Women of the World (from the Berklee Indian Ensemble), Skyjack and break-out star, Giuliette Price, join the prestigious Journey to Jazz line-up 1 – 5 May in Prince Albert
Cape Town, 22 February 2024 – The second annual Journey to Jazz festival (1-5 May 2024), is shaping up to be a world of fabulous music, right in the cultural capital of the Karoo – Prince Albert – with several new artists added to the previously announced stellar billing.
Artists joining the line-up and set to thrill are:
Being accustomed to presenting her craft in different formats, the much loved and highly respected South African jazz vocalist, pianist, and composer, Thandi Ntuli, who will present a Swiss/SA collab band: “A Million O Clock”, a special ensemble comprising some of the artists she met whilst on her studio residency in Switzerland in 2019. Much like the Art Ensemble project, which she recorded at the Jazzwerkstaat Bern festival, Ntuli and her Swiss band member Benedikt Reising, will be putting together a set of compositions and arrangements curated exclusively for the Journey to Jazz programme.
Women of the World is an exciting unity of voices and part of the Berklee Indian Ensemble that was founded by bandleader Annette Phillip in 2011. “There is a unique power when musicians from different cultural and musical backgrounds make art together with vulnerability and openness in a space that celebrates their similarities and differences,” says Philip.
“The music that gets created in this space comes across viscerally and allows a song in a foreign language to feel completely relatable because of the human connection, making you want to be part of it.” The ensemble for Journey to Jazz comprises: Ayumi Ueda (Japan), Annette Philip (India), Stacy Rene Erenberg (USA) and Heiraza (Turkey) with, Hinako Sato (Japan) on piano and keyboard.
Requiring no introduction to jazz fans in South Africa or in the multiple European cities that welcome them, Skyjack is all set to play at the second Journey to Jazz festival and will be debuting in South Africa, their brand new release entitled: ‘Light Cycle’. According to the album’s description, Light Cycle is a multidimensional creature with a big heart and a powerful imagination. Part sciencefiction adventure, part sentimental journey, ‘Light Cycle’ reconciles expansive cosmic soundscapes with a solid grounding in memory and folklore.
The quintet comprises Marc Stucki (saxophone), Andreas Tschopp (Trombone, Kudu Horn), Kyle Shepherd (piano), Shane Cooper (double bass) and Jonno Sweetman on drums.
In keeping with the festival’s ideal of grooming young talent, the Artistic Director’s choice for 2024, Kyle Shepherd, has selected vocalist and songwriter, Giuliette Price to perform at this year’s Journey to Jazz. Price, who was part of last year’s UCT Little Big Band who played at the inaugural festival, returns to Prince Albert as a bandleader in her own right.
One to watch, Price’s outstanding talent and vocal range will invite festival goers to an evening of brutal honesty, and original music exploring her musical navigation around life, relationships, love, lust, and heartbreak. Price’s music is jazzy and soulful with a touch of “sad boy-bedroom pop”. Giuliette is set to breathe new life into the genre, making it accessible to a wider audience, and is accompanied by an incredible band that includes some of South Africa’s most exciting young talent.
Azuke Ntapane, the CEO of the Prince Albert Community Trust (PACT) remarked: “The first Journey to Jazz was unknown territory for us, we had never staged a music festival of this nature, nor used our youth to help co-produce it. It was an enormous success, which puts us under a little pressure to deliver the second iteration with as much aplomb to match our discerning festivalgoers’ expectations.
“I can safely say that this line-up is outstanding, and I would like to thank Kyle Shepherd and Brenda Sisane, our creative director, for their tireless and joyful efforts in curating this year’s musical offering. Gratitude also to Pro Helvetia who have come on board to support the realisation of our dream of cross-cultural unity through music, with their generous contributions towards Skyjack and Thandi Ntuli’s ensemble.”
Other artists featuring at the 2024 J2J include:
- Afrika Mkhize Quartet (SA)
- Adam Zanolini’s Heliacal Rising of Sothis (USA)
- Cameron Ward (SA)
- Darren English Quartet (SA and USA)
- Giovanni Guidi Trio (Italy/USA)
- UCT Little Big Band (SA)
- The Karoo Jazz Project – Directed by Ramon Alexander (SA)
- Jonathan Rubain en die Koortjies Band (SA).
Being a festival, Journey to Jazz also offers festivalgoers to opportunity to indulge in a variety of supplementary activities including sunrise yoga, guided walks in the Swartberg pass and Wolwekrans, ghost walks etc. Details and ticket prices to be released soon.
Journey to Jazz is produced by PACT, an NGO based in the remote Karoo town of Prince Albert that is focused on youth development – skills and training – as well as job creation. The 2024 J2J will be co-produced by more than 80 youth from Prince Albert, Leeu Gamka and other surrounding areas. All monies raised through Journey to Jazz go towards PACT to ensure it continues to provide for the youth of the town including practical opportunities to apply the skills they learn.
Editor Notes:
SKYJACK (South Africa/Switzerland)
Skyjack is what happens when a heavyweight South African jazz trio meets a pair of Swiss reed and brass masters. Over the course of a decade, this all-star quintet has forged a reputation as an innovative and adventurous force in contemporary African and European jazz. Combining deep grooves with thrilling rides and avant-garde experimentation, Skyjack is a powerhouse both on stage and in the studio.
Light Cycle, released 2 February 2024, is the band’s third recorded outing and documents a seasoned outfit at its most ambitious and accomplished. Featuring compositions from all members of the group, the album is a multidimensional creature with a big heart and a powerful imagination. Part science fiction adventure, part sentimental journey, ‘Light Cycle’ reconciles expansive cosmic soundscapes with a solid grounding in memory and folklore and will make its African debut at the Prince Albert Journey to Jazz festival.
Issued as a double-LP on the As-Shams/The Sun label, Skyjack joins both a catalogue and tradition of ground-breaking South African jazz dating back to the 1970s. The album’s cover features the work of esteemed Cape Town artist Igshaan Adams.
Skyjack members: MARC STUCKI (saxophone), Andreas Tschopp (Trombone, Kudu Horn), Kyle Shepherd (piano), Shane Cooper (double bass) and Jonno Sweetman (drums).
Thandi Ntuli Presents Swiss/SA Collab Band: “A Million O Clock” (South Africa/Switzerland)
Thandi Ntuli negotiates a wide palette of sound and genre which embraces her family lore – a classical singer aunt, after whom she is named; her uncle (Selby Ntuli) who was a member of Afro-rock band Harari; and her grandfather Levi Godlib Ntuli, who fostered among his children a tradition of composing, playing, and singing music together. That tradition lives on and can be experienced in Thandi’s music.
Spanning a 13-year career, Thandi has carved a unique space for herself with her frank-yet-empathetic and vulnerable self-introspection and that of the world, that has birthed a body of work that facilitates our access to our histories, presents and futures. For Thandi, music is community, and community care. Her work is an unapologetic ownership and celebration of all that we are.
Being accustomed to presenting her craft in different formats, the much loved and highly respected South African jazz vocalist, pianist, and composer, will present a special ensemble comprising of some of the artists she met whilst on her studio residency in Switzerland in 2019. Thandi, and her Swiss band member Benedikt Reising will be putting together a set of compositions and arrangements curated exclusively for the Journey to Jazz programme – “A Million O’Clock”. Thandi’s appearance at Journey to Jazz is supported by Pro Helvetia.
Women of the World (India, USA, Turkey, Japan)
A five member, all women group of the Berklee Indian Ensemble, performing as Women of the World, under the leadership of Annette Phillip. Founded in 2011 by Annette, the first Indian musician appointed as a faculty member at Berklee College of Music, the Berklee Indian Ensemble is a world renowned collective, known for its global Indian sound that honours traditions while boldly experimenting with a cross pollination of genres, cultures, and multidisciplinary art forms.
A viral sensation with over 300 million views (accounting for 76% of Berklee’s total YouTube views), the Ensemble was in such high demand globally that it organically transitioned into a professional band in 2021, marking the Ensemble’s ten-year anniversary. This pro entity is led by 11 full-time members representing India, Jordan, Iraq, Is Israel, Nigeria, Indonesia, Norway, the USA, and other regions across the globe.
In a world that is highly divided, Philip sees the band’s function as one of bridge-building; a free-wheeling approach to musical cultures that prioritises the people who make them, rather than the restrictions of genre or form.
Women of the World band members are Ayumi Ueda (Japan), Annette Philip (India), Stacy Rene Erenberg (USA) Heiraza (Turkey) and pianist/keyboardist and her name is Hinako Sato (Japan).
Giuliette Price (South Africa)
Originally from Johannesburg, Giuliette Price wasted no time in making her mark in Cape Town’s jazz scene since her 2021 relocation. Currently in her final year at UCT’s South African College of Music, she’s not only frequently gigging but also fostering community through her role as founder of the ii V I Jazz Jam at Barleycorn Music Club. Giuliette’s performances at esteemed venues like The Blue Room, UCT Jazz Festival at The Baxter Theatre, and Makhanda Standard Bank Jazz Festival have solidified her reputation as a rising jazz star.
As a soloist at the inaugural Journey to Jazz Festival in 2023, Giuliette captivated audiences with the UCT Little Big Band. Now, she’s poised to bring her original project to the Journey to Jazz line-up, aiming to blend jazz harmony with popular music to broaden jazz’s appeal. With her solo project featuring young jazz talents, Giuliette is set to breathe new life into the genre, making it accessible to a wider audience. She’s thrilled to be part of the festival’s line-up and looks forward to sharing her passion for jazz with audiences.