It's a special event when
Dee Dee Bridgewater appears anywhere in the world. But Luanda 2011 promises to be an especially beautiful moment in the US based vocalist's long time love affair with Africa. After decades performing with the greatest jazz musicians of all time, Dee Dee is truly a living legend. For the very first time in Luanda, festinos will have the chance to experience Dee Dee Bridgewater performing her latest recording
Dee Dee Bridgewater: To Billie with Love: A celebration of Lady Day, who honors an iconic jazz figure, Billie Holiday, the only way she knows how- with total mastery and grace.
Whether performing with virtuoso musicians on world stages, or paying warm tribute to the music of his Angolan roots, multi instrumentalist
Simmons Massini is keeping the soul of the music alive. Then from Mozambique,
Moreira Chonguica and his saxophone will summon the enchanted spirits of afro-jazz. Be warned, The Moreira Project has earned a reputation for fearless innovation and serious funk!
While the Luanda International Jazz Festival is a relatively new addition to the world festival circuit, Antonio Cristovao, festival director is upbeat about what has been achieved in so few years. "The fact that Luanda is about to celebrate the 3rd year is an important milestone and a very positive sign for the future. The original aim of a sustainable annual festival is becoming a reality."
In a journey though Latin and African music, gifted vocalist
Mayra Andrade sings from her Creole heart. Andrade has drunk deeply from the traditions of jazz, from Brazil, Cuba and Cape Verde. Based in Paris, Mayra Andrade's stage is the world although you can be sure that for her, Luanda is like coming home.
With artists of this calibre it appears festinos can expect a sublime musical experience at Luanda 2011. Antonio Cristavao says, "The festival is far more than a series of concerts, it is a total experience - from the actual music to the entire production and organisation. World-class musicians from Africa and abroad deserve nothing less than a world-class event. And this is how we show our respect for our artists and our loyal audiences."
For more than three decades,
Spyro Gyra has sparked millions of music lovers worldwide with an electrifying mix of funk and jazz. Five Grammy awards are certainly a testament to the band's mastery, but festinos are about to discover that their brilliance when playing live is the secret power behind the band.
Musician and composer
Emmanuel Kanda is just 25 years old. But it is worth remembering that this Luandinho has been playing music since childhood. Listening to Kanda's extraordinary voice we begin to appreciate the depth and spirituality of this young artist, the echoes of Angola's rich musical past and the bold future.
"Building a new generation of quality musicians is a potent way to fuel a vibrant, growing musical culture in Angola. With this approach, we believe that the benefits for musicians, audiences and the music business can continue to grow beyond that one magical weekend." said Rashid Lombard, partners in the LIJF and CEO of espAfrika and festival director of the Cape Town International Jazz festival.
As LIJF looks ahead to an exciting future, this year the festival is equally excited to announce the appearance of the legendary "Father of Portuguese rock"
Rui Veloso. A total musician, Veloso's warm tones embrace Porto culture fused with his heartfelt passion for blues and rock music.
Jonathon Butler's soulful voice and honey-smooth guitar have won him legions of dedicated followers in the USA and his birthplace South Africa. Butler's songs for lovers and his spiritual compositions are all infused with his original brand of R'nB jazz.
Over the three-day festival the energy levels keep surging forward with more than enough party fuel for the dance floor. From South Africa's house music scene, DJ
Black Coffee is the undisputed turntable guru with a massive fan base to show for it.
Liquideep, which has just won South Africa's highest music award makes their first visit to Luanda. In a fairytale story of overnight success, Liquideep has become a genuine pop phenomenon - to hear the group once is to love them. And they're just getting started...
"Since 2009 the support from our audiences has been phenomenal. LIJF has now earned its place as the premier music event in Angola and we warmly thank the many beautiful artists who have appeared on our stages. Our sponsors have proven that with vision and dedication, a magical event becomes possible."
With so many inspired performers coming together in one place, it is no surprise that some of most passionate festinos in the audience are actually local musicians.
"
Internet Technologies Angola is proud to be associated as gold sponsor of the 3rd edition of the Luanda Jazz Festival. We hope that our investment in the festival, which will bring the some hottest names in the jazz world to our luanda shores, will be enjoyed by music lovers of all ages. The festival has grown from strength to strength each year and our continued investment will hopefully assist to make Luanda an essential destination for jazz music lovers from all over the globe," says Miles October, Managing Director ITA.
As in previous years, LIJF will again provide aspiring artists with the chance to learn face to face from the masters of music. The festival's music workshop program is specially designed for the sharing of a wide range of skills. Musicians can learn practical techniques and also gain insights into the music industry. In addition to the popular music workshops, organisers have added two new initiatives to the already jam packed festival. For the first time this year, the festival introducers the Arts Journalism course, which take place on the Monday prior to the festival and runs for a period of 7 days. This workshop will be run by experienced international facilitators:
"The success of Luanda Jazz festival is undeniable and we have followed the organization's work with great enthusiasm, and so for us it was an honour to be invited to be a gold sponsor of the 3rd edition of the Luanda International Jazz festival. We are fully aware of the importance that music has on the dissemination of our culture and the promotion of our national identity and therefore we support the cultural and sports activities suitable to our flag as an entity of social responsibility. With the launch of our "Muata" segment (a segment of individuals with high income) we hope that the new financial incentives can unite the wider dissemination of our music and initiatives that make all of us proud," said Gold Sponsor Sonia Antes, Marketing Director for BPC.
Another new addition to this year's events is the prestigious Jazz Photographic Exhibition which will be announced in more detail at the second press conference
Here we are building a festival that is sustainable not just for Luanda, but for jazz worldwide and transferring skills to our partners is our strategy for achieving this", says Rashid Lombard CEO of espAfrika and festival director of the Cape Town International Jazz festival, partners to Ritek Events in Luanda.
Gold Sponsors are BPC and Internet Technologies Angola. Associates sponsors include HCTA-the official festival hotel, Purimix, DDM, Elite Security, ENSA, Sol, Miami Beach Restaurant, Ritek rent a car and RFM, the radio sponsor.
The next artists who will be announced on 5 July, but from the line-up unveiled today there is no doubt that the Luanda International Jazz Festival is fast positioning itself as an important event on the world jazz calendar.
Tickets prices are: 8000KZ for Friday and 11500KZ per day for both Saturday and Sunday. Tickets will be available from Miami Beach Restaurant from 7 June and from the following BPC outlets from 13 June: Nelito Soares, Agência Central, Sagrada Família, Samba, Maianga, 10 De Dezembro, Ilha, Centro de Empresas Miramar, São Paulo, Centro de Empresas, Rua Rei katyavala.
For further information, please visit
www.luandajazzfest.com or call the hotline on 934 760 092.
