joined the crew as Journey to Jazz’s very own artistic director.
Artist biographies are below and images on request from kaz@networxpr.co.za or mark@networxpr.co.za
Ticket Details:
Buy Tickets at Quicket
NG Church Performances – R220.00/per person/per performance – only 400 seats tickets per show
Gay’s barn (the oldest barn in the area) R 425.00 with a cheese platter – one performance only, otherwise R275 per performance
African Relish: R475,00 with a set meal – limited seating
Prince Albert Gallery : R160.00
J2J experiences – please see Quicket for the individual bookings and experiences on offer.
Journey to Jazz: www.journeytojazz.co.za
For media enquiries, interviews, images etc please contact:
Kaz Henderson on 082 339 1199 – kaz@networxpr.co.za
Mark Meyer on 073 269 4727 – mark@networxpr.co.za
Jeni Fletcher on 082 825 5718 – jeni@networxpr.co.za
