MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Jazz Festival Opens Today

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Nelson Mandela Bay boasts a past and history engrained in the legacy of jazz appreciation and jazz culture. Many point this to the earliest developments of Port Elizabeth as a port city, bustling with activities around life at the harbour. One of the legends about the city claim the name “Friendly City” owes its origin to the fact that visiting ships found warmth of the city ladies unparalleled and could not hold their admiration thus honouring the city as the Friendly City.

Jazz appreciation and culture grew on the back of this exposure to trade around the harbour more over focusing on wool. The other injection was the very death of the city’s port business hegemony after the London Market crash. The wool business in the city relied heavily on the investment of London business moguls. Just at about the same time there was discovery of diamonds in Kimberly. The Cape Town Big brother issue ensured that our city is suppressed. The headquarters of Cape Administration and determinations of the laws was determined in Cape Town. To meet the demands of diamond international trade Capetonians, who by distance are far from Kimberly, compared to PE, frustrated PE by approving budgets to improve their roads whilst denying the same opportunity to PE. We lost out on competing as the Port for diamond trade. However “The Cats” of the time, in adaptation got involved in diamond smuggling. They got to rub shoulders with other Cats Sophiatown, which had strong American culture. With all the resonance, reminiscence and longing for long lost slave brothers, we embraced their imagery and carefree nature of the freed-slaves posture. Jazz became part of our lives, in style and expression.

The embrace of Jazz by locals left a dilemma which everyone has avoided to answer. Is PE embracing Jazz as culture to add value to the growth of Jazz? Or do we embrace Jazz as a social status to differentiate oneself from the rest? The response to this set of questions will point us to another question which seeks to know: Why have we all along fail to have a Jazz Festival in the city despite boasting unparalleled heritage of legends like Lex Futshane, Feya Faku, Zim Ngqawana, Lulu Gontsana, Vuyelwa Qwesha, Dudu Pukwana, Pat Pasha. No one will blame us for owning our neighbours in Andile Yenana, Tete Mbambisa, Johnny Dyani, Mongezi Feza.

On Day 1 of the festival 24 November Sizwe Yaze opens followed by the much loved Dumza Maswana and our headliner of the evening revered Bassist Lex Futshane. Day 2 will be opened by pianist John Edwards followed by Temba Ncetani with Andile Yenana closing off the festival.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

DATES : 24 & 25 November 2017
TIME : 19:00
VENUE : The Opera House, Main Stage
FEE : R150.00 Day Pass | R200.00 two Day Pass |R750 Gold VIP |R1000 Platinum VIP

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.