Jazzathon weekend is finally here so get ready for a jol of note.
The three-day “People’s Festival” is in its 25th year and boasts the cream of the crop of local jazz musicians.
For the first time, the Grand Arena at GrandWest will play host to 13 live performances within 12 hours and feature over 100 musicians including The Little Giants on Friday.
The Jazzathon All-Stars featuring Cameron Ward, Don Vino, Jonathan Rubain and Kyle Shepherd will take to the stage on Saturday, as well as the Cape Jazz Legends.
Under the leadership of George Werner, The Cape Jazz Legends features Tony Cedras (piano/trumpet/bow), Tete Tete Mbambisa (piano), Spencer Mbadu (bass), Alvin Dyers (guitar) and Denver Ferness (drums) with special appearances by Danny Butler and Sylvia Mdunyelwa on vocals.
Other artists on the bill include Virtual Jazz Reality (VJR), Loading Zone, and a star-studded guitar summit curated by Cameron Ward.
On Sunday, in traditional Jazzathon style, the curtain comes down with a spectacular afternoon of gospel, in “Gospel According to Jazzathon”.
Organiser Craig Parks says: “People can juig if they want, there’s enough space.”
“There are gonna be a lot of surprise musicians in the bands, artists I didn’t even know will take part, and this is really heart warming , a lot of favourites .
“I’m happy that people have accepted Jazzathon in this venue, it’s impossible to have it for free again like we did before, because the cost of living is just too high now.
“We promise to make it a wonderful experience.”
MCs for the weekend are Wayne McKay on Friday evening and Clarence Ford will be the host on Saturday.
CCFM presenters will host Gospel According to Jazzathon on Sunday with The Jesus Collective and Gospel TV star Jonathan Rubain.
Two bands have joined the line-up: New Dimensions featuring Clive Fester, Wayne Smith, Onyx Phillips and Bernie Lawrence will play 70s Jazz funk classics to bring some nostalgia to Jazzathon On Friday evening.
Fusion Rhythm from the Congo will set the night on fire with some African rhythms on Saturday from 8pm.
Doors open one hour before the show starts at 7pm on Friday and on Saturday at 2pm for the matinee show, and then at 7pm on Saturday for the evening show and 2pm on Sunday.
There are still some tickets left: R120 for retractable seats, R155 for the floor seats; R290 for the floor retractable seats; weekend passes and R400 for the floor seats weekend pass.
The venue is wheelchair friendly. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.co.za or at their mobile office on site.
JCQ Productions have dedicated the 25th anniversary extravaganza to founding members John Esterhuizen and Quinton Raaff.