PERFORMERS AND TEACHERS 2011
SOUTH AFRICAN
Don Albert is a veteran saxophonist and jazz journalist who has written about jazz for decades in a numerous newspapers, presented jazz programmes for the SABC, 702 and Radio Today and hosted a jazz programme on television for five years. He has received numerous awards and commendations in the process. He is the South African Correspondent for Downbeat (USA) and Jazz Journal International (UK).
Ramon Alexander (Piano) has a degree in Viticulture and performs regularly in the Stellenbosch area. He is a composer and arranger and teaches introductory jazz courses in the music Certificate Programme at Stellenbosch University. He played piano in the National Youth Big Band in 2004.
James Bassingthwaighte (Trombone) was a member of the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band, the National Youth Big Band and the National Youth Symphony Orchestra on trombone and has a degree in Jazz Composition and Arrangement from UCT. He ran and conducted the Junction (021) Big Band and, following that, The Sticky Triggers session band. He has played in a wide variety of ensembles and is frequently commissioned to write, arrange for and direct different professional and school ensembles and productions. As a musical director/arranger, James has worked with a host of South Africa's top stars, including Timothy Moloi, Loyiso Bala, Judith Sephuma, Lira, Thandi Klaasen and Juanita du Plessis. He was winner of the 2010 SAMRO Overseas Scholarship Competition for Composers and a 2010 SAMA-nominee for Best Producer. www.thatchmusic.com
Duncan Combe (Clarinet) has a B Mus in clarinet from Stellenbosch University and runs a Music School in Somerset West offering tuition in Drums, Guitar and Sax. He also teaches music at Parel Vallei High School, developing ensembles which focus on Rock and Jazz and Drumline. He also offers corporate teambuilding with djembe drums and instrument building workshops, allowing business men and woman a taste of the wonderful world of music.
Shane Cooper (Bass) grew up in Port Elizabeth and was selected for the National Schools Big Band in 2003. He moved to Cape Town to study jazz at UCT and was selected for the National Youth Big Band in 2004 and since graduating in 2008 has rapidly found acclaim on electric bass in bands with the likes of Zim Ngqawana, Louis Moholo and Babu. His electronic music is performed and released under the name Card On Spokes. He has performed around Africa and in Europe, India, and the USA and is increasingly occupied with composing, including for stage production and film. www.myspace.com/shaneleecooper
Marc Duby (Bass) is Professor of Music at UNISA. He has performed professionally since the age of 16 in a wide variety of musical genres with the likes of Chris Collins, Bruce Cassidy, Darius Brubeck, Morris Goldberg, Stéphane Grapelli, Spike Milligan, Bobby Shew and Jack van Poll, to name a few. He conducted the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band in 2001, and has been a central figure in the development of the festival.
Bokani Dyer (piano) grew up in Botswana and studied jazz at UCT, where he was selected for the National Youth Jazz Band. He has played in numerous festivals and in the bands of Shannon Mowday, Jimmy Dludlu, Steve Dyer, Moreira Chonguica and Judith Sephuma, amongst many others. He is the Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz 2011.
Alvin Dyers (Guitar) has for decades been one of the mainstays on the jazz scene in Cape Town and has played with a wide variety of musicians. He has been at the centre of Cape Town’s popular jam sessions at Swingers and has worked extensively with young musicians, particularly with Abdullah Ibrahim’s youth programmes.
Christopher Engel (Sax) was selected for the National Schools Big Band in 2002, the National Youth Big Band in 2003 and 2004 and the National Youth Jazz Band in 2006 and 2008, and returns this year as a performer. He has a BMus in Jazz Performance from UCT and spent a year on exchange at the Norwegian Academy of Music and is now completing his M Mus in Norway. He has performed at major jazz festivals including the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Aarhus Jazz Festival and Cape Town International Jazz Festival and has played with many bands – particularly the Restless Natives.
Mark Fransman (Piano/ sax) studied at UCT and is one of the cutting-edge young musicians currently reinvigorating the South African jazz scene. He made his stage debut in musical theatre as pianist and vocalist in the David Kramer / Taliep Petersen productions and received the FNB Vita Award for most outstanding performer in musical theatre 1995/96. He won the SAMA for Best Producer (in all categories) in 2007 for Moreira Chonguica's The Journey and also won the 2004 SAMA for Best Producer for Jimmy Dludlu's Afrocentric. He was chosen as Johnnie Walker’s Jazz Impression’s ‘Musician of the year for 2004’ and Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz 2008. He released his debut album “Straight Ahead” with his band Strait ‘n Narro, which explores a fresh urban South African sound with hip hop, trip hop funk and jazz. He also writes, produces and records with many South African jazz artists. www.myspace.com/markfransman
Kevin Gibson (Drums) is regarded by most as South Africa’s premier jazz drummer, and his reputation is extending internationally too. He has studied at three institutions worldwide, and has returned to teach drums at UCT. Considered the first-call drummer by many South African artists in a range of styles, Gibson’s reputation extends into jazz circles in Europe and the USA, and there is no doubt about his extraordinary skill as a drummer and his ensemble sensitivity.
Shaun Johannes (Bass) first attended the NYJF in 2001 where he was selected at the age of 18 for the National Youth Jazz Band. He was selected for the NYJB again in 2002 and 2005 and for the National Youth Big Band in 2003, and has since returned regularly as a professional musician and jazz educator. He has a BMus from UCT and is completing his M Mus there. He has performed with a wide range of musicians and in various styles from jazz to hip hop to Afrikaans traditional and has performed numerous times in major festivals and on television. He is currently based in Cape Town where he is in great demand. www.shaunjohannes.com
Dave Ledbetter (Guitar) is the son of two professional musicians and it was always clear that music would be his first and only choice. After finishing school he studied at The Jazz Workshop in Cape Town and then at UCT. He has been a professional musician for 25 years and played in virtually every context imaginable - recordings, TV, Radio, Cabaret, Live Theatre, International Jazz Festivals, Folk Festivals, Rock Festivals, Big Band, orchestral work as well as soundtracks for movies while the commercial and corporate work were ongoing. He has done two solo recordings and group recordings and is regularly featured on original mainstream artistes work as guitarist, pianist or vocalist and more often than not all three. He has played, amongst many others, with Miriam Makeba, Ray Phiri, Manu Dibangu, Morris Goldberg, Darius Brubeck, Shawn Phillips, Winston Mankunku, Basil Coetzee, Robbie Jansen, Sibongile Khumalo and Jimmy Dludlu. His career highlights have included playing at the millennium concert on Robben Island for Nelson Mandela, playing on three North Sea Jazz Festivals and being nominated for two SAMA awards.
Felicia Lesch taught Music for many years at Heathfield High School, where she developed a jazz programme. She is now co-ordinator of the Jazz Certificate Programme at Stellenbosch University and has been very involved in jazz development. She conducted the National Schools Big Band in 2009.
Andrew Lilley (Piano) is Senior Lecturer in Jazz and Piano at the South African College of Music at UCT. He performs regularly in Cape Town and has an impressive list of international and local performances to his credit. A bebop specialist, Andrew has brought back the importance of the jazz classics like Thelonius Monk and he continues to show the influences these 40s and 50s artists had on each other, but especially the effect they have had on jazz today. He conducted the National Youth Jazz Band in 2007.
Lloyd Martin (Drums) spent two decades in Johannesburg as a full-time session musician and performed and recorded in a variety of music genres. His professional musical career began with the top South African punk band The Cherry Faced Lurchers and folk musician Jennifer Ferguson, and he has played and recorded with musicians as diverse as Robin Auld, Nataniel, Malawian cultural icon Wambali Mkandawire, Steve Hofmeyer and PJ Powers.He has worked in jazz circles with the late Johnny Fourie, Sibongile Khumalo and Darius Brubeck amongst many others, and has performed for many years with Carlo Mombelli. He now lives in Port Elizabeth where he teaches drums at NMMU.
Godfrey Mgcina (Percussion) began his career with Moses Ngwenya of the legendary South African group Soul Brothers. His credits include playing drums on Clarence Carter’s album “Live in Johannesburg” and Shirley Brown of “Woman to Woman” fame. He has also played live and worked in recording sessions with PJ Powers, Bayete, Hugh Masakela, Caiphus Semenya, Letta Mbulu, Johnny Clegg, Lucky Dube and Snoop Doggidog. He travels the world regularly as a session musician and is renowned for his experience and understanding of African rhythms.
Gavin Minter (Vocals, Percussion) resides in Cape Town and has been running his own Music Agency and Music Production House, Real Wired Music since 1999. He has been performing professionally for nearly three decades, singing all types of music. His first big break came with the pop band Wired to the Floor that worked with Mark-Alex in the 1990s and he has performed with the likes of Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading and Jonathan Butler. He has worked – as performer or producer – with many of the leading jazz players in the country and has toured and recorded as special guest with the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra. www.gavinminter.co.za
Afrika Mkhize (Piano) studied initially at the National School of the Arts and then enrolled at Pretoria Technikon to further his interest in Jazz, Composition and Arranging. He has worked extensively as a music producer, producing albums for Tlali Makhene, Themba Mkhize, Sibongile Kkumalo and Kabelo from TKZ, and he worked for years as musical director and pianist for Miriam Makeba. He has performed with artists such as Dorothy Masuka, Khaya Mahlangu, Zim Ngqawane, Musa Manzini, Judith Sepuma, Oliver Mtukuzi, MXO, Marcus Wyatt, Zama Jobe, Papa Noel from France and Jimmy Dludlu. He also recently arranged music for the Johannesburg Philharmonic Harmonic as well as for the Jazz Meets Symphony Orchestra under conductor Prince Lengoasa.
Carlo Mombelli (Bass) was born in Pretoria and spent 11 years in Europe where he recorded and performed with the likes of Egberto Gismonti, Lee Konitz and Charlie Mariano, and where he was influenced by Europe’s Jazz avant garde. Carlo can be heard on many South African recordings including Marcus Wyatt, Johnny Fourie, Sibongile Khumalo, Miriam Makeba and Simphiwe Dana. He has composed music for many films and ballets and has 7 CD’s of his own works. Carlo conducted for the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band 2004 and now teaches Jazz at Wits University. www.carlomombelli.com
Shannon Mowday (Sax) has been involved with the NYJF since its inception in 1992. Never complacent with her music, she has travelled the globe to gain different influences and ideas and has recorded CDs in Australia, Scandinavia and South Africa. Her music is in great demand, especially in Cape Town, and she was recognised for her ever-increasing contribution to jazz by being named the Standard Band Young Artist for Jazz of 2007. She is equally comfortable in many musical styles and various woodwind instruments and has extensive performance credits with the best jazz musicians in South Africa. She is currently based in Oslo, Norway, completing a Masters Degree. www.shannonmowday.com
McCoy Mrubata (Sax) grew up in Cape Town, playing flute under Langa greats like Madoda Gxabeka, Winston Ngozi, the Ngcukanas - Ezra and Duke - Blackie Tempi and Robert Sithole. By the early 1980s he was playing sax in cover bands and in 1987 moved to Joburg to join Sipho Hotsticks Mbuse, which was followed by a series of recordings and collaborations. His career has been marked by interesting collaborations - Paul Hanmer, Vivid Africa, Wessel van Rensburg, European musicians – and he has played with most South African jazz musicians as well as overseas artists such as Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. He has won 3 SAMA awards and has produced a host of recordings, and his central focus is on producing a genuine South African jazz, which includes working with the youth to pass on what he has learnt. www.mccoymrubata.com
Ronel Nagfaal studied Jazz at UCT and teaches at Alexander Sinton High School in Cape Town, where she is in charge of the jazz band.
Kesivan Naidoo (Drums) grew up in East London and is now based in Cape Town. He received his BMus (Jazz Performance & Arrangement) from the UCT College of Music in 2000, and then won a SAMRO scholarship to further his studies at the Rhabindra Bharati University in Kolkatta, India. He was selected for the National Schools Big Band in 1995 and the National Youth Big band in 1999 and 2000. He has performed extensively around South Africa with most of the top jazz musicians in the country, and is regarded as one of the foremost young drum talents in South Africa. Kesivan was the Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz 2009. Current Projects include Closet Snare, Babu, Restless Natives and Tribe, and he recently produced an album of his own – Kesivan & the Lights. He performs regularly overseas in a variety of bands. He started, with Lee Thomson, the production company Silent Revolutions. www.babu.com
Tony Paco (Percussion) comes from Mozambique and started drumming in his teens. With a Jazz degree from UCT and many years of performing with bands like Freshly Ground & Flat Stanley, Tony is regarded as one of the best drummers and percussionists in South Africa, with extensive performance and recording credentials.
Melvin Peters (Piano) received a BMus in Music Education and an MMus in Jazz Performance from the University of Natal, Durban and has taught at a variety of universities, most recently the University of Pretoria, where he lectures in Jazz Studies. He has performed around the world in different music genres and has worked with many of South Africa’s top musicians, ranging from Abdullah Ibrahim and Winston Mankunku Ngozi to the Free State Symphony Orchestra and the Cape Town Jazz Orchestra. He has become sought-after as a musical director and church organist.
Tutu Puoane (Belgium/SA – Vocals) started her professional career in Johannesburg and studied Jazz at UCT, after which she received a 2-year scholarship to study with Rachel Gould at The Hague Conservatory of Music and Dance in The Netherlands. She was a member of the 1999 Standard Bank National Youth Big Band that performed in New York and was Standard Bank Young Artist in 2004. She has worked with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra as a guest vocalist for their tribute to Billie Holiday, which led to a cross-over project between jazz and classical music with the Flemish Radio Orchestra and a recording with the BJO. She has shared the stage with, amongst others, Sibongile Khumalo, Marcus Wyatt, Judith Sephuma, Jack van Poll, Hein van de Geyn, Georgie Fame, Roy Hargrove and Toots Thielemans. www.tutupuoane.info
Justin Sasman (Trombone) studied at UCT and played in the Standard Bank National Youth Big Band in 1999 and 2000. He has performed professionally since then, predominantly in Classical orchestras, and now teaches at St. John’s College in Johannesburg.
Charlie Sayers (Trumpet) was raised in Brakpan, the son of a gold miner. He started playing the bugle at the age of 10 and by the age of 18, his love for the sound of jazz took hold. After a 10-year period leading his own bands, he joined the Air Force Band where he studied music and completed his music studies at the University of South Africa. He opened the multi-racial Jazz Workshop and African School of Music in Pretoria. Besides playing on TV and radio shows, Charlie accompanied many visiting international artists such as Marlene Dietrich, Liberace, Herb Ellis, Blue Mitchell, Gheorghe Zamfir and Sarah Vaughn. He played on the same billing as Dizzie Gillespie, Thelonius Monk and Frank Foster and recorded and played with Richie Cole. He has played in America and Europe and, with his colourful and spontaneous personality has been a pillar of local jazz and continues to assist local musicians. www.myspace.com/charliesayers
Terrence Scarr (Violin/Bass) was born in Port Elizabeth, and, a graduate of the UCT College of Music, he has wide-ranging experience in a wide variety of musical genres and styles, from classical to rock, folk, jazz and world music. He has worked with many top South African musicians and with a number of leading South African bands, has lead a String Orchestra for pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, and has played as a session musician on more albums than he can remember. Long resident in Cape Town, Terrence is Head of Music at Rondebosch Boys’ High School and was Conductor of the National Schools Big Band in 2010.
Melanie Scholtz (Vocals) is a versatile singer who graduated cum laude from the UCT Opera School in 2001 and was named Best Jazz Vocalist at the Old Mutual Jazz Encounters in 2002. She has performed in Europe and has toured with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra as well as performing with jazz greats like Sibongile Khumalo, Jimmy Dludlu & Judith Sephuma. She released her debut album Zillion Miles, which features her phenomenal range and beautifully lyrical solos and last year she released a further two albums. Melanie was the Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz 2010. www.melaniescholtz.com www.myspace.com/melaniescholtz
Ayanda Sikade (Drums) grew up in Mdantsane and by the age of 10 was performing professionally, particularly with Eastern Cape guitarist Lulama Gawulana. He studied jazz under Darius Brubeck at UKZN and played in a South African student band at the IAJE Conference in Long Beach, California, US. He was selected on drums for the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band in 2004 and 2005 and also won the prestigious Samro Overseas Scholarship. He has played with Feya Faku, Bheki Mseleku, Robbie Jansen and Barney Rachabane amongst many others, and spent much time working with Zim Ngqawana and Simphiwe Dana.
Dan Shout (saxophone) was twice a member of the National Youth Big Band and twice a member of the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band, with which he toured to the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague and also Sweden. He is well known for his performances with the Dan Shout Quartet, Magic Carpet Ride and Johnny Clegg and has performed in Europe, Scandinavia, North America, North Africa, Southern Africa, the Middle East, Seychelles, West Indies and Australasia. He teaches saxophone at the University of Cape Town, is a session musician, presents workshops and is a featured guest with various projects around town. Dan released his debut Jazz Fusion album, “Greetings & Salutations” in December 2010.
Lee Thomson (Trumpet) is studying and performing in Cape Town. He has taken part in many festivals, playing with cutting-edge musicians like Kesivan Naidoo and Buddy Wells in a band, Restless Natives, which is one of many groups with whom he performs regularly. His vibey, hip style was developed in his collaborations with many South African artists and he is definitely someone to watch as he continues to add to the world of South African jazz. He was a member of the Standard Bank National Youth Big Band of 1998 that toured to New York, and was also selected for the band on two subsequent occasions.
Brian Thusi (Trumpet) has a doctorate in Music from the University of Zululand and is past-president of the South African Association of Jazz Educators. He has been a stalwart in South African jazz on trumpet for decades and has been integral to the NYJF since 1996. He is known for his poignant performances in places as far afield as Japan and Haiti and has performed with an equally diverse range of musicians – the Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, Frank Foster and Kenny Baron to name a few. He conducted the National Schools’ Big Band in 2002 and the National Youth Jazz Band in 2006, taking the band on tour around the country and to Sweden. He released a CD in 2009 that received a SAMA nomination. He is also integrally involved in the administration of the NYJF.
Amanda Tiffin (Vocals) Zimbabwean-born Amanda Tiffin studied jazz at UCT, graduating with an M Mus (with Distinction) in Jazz Composition and Performance. She has made her name in Cape Town as a versatile vocalist and pianist, performing any number of styles from jazz to rock. Amanda is also a songwriter, and released her debut album “Who Am I?” in 2005. Amanda is a founder member and leader of all-female jazz vocal group Mamavox and is an experienced vocal teacher.Amanda is currently the vocal lecturer at UCT. www.amandatiffin.com
John Walton (Piano) was educated at SACS High and went on to complete a B.Mus at UCT. He is presently Head of Music at the South African College High School and also works as a freelance arranger and composer as well as being involved in pro bono development work with bands on the Cape Flats.
Buddy Wells (Sax) has a long list of awards to his name, most of which he obtained during his years as one of the first Jazz students at the South African College of Music at UCT where he graduated with a First Class B.Mus Honours (Jazz Performance). He is known for his ability to forge new concepts that link European and African jazz styles. For the past decade he has played in many Cape Town-based bands and this has made his husky, yet powerful style legendary among many young artists. He has performed with Manu Dibango, Miriam Makeba, Bheki Mseleku, the late Moses Molelekwa, Jimmy Dludlu, Gerald Veasley, Vusi Khumalo, Abdullah Ibrahim, Herb Ellis, Gloria Bosman, and Jack van Poll.
George Werner (piano) has decades of experience in Jazz in Cape Town, where he has been instrumental in the development of youth jazz education initiatives. One of the most successful of those is the Little Giants, which he organises and leads. He is also a pianist very active in the Cape Jazz scene.
Marcus Wyatt (Trumpet) grew up in Port Elizabeth and learnt to play the trumpet in his school band and assorted classical ensembles. He completed his Jazz degree at UCT, majoring in composition and arrangement, and won various competitions, amongst them the Adcock Ingram Jazz Soloist 1995, and runner-up in the SAMRO Overseas Bursary Competition 1996. He has travelled extensively, and recorded and played with the likes of Winston Mankunku, Jimmy Dludlu, Courtney Pine, Bheki Mseleku, James Morrison and Abdullah Ibrahim. He has recorded three CD’s under his own name – the latest being “Language 12” - and is one of South Africa’s leading trumpeters. www.marcuswyatt.com www.myspace.com/marcuswyatt
VISITING ARTISTS
Ola Åkermann (Sweden – Trombone) has his own band and is also a member of several internationally-acclaimed bands such as Wonderbrazz (Denmark) the Tolvan Big Band and Sofi Hellborg Gang (Sweden), with which he has also recorded, among others. He has released three albums under his own name and lives in Malmoe, Sweden where he also teaches jazz at the College of Music. “It is important for me to communicate my joy and dedication to the music whenever I play a gig”.
Carine Bonnefoy (France – Piano) began her musical studies at the Solliés Toucas School of Music (in the Var region of France) and then studied Musicology and Modern Literature at the Sorbonne in Paris, continuing to the CNSM in Paris (Jazz and Improvised Music Dept). She boasts an impressive list of awards and tributes and significant radio and television appearances. She is an accomplished pianist who has played with Ted Hawke, Sarah Lazarus, Didier Lockwood, Henri Texier, Kenny Wheeler, Michel Portal, the Francois Laudet Big Band, the Nine Spirit and the Pepper Pills Big Band but it is for her composition and arrangement that she is best known and her stunning recordings with the Dutch Metropole Orchestra under Vince Mendoza and the German WDR Big Band have received significant critical attention. www.myspace.com/carinebonnefoy www.carinebonnefoy.com
Frank Brodahl (Norway – Trumpet) has been a Yamaha artist since 1992, employed in The Norwegian Wind Ensemble. He runs his own studio and record company - Trumpet Jungle Records - and works as a producer, conductor and arranger, but mostly as a lead trumpet player for Scandinavian big bands as well as performing for most of the TV shows on Norwegian State Television (NRK) for the last 15 years. He has guested in assorted leading German Big Bands. This is Frank’s third visit to Grahamstown. www.frankbrodahl.com
Esben Duus (Denmark – Drums) is a freelance drummer with a degree in performance from The Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. He has played with numerous Danish acts - among others, Gospel legend Etta Cameron for 14 years. He has a great passion for Funk and New Orleans Drumming which can be heard on WonderBrazz's 5 albums and is also a sought-after teacher in Denmark where he conducts New Orleans Brass Band Drumming Workshops. Besides WonderBrazz and freelance work Esben holds the drum chair with Danish soul and gospel diva Marie Carmen Koppel and Breeze Of Gospel.
Mark Ginsburg (Australia – Sax) grew up in Cape Town, playing with Merton Barrow, Nol Klinkhamer and Mike Campbell amongst others. Since migrating to Australia in 1982, Mark has performed and collaborated extensively and his music is a representation of his Jewish heritage, ancient folk songs and the influences of current jazz trends. He undertook a Master of Music program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and recently released his third CD based on this work. www.myspace.com/markginsburg
Anton Goudsmit (Holland – Guitar) is a highly innovative guitarist whose playing spans assorted genres. He graduated from the Amsterdam Conservatorium in 1994 and has been a prolific composer, focussing always on original material. He has played extensively on the Dutch scene and was among the first members of New Cool Collective, in the same period also playing in Eric Vloeimans’ Quartet. He also played with Tony Allen, Han Bennink, John Zorn, Ernst Reijseger, John Engels and many others. In 2006 and 2007 he was nominated for the Paul Acket Award at the North Sea Jazz Festival and in 2010 he was awarded the most prestigious jazz prize in Holland, the VPRO Boy Edgar Prijs, as well as the prize for best pop guitarist. He was guest programmer for Festival Jazz International Rotterdam in 2009 and that year’s edition, titled Anton!, was distinguished by its daring and varied programming.
Tarjei W. Grimsby (Norway – Trombone) started playing the trombone at the age of 18 and five years later began studying at the Norwegian Academy of Music, where he graduated in 1998 at the top of his class. He is today regarded as one of Norway`s foremost and most versatile trombonists, covering classical, jazz, pop and rock music. He has been employed by The Norwegian Wind Ensemble as bass trombonist in classical productions and lead trombonist in jazz-related productions and is a sought-after freelance musician, especially in studio, theatre and TV productions, for example the Norwegian versions of "Dancing with the stars" and "The X Factor". He has worked closely with many of Norway`s top-selling artists, and is also frequently hired as a conductor and a soloist in various settings. He is planning his first solo album with a big band and orchestra, scheduled for 2012/13.
Gorm Helfjord (Norway / SA – guitar) was born in Norway but now lives in Cape Town as a session/freelance guitarist who has performed at festivals such as Molde International Jazz Festival, Music Alive Amsterdam, Jeunesses Musicales Paris, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Oppikoppi, Splashy Fen and DølaJazz Norway. He studied at Sund FHS in Norway, University of KwaZulu Natal and University of Cape Town and has performed with Melanie Scholtz, Sibongile Khumalo, PJ Powers, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Vicky Sampson, Judith Sephuma, Neo Muyanga, Big Boss Band and many others. www.myspace.com/gorm.helfjord
Arne Hiorth (Norway – Trumpet) is an experienced musician, composer, producer, teacher and project coordinator. He has worked with top acts in Norway like Mari Boine, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Anja Garbarek and the Oslo Groove Company. He has a long history with music projects in South Africa, the most famous being the Song of Freedom musical about Nelson Mandela, performed in Cape Town in March 2006. www.hiorth.tk www.myspace.com/arnehiorth
Håkon Mjåset Johansen (Norway - Drums) Håkon is often described as one of the most dynamic and musical drummers in Scandinavia. Born in the city of Trondheim, Norway, he enrolled at Trondheim Kommunale Musikkskole (municipal music program) and then spent four years of jazz studies at the Conservatory of Music in Trondheim. He has toured extensively throughout the world and has performed and recorded in jazz, rock, pop and classical, collaborating with many great artists, such as Michael Brecker, Chick Corea, Jan Garbarek and Steve Grossman. As a performing drummer Håkon was awarded the title "Young Jazz Musician of the Year 1998", and “Best Nordic Jazz Comet 2001”, and represented Norway in "The European Jazz Youth Orchestra" - a band with one musician from different European countries. He received the Norwegian Grammy twice with Urban Connection (2000) and Come Shine (2001). This is his third appearance in Grahamstown. www.myspace.com/hmjohansen
Peter Kehl (Denmark – Trumpet) has a Master in Music from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and has also studied trumpet in New Orleans and Havana. He is the founder and owner of the record labels Cope Records and Calibrated Music which have released around 270 albums over the last 12 years including the 5 WonderBrazz albums. He is member of the board and treasurer of the organization Danish Independent Record labels (DUP) and has played with acts such as the Thorbjørn Risager Band, Kid Creole and The Coconuts, The Danish Radio Big Band and many others. www.wonderbrazz.com
Henrik Kjelin (Denmark – Organ) Even though Henrik Kjelin by reviewers has been called "organ-guru", one must not expect traditional Hammond playing. Besides crazy energetic solos, his focus is on simple effective bass lines to support the rhythm. Henrik has a background in the Danish avant garde scene and in several rock, blues and funk bands, and has performed all over Europe. Outside the scene he is co-developer of 'Complete Vocal Technique', publisher of Cathrine Sadolin's book of the same name, and co-founder of 'Complete Vocal Institute' - Europe’s largest institute for pro- and semipro singers. Today he is a member of the internationally-acclaimed Danish band WonderBrazz. |
Soweto Kinch (Britain – Sax) is a saxophonist and MC/rapper and is one of the most exciting and versatile young musicians to hit the British music scene in recent years. He is one of only a few artists whose appeal traverses underground and mainstream audiences, and who is equally respected in Jazz and Hip Hop circles, and his music constantly tries to marry the two genres. He has garnered a slew of top awards including the Montreux Jazz Saxophone Competition and BBC Jazz Awards for both Best Instrumentalist and Best Band and amongst his mentors have been Courtney Pine and Wynton Marsalis, both of whom have showered praise on him. Soweto has been particularly influential in developing the music scene in Birmingham. He is a largely self-taught musician who only entered the professional music world after graduating from Oxford University with a BA in Modern History. www.myspace.com/sowetokinch www.soweto-kinch.com
Kristijan Krajncan (Slovenia – Drums) studied cello at Music School Vic-Rudnik, Ljubljana, Slovenia while studying jazz drums at the High school of Music in Ljubljana. He continued his studies at Prins Claus Conservatorium (Groningen, Netherlands) and has won music competitions in Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. He studied in New York and played in the Anneguus Teerhuis trio that won the YPF Piano Jazz competition, with festival performances around Holland and a recording as a result. He is also a composer and a film director who has won prizes for his short films. www.kristijankrajncan.com
Geir Lysne (Norway – Sax) is a composer, musician and conductor who lives near Oslo, Norway. He was educated at the Norwegian Academy of Music with jazz saxophone and composition as main subjects and has become a leading Scandinavian composer with numerous awards and grants to his name including a “Norwegian Grammy”. His focus is on Big Bands and Wind Ensembles as well as classical orchestras and he has worked with orchestras such as the NDR Radio Big Band, the Hessischer Rundfunk Big Band, Kluevers Big Band in Denmark, and the Norwegian Wind Ensemble. His compositions have been played on radio and TV in over 30 countries. He teaches at the University of Oslo as a lecturer and teacher of Jazz. www.lysne.no
Stig Naur (Denmark – Sax) has a Master in Music from the Danish Rhythmic Music Conservatory. He has been teaching young teenagers and producing music for 13 years in a professional studio. Stig has been used as a sideman on several recordings and has conducted Big Bands for some years. He was one of the four founders of WonderBrazz in 1998, inspired by Sousaphone player Matt Perrine from New Orleans. He is the owner and founder of the Empata school, which is a school for young people with learning disabilities such as ADHD, Autism and OCD and specialises in expressing yourself and the unspoken through symbolic language like music, movies, poetry and art.
Ottar Nesje (Norway – Percussion) has his Masters degree in Music from the Institute of Music at the University of Oslo and works as a freelance musician, cultural programme co-ordinator and educator. The list of artists with whom he has recorded, toured and appeared on TV with include The Oslo Gospel Choir, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Anja Garbarek, Øystein Sevåg and many more. Ottar has been involved a very interesting university project about how children possess - and how adults seem to lose - the natural ability to improvise.
Steinar Nickelsen (Norway – Organ) studied at the Music Academy in Oslo, at IACP in Paris, at the Jazz Department and Church Department in Trondheim, Norway, and moved to Denmark in 2004 to follow the soloist program at the Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen. He is currently working as a musician in Shanghai. Steinar won the prize for "Young Norwegian jazz musicians 2002" with the trio "Solid!" and toured Norway. Solid! also won the Getxo competition in Spain in 2003. In 2007 he debuted as a leader with the release "Nickelsen Trio, Mis en bouteille à New York". Although the Hammond B3 organ is his main instrument, he also plays a variety of other keyboards, and plays in different genres, from church organ music to jazz. www.myspace.com/steinarnickelsen
Fredrik Norén (Sweden – Trumpet), the conductor and organiser of the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra and the Blue Note Sextet, received his Masters in Music at the Royal Conservatory of Stockholm. He was the Scandinavian representative on the International Association of Jazz Education, is a busy freelance jazz artist throughout Europe and also the director of the youth programme for the Swedish Jazz Federation. An experienced artist, his style has taken its place among other legends of jazz as he continues to participate in the education of younger artists. Through his efforts and commitment, the SBNYJF and SJO enjoyed a four-year exchange programme funded by the South African and Swedish governments, and he has done a great deal for the development of youth jazz in South Africa. www.stockholmjazzorchestra.com
Erik Nylander (Sweden – Drums) grew up in Norberg (Västmanland, Sweden) and has been a busy drummer on the Norwegian jazz scene over the past seven years, playing in numerous bands in all sorts of styles such as Ola Kvernberg Trio, Kirsti Huke, Peloton and the Tore Brunborg Trio. www.myspace.com/nylandererik
Bänz Oester (Switzerland – Bass) has been active on the European jazz scene for over 25 years. He is involved in collective projects such as BraffOesterRohrer, WHOTrio with Gerry Hemmingway and Michael Wintsch and as part of a duo with vocalist Andreas Schaerer and he also performs his own solo program. He is an extremely perceptive and profound bassist whose boisterous style one can’t but love. He has worked with jazz greats such as Dewey Redman, Joe Lovano, the Vienna Art Orchestra, Michael Brecker, Chris Potter, Marc Johnson, Andy Scherrer, Erik Trufazz and Kurt Rosenwinkel to name a few. He also teaches double bass at the Musikhochoschule (College of Music) in Basel and Luasanne. www.baenzoester.com www.schaerer-oester.com
Ewout Pierreux (Belgium – Piano) studied in Louvain with the famous Dutch pianist Ron Van Rossum and attended master classes with Brad Mehldau, Bobo Stenson, Kenny Werner, Bruce Barth and Bill Carrothers. He leads his own quintet and is a regular sideman in several projects as well as being a composer and arranger. He has played with musicians such as Toots Thielemans, Philippe Aerts, Dre Pallemaerts and Martijn Vink and has performed at several major Belgian and international festivals such as the Gent Jazz Festival, Jazz Middelheim, Gaume Jazz Festival, Jazz Park Kortrijk, Brosella, Marktrock Leuven, Mano Mundo. Cully Jazz Festival (Switzerland) and JazzKif Festival Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). www.ewoutpierreux.com
Andreas Schaerer (Switzerland – voice, mouthpercussion, human sounds) is a singer, vocal acrobat and composer and one of the busiest of Swiss vocalists. He impresses not only with his expressive voice, covering extraordinary bandwidth, but amazes above all by his imaginative use of a seemingly infinite variety of vocal sounds. He tours regularly with various groups., such as his sextet „Hildegard lernt fliegen“, as part of a duo with Bänz Oester, performing his solo programme, or within the framework of the Berner Jazzwerkstatt (Jazz Workshop Bern) which he co-founded in 2007 with Benedikt Reising and Marc Stucki. Amongst many others, he has worked with Bobby McFerrin, Christy Doran, Mattweh Welch, Joe Haider, Peter Rom, Colin Vallon, Nikolay Karageorgiev, Hildegard lernt fliegen and Jan Galega Brönimann. Andreas Schaerer currently works within the scope of a visiting professorship at the University of the Arts Bern as a vocal lecturer. www.andreasschaerer.ch www.schaerer-oester.com
Martin Seidelin (Denmark – Drums/percussion) was educated at the Center for Rytmisk Musik og Bevægelse. He was the head of the music school Den Rytmiske Daghøjskole between 2002 and 2009 and teaches rhythmic training and drums on the music course Intensiv Musik. He has developed a teaching concept for teaching groups in drum set with Thomas Thorsen from the Danish Pedagogic University. He has play with Thorbjørn Risager, Diz Watson, Dale Smith, Babulja, Wonderbrazz and many others.
Vigleik Storaas (Norway – Piano) was born in Bergen, Norway. He graduated from the Conservatory of Trondheim in 1984 and has been performing with leading Norwegian musicians since 1985. He has performed at International Jazz Festivals in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, England, Estonia, China, Indonesia, India, Israel & Russia. He has twice received the Norwegian “Grammy” – “Spellemannsprisen” - as a leader plus being twice nominated. Has been a composer for nearly all the jazz groups he has played with as well as arranging for different big bands and other settings. www.vigleikstoraas.no
Deborah Tanguy (France/SA – Vocals) grew up in Paris where she taught at the Paris Jazz School and won various awards including Young French Jazz Talent in 2002. She lived in South Africa for a few years and this highly talented songstress has the ability to make any audience breathless with her distinctive style. She studied for a Masters degree and taught vocal classes at the South African College of Music (UCT). Her rich sound is the inspiration for many young singers and the pleasure of many audiences. She has returned to Paris where she is again very busy on the music scene. www.myspace.com/dtanguy
Nicolas Thys (Belgium – Bass) graduated in 1994 from the Conservatory in Hilversum (Netherlands), majoring in the electric bass guitar and the double bass with lessons from Dave Holland, Marc Helias and Marc Johnson. He moved to New York for seven years, returning recently to Belgium where he works with several bands. He has received several awards and some of the musicians he has performed with include Lee Konitz, Bill Carrothers, Bart Van Lier, the Metropole Orchestra, Kenny Werner, Simon Nabatov, Marc Ducret and Toots Thielemans. He is a sideman on several CDs and is an excellent composer. www.myspace.com/nicolasthys
Hein van de Geyn (Netherlands – Bass) was classically trained by studying the violin for 15 years and began the double bass in his late teens to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz musician. He finished his classical music education studies at the Tilburg Conservatory and after graduating in jazz from the Rotterdam Conservatory he moved to the US where he played with many great musicians, recorded some albums, and generally learned a lot about the reality of being a jazz musician. In 1983 Hein returned to Holland and established himself as one of the most sought-after bass players in Europe. Hein has been awarded many prizes in his career and in 1996 received the prestigious Prins Bernhard Fonds Music Prize for his importance in the development of European Jazz as well as for his stimulating role as mentor and producer of many young musicians in Holland and abroad. During a sabbatical period spent in South Africa in 2001/2002 Hein started writing his "Comprehensive Bass Method" and this work is rapidly becoming the standard work for the double bass worldwide. In 2008 Hein became the artistic manager of the Rotterdam Jazz Academy. He has toured and recorded extensively with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chet Baker, Lee Konitz and Toots Tielemans, amongst hundreds of others, and has performed on most of the world’s great jazz stages and festivals. He now lives in Cape Town. www.baselinemusic.nl
Lieven Venken (Belgium – Drums) graduated Cum Laude at the jazz department of the Lemmens Institute in Leuven in 1999 and completed his studies with Kees Cranenburg at the Amsterdam Conservatory and later with Billy Hart in New York. After graduation he became one of the most sought-after drummers in the Belgian jazz scene and he then moved to New York in 2002 where he played in different formations. He got the opportunity to participate in the project of Erwin Vann World Sextet with Norma Winstone, Eric Vloeimans, Michael Herr and Stefan Lievestro and divides his time between his home in Harlem, New York, and Belgium, and plays concerts all over the world. www.myspace.com/lievenvenken
Jeroen Vierdag (Holland – Bass) is a very versatile electric- and double bass player who has played with Chris Hinze, Ilse de Lange, Francien van Tuinen, the Ed Verhoeff trio, Tineke Postma and Nueva Manteca. www.ploctones.com/the-band
Carolyn Wilkins (USA – Piano, Vocals) graduated from Oberlin Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music and has been active in the Boston music scene for over 20 years as a performer, educator and composer. Her performance experience includes radio and television appearances with her group SpiritJazz, a concert tour of South America as a Jazz Ambassador for the US State Department, performing with the Pittsburgh Symphony under Andre Previn and in shows featuring Melba Moore, Nancy Wilson and the Fifth Dimension. She has released four critically acclaimed CD's of her original compositions and is an experienced educator. She is currently a Professor of Ensemble at Berklee College and is also is the Music Director for the Jazz Worship Service at the First Church in Cambridge, MA. She joins us as a Fulbright Fellow. www.carolynwilkins.com
Efraïm Trujillo (Holland – Sax) grew up in California, starting with the clarinet and moving on to the saxophone. He has lived in Amsterdam since 1980 where he studied at the Sweelinck Conservatory. The Fonds v/d Scheppende Toonkunst granted him two periods of paid composition work and he has played with numerous musicians - Courtney Pine, Benny Bailey, Steve Williamson, Bootsy Collins - and the Dutch bands Nueva Manteca, Cu Bob City Big Band, John Engels Quartet, Martin van Duinhovens double quartet, Fra Fra Sound, Ramón Valle Quartet and the New Cool Collective. His compositions are released on numerous CDs and he has toured in the US, Jamaica, Tunisia, Malta, Cuba, Senegal, Ghana and South Africa as well as collaborating and recorded with Benny Bailey, Toumani Diabate, Lester Bowie and David Murray. Efraïm is a passionate teacher who has given workshops around the world. www.efraimtrujillo.com