Jazz giants collaborate

The Lyric Theatre in the heart of Johannesburg's Gold Reef City will be transformed when the finest jazz talent takes to the stage.

Yusef Lateef is a renowned Grammy Award-winning composer, performer, recording artist, author, educator and philosopher who has been a major force on the international musical scene for more than six decades. Yusuf will headline the Melodi Jazz Collaboration on this first visit to South Africa. As a virtuoso on a broad spectrum of reed instruments tenor saxophone, flute, oboe, bamboo flute, shanai, shofar, argol, sarewa, and taiwan koto - Yusef Lateef has incorporated the sounds of many countries into his own music. He has written new music for the concert, which will be the first time to be heard and performed in South Africa.

Rufus Reid is one of today's premiere bassists on the international jazz scene. He has written for string orchestra, jazz ensembles large and small, concert band, double bass ensemble pieces and a solo bass composition. To add grace to this colorful canvas of music will be Sibongile Khumalo. The much loved and respected musician, businesswoman, cultural activist is considered South Africa's first lady of song.

Since appearing at the Joburg's performance circuit, alongside leading afro-soul, jazz and gospel musicians, Pu2ma has already made her mark in the South African music industry.

The performance will feature each of these world-class jazz headliners in an hour long performance accompanied by a 45 Piece Band.

Proudly brought to you by the Jazz Foundation and the National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF), Safm and Independent Newspaper Company the event will run a side feature of impactful workshops for music students in the province both emerging and established.

Tickets for the event are sold through Computicket. Block bookings for companies should be directed to the Jazz Foundation on Tel: +27 11 333 6654.

For media enquiries, biographical information and Electronic Promotional Kit, Contact:
The 2011 Melodi International Jazz Collaboration will be live at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City, South of Johannesburg. The concert times are: 6.30pm to 10pm. Melodi Jazz International Collaborations Festival is a concept developed by the Jazz Foundation that presents musicians in a different setting - not in standard format of their usual performance - with emphasis on historic themes and the sharing of a stage by more than one prominent artist at a time.

It is a collaboration of African, South African and international musicians who have pitched themselves as ambassadors of African Arts & Culture. Each one of the prominent visiting musicians performs with a South African Big Band in collaborative performance on a pre-rehearsed set. Here, the visiting musicians are not imported or billed as a full outfit with a backing band/s, but as headline musicians only.

Date: 22 July 2011 to 23 July 2011
Venue: Lyric Theatre/Gold Reef City, Johannesburg
Cost: Computicket

More info:

Lyric Theatre Gold Reef City Casino, Cnr Northern Parkway & Data Crescent, Ormonde