-HHP visit artist website
Hip Hop Pantsula, also known as HHP, is a lyricist and rapper of epic proportions. In his work, the love that this artist has for funk, soul, pop and traditional African music comes through. Having grown up in a small town in the North West province, HHP spent many years working tirelessly at his solo career, and from about 2004, he started winning different prizes, expanding his fan base beyond South Africa’s borders. In 2008, he earned two accolades at the SAMA for best male solo artist and for best rap album, and has gone on to win countless other South Africa music awards. HHP has shared the stage with international artists such as Snoop Dogg, Jamie Cullum and Angelique Kidjo. Last year he released his most epic album MotswAfrika
-ZAKES BANTWINI visit artist website
Bum Bum is the hit single that has seen former ballet and stage practitioner Zakes Bantwini explode onto the local music. He is described by some as a blend between James Brown, Fela Kuti and other soulful musical influences. Winner of the Best Male Award at the 10th Metro Music Awards last year, Bantwini is currently studying for his degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal while pursuing an active performing and recording schedule. Outside of South Africa, Bantwini has toured in Europe.
-NOUVELLE VAGUE visit artist website
Nouvelle Vague have been touring the world for almost 5 years. With constant killer live reviews, they are currently touring their forth studio album, continuing to thrill audiences around the world. Nouvelle Vague is the marriage of New Wave and Bossa Nova, two incredibly prescient yet improbable musical bedfellows. Their name is a play on words referring simultaneously to their "Frenchness" and "artiness" (the '60s new wave of cult French cinema), the source of their songs (all covers of punk rock, post-punk, and New Wave songs), and their use of '60s Bossa nova-style arrangements.
-ILL SKILLZ visit artist website
Ill Skillz, derived from Ill-Literate-Skill, explores new creative ideas within and outside the hip-hop genre. The band first got together in 2005 in Guguletu, Cape Town, and since then, have fast become known for their electric, raw style of rap and live performance. After South Africa’s only Hip Hop magazine, Hype, ran a feature about the group, their touring schedule took off. Following a performance in Germany, they returned to South Africa, sharing the stage with popular bands such as Slum Village, People Under the Stairs, Travis Mc Coy and others. In 2010, Ill Skillz took part in the groundbreaking 24-Hour Project as a partnership with Redbull music studios. In just 24 hours, they recorded, mixed and launched an album. The second installment of this project in 2011 saw the band perform live in London.
-ATMOSPHERE visit artist website
When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold is the top 200-charting album that set the international popularity of USA band, Atmosphere, in motion. Following a two-year world tour, they returned to their home town Minneapolis to record their 2010 album To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy. Commended for its signature blending voice, bluesy guitar and keyboard, Atmosphere launched The Family Sign earlier this year, describing it as their most personal album yet.
-JEAN GRAE visit artist website
Cape Town-born Jean Grae, daughter of pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, rose to prominence in the underground hip-hop scene in New York. She studied at New York University and then released two albums in two years. Jean has recorded tracks with major hip-hop artists, including Atmosphere. Earlier this year the album Cookies or Comas was released featuring guest appearances from Styles P, Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch.
-GOODLUCK visit artist website
GoodLuck are astonishing South Africans and the world with their unique electro swing. Their distinctive blend of electronic beats with sounds of saxophone, electronic percussion, jazzy vocals, synthesiser and keyboards has been heard is now well known across SA. GoodLuck have performed with Paul Oakenfold, Just Jinjer and others, and also toured as the opening act for Goldfish. Their single Taking It Easy topped both the SA and international charts. Their current single Hop on Hop off was the most played South African song across all radio stations for two weeks running. GoodLuck is now making its musical mark on the international stage.
-THE MOREIRA PROJECT visit artist website
Multi-award winning Moreira Chonguica is a celebrated Cape Town-based musician from Mozambique, where his fame as a funky, hip and happening musician began. A saxophonist, ethnomusicologist, producer and composer, he holds a degree from the UCT, has released his own albums and shared the stage with - and produced for - several top musicians. Chonguica was saxophonist for Afro guitarist Jimmy Dludlu from 1999 to 2004. Last year he attended the inaugural African Leaders Network conference in Ethiopia as an inaugural member alongside top business and financial leaders of the African continent. He leads his own band, the Moreira Project, which comprises some of SA’s hottest young jazz musicians.
-JAMES INGRAM visit artist website
Music icon, multi GRAMMY? award winner and Oscar nominee James Ingram is a singer, performer, songwriter, composer, arranger and producer. With his funk, soul, R&B, pop, adult contemporary, inspirational and more, he has dazzled the American music scene since the early 1980s. Inspired by Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and others, his connection with Quincy Jones set his career in motion. Many will know him for his album The Dude. He is also a songwriter and performer for a host of world famous stars, notably, for Michael Jackson's hit, Thriller.
-DAVE KOZ with special guest PATTI AUSTIN visit artist website
In a career that spans twenty years and a dozen albums, saxophonist Dave Koz has established himself as one of the most prominent figures in contemporary music. He has a noteworthy body of recorded work and a host of live performances behind his name. His debut album Hello Tomorrow launched last year, features the likes of Jonathan Butler and Ray Parker, amongst others. Raised in Los Angeles, USA, he holds a degree in mass communications yet the saxophone is Koz’s first-love and life-long passion.
Patti Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at age four and fast became a prolific session musician charting some twenty R&B songs between 1969 and 1991. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents. She has featured on the soundtrack for the Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta film, Two of a Kind, and sang the duet It's the Falling in Love with Michael Jackson on his album, Off The Wall. Other duet partners of the R&B star include George Benson, Luther Vandross and Johnny Mathis. In 2008, she awarded her first GRAMMY.
-ZAHARA visit artist website
Born and raised in the Eastern Cape, Zahara, born Bulelwa Mkuthukana, grew up in humble surroundings. She discovered her love for the stage at school and her love for singing at Sunday school. Later she became lead singer of a church worship team, capturing congregations with her soulful voice. On completing school, unable to find employment Zahara picked up a dusty guitar and started to sing and compose, performing where ever she could the while. Last year, CEO of TS Records TK Nciza spotted her performing at an East London club. Later that year, Zahara featured on a live DVD performing the song Loliwe, which is also the name of her first album. Described as “a breath of fresh air”, she recently performed with Shante Moore.
-MARCUS MILLER visit artist website
Marcus Miller is best known as a bassist working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career. Miller has won numerous Grammy Awards as a producer for Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chaka Khan and Wayne Shorter. He won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1992, for Luther Vandross' "Power of Love" and in 2001 he won for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his fourth solo instrumental album, M2. He currently has his own band. In 1997 he played bass and bass clarinet in a band called Legends, featuring Eric Clapton (guitars and vocals), Joe Sample (piano), David Sanborn (alto sax) and Steve Gadd (drums). As a composer he has written for both Miles Davis and Luther Vandross.
-HUGH MASEKELA & SPECIAL GUESTS "CELEBRATE MAMA AFRIKA" visit artist website
Legendary trumpeter and bandleader Hugh Masekela, will team up with three of South Africa's most acclaimed vocalists to present a musical tribute to the great African songbird Miriam Makeba. With Masekela acting as musical director and the combined voices of Vusi Mahlasela, Thandiswa Mazwai, and Zolani Mahola (Freshly Ground) this unique tribute show originally made its debut at the Rio Loco Festival in Toulouse, France in June 2010, and was rapturously acclaimed by the French public and media. Covering Makeba classics like "Soweto blues", "meet me at the river", and of course "pata pata" amongst others, this revue has also wowed audiences in Barcelona, London and Berlin and is now set to make it's South African debut at the CT IJF 2012 edition. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to catch the musical legacy of Miriam Makeba as presented by Masekela, Mahlasela, Mazwai & Mahola.
-ZAMAJOBE visit artist website
Zamajobe Sithole’s incredible talent first emerged at the 2003 Idols contest and since then, she has continued to wow the SA music scene with her astonishing voice. She has won a series of SAMA awards and also represented SA at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon. Coupled with her vocal prowess, Zamajobe has fast become an accomplished song writer. Her debut release Ndawo Yami reveals her sophisticated singing, performing and song writing talents, as well as her deep grounding in African soil. She cites her preacher, Pastor Benjamin Dube, as a significant influence on her move into music.
-HERBIE TSOAELI visit artist website
For two decades South African jazz audiences have been grooving and swinging to Herbie Tsoaeli’s extraordinary jazz music which combines double bass and voice. He is loved in jazz circles for his improvisation and as a proponent of the free-jazz ethic. He has lent his distinctive sound to over 20 albums in South Africa and has played alongside Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Sibongile Khumalo, Louis Moholo, Abdullah Ibrahim, Simphiwe Dana and Moses Molelekwa, to name but a few. He has been billed as a “ghetto-bred jazz master who has earned his place amongst the truly gifted”.
-DOROTHY MASUKU visit artist website
Singer, composer and international icon, Dorothy Masuku, made her debut in the revolutionary 1950’s. Born in Zimbabwe, she spent her formative years in South Africa and was swept up by the music scene at a young age. She performed in the travelling road show African Jazz and Variety and in the broadway style musical King Kong, one of the biggest hits in the 1950s. Masuku spent 31 years in exile, returning to South Africa when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. She composed many of Miriam Makeba’s songs that rose to fame, such as the world famous Pata Pata. Her latest album Mzilikazi updates the 1950s South African jazz style with sophisticated contemporary arrangements.
-ADAM GLASSER visit artist website
Introduced to jazz at an early age by his father, Adam Glasser studied jazz piano in South Africa in the 1970s. He moved to London where he became a regular keyboard player on the commercial jazz circuit, performing with musicians such as Martha Reeves and Jimmy Witherspoon. In 1990, he was the pianist and musical director of the Manhattan Brothers who had re-formed for a massive Wembley Stadium concert celebrating the release of Mandela. This lead to a 16-year stint of high profile gigs and concerts, many of these associated with great South African figures and musicians. During this time, Glasser began to master the rarely-played chromatic harmonica, leading to his participation in various albums, films and performances, some of these with stars such as Stevie Wonder, Sting and the Eurythmics. Glasser’s prowess on the harmonica has seen him perform at top venues across London. The year 2010 was a pivotal year for Glasser as a South African: his first CD Free at First, produced in 2009, earned him a SAMA for Best Contemporary Jazz Album; the Adam Glasser Quartet performed in South Africa to wide acclaim; and he recorded a jazz album Mzansi with South Africa musicians, which received rave reviews across South Africa and across the world.
-PATTI AUSTIN TRIO visit artist website
Patti Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at age four and fast became a prolific session musician charting some twenty R&B songs between 1969 and 1991. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents. She has featured on the soundtrack for the Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta film, Two of a Kind, and sang the duet It's the Falling in Love with Michael Jackson on his album, Off The Wall. Other duet partners of the R&B star include George Benson, Luther Vandross and Johnny Mathis. In 2008, fifty-three years after getting her first record contract, Patti Austin was awarded her first Grammy, winning Best Jazz Vocal Album for Avant Gershwin at the 50th annual Grammy Awards. The award came for her ninth nomination in that category.
-KEVIN MAHOGANY visit artist website
Newsweek describes him as "The standout jazz vocalist of his generation” and the LA Times has written that “Mahogany is one of the first truly gifted male vocalists to emerge in years”. With eleven CD's as a leader, and numerous others as a sideman, Kevin Mahogany has proved to be the quintessential jazz vocalist. A graduate from Baker University, Mahogany has focused his career on being a jazz vocalist in the style of Joe Williams with a gift for bebop, ballads, blues, and swinging jazz. He currently runs his own label called Mahogany Jazz.
-THE ANDRE PETERSEN QUINTET featuring MARCUS STRICKLAND visit artist website
Award-winning pianist, composer and educator, the music of Andre Peterson captures his strong sense of post-apartheid South Africa. He holds a masters degree from the Lemmens Institute (Belgium) and is one of South Africa's most sought after jazz pianists. Petersen was the only African pianist in the 2010 Martial Solal International Jazz Piano Competition in Paris and has a host of other accolades behind his name ? a SAMRO award, the 2010 Oppenheimer Scholarship, the 2010 Music Development Trust Award, and this year, the Vuya Foundation Scholarship. The Andre Petersen Quintet is a seasoned mixture of experienced and gifted bandleaders, composers and musicians ? New York saxophonist Marcus Strickland, bassist Reggie Washington, percussionist Dre Pallemaerts and vocalist Chantal Willie have all worked with the world’s best.
-DONALD HARRISON, RON CARTER AND LENNY WHITE visit artist website
Donald Harrison is a celebrated jazz saxophonist, composer and teacher. He trained at the Orleans Center for the Creative Arts and then at the Berklee College of Music. In the early 1990s, he began engaging his New Orleans musical heritage on a large scale, releasing album after album, year after year, and teaming up with top musos the while. The King of Nouveau Swing issued his landmark Spirits of Congo Square album in 2000 which he recorded with his New Orleans Legacy Ensemble. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 saw many musicians flee New Orleans, but Harrison kept the musical flame alive in the city, releasing his album Survivor in 2006. Harrison continues to compose, perform and teach, occasionally starting in a local television show – as himself.
Ron Carter is among the most prolific and influential bassists in jazz. With more than 2 000 albums to his credit, he has recorded with greats like Tommy Flanagan and B.B. King and performed throughout the USA and Europe. Carter, who has won several prestigious Jazz awards including a GRAMMY? was a member of the acclaimed Miles Davis Quintet from 1963 – 1968. He holds a masters degree in double bass from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, which also conferred an honorary doctorate on him. Carter has held the prestigious position of Artistic Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies and is now Professor Emeritus while remaining highly active as a performer.
Lenny White, a self-taught, left-handed drummer on a right-handed kit, studied in New York and first started playing with Jackie McLean in the late 1960s. In 1969, he first appeared on Miles Davis' historic recording on Bitches' Brew. In 1970 he played with Freddie Hubbard before joining Corea's Return to Forever band with whom he recorded a number of award-winning albums. In 1978, he switched to the Elektra group, and later joining the Jamaica Boys. White has played with several top international artists, including Miles Davis.
-HASSAN’ADAS visit artist website
John Hassan leads this newly-formed group on percussion, vocals and acoustic guitar. Hassan’adas blends original African rhythms and sounds to “make music that people can listen and dance to”. Hassan has shared the stage with musical greats including Stimela, Hugh Masekela, Jimmy Dludlu, Simply Red, Sibongile Khumalo as well as Brenda Fassie and Miriam Makeba. Other band members include Congo-born Kissangwe Junior Mbouta (drums and vocals), Nathan Carolus (guitar and backing vocals) and Lucas Khumalo (bass and backing vocals) who have all played an recorded with prominent South African musicians
-THIRD WORLD BAND visit artist website
Third World Band is one of Jamaica’s longest-running and diverse reggae bands, formed in 1973 by guitarist, cellist and singer Stephen ‘Cat’ Core. The band has opened for the Jackson Five, Bob Marley and The Wailers and released 23 albums. Numbers in more recent albums incorporate computerised dancehall, DJ grooves and hip-hop into the reggae sounds, to great acclaim amongst Third World Bands international fan base. In 2004, to commemorate 30 years together, Third World Band launched their now annual Third World and Friends concert in Jamaica. In 1986, they received the United Sates Peace Medal and in 1996, the Jamaica Music Industry awarded them best show band for the second time.
-ALLEN STONE visit artist website
It was less the frequent community gatherings and church choir performances in small town America and more the influences of soul music greats Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin that inspired Allen Stone’s entry into a professional music career. He has sold-out tour dates across America under his belt. He has received rave reviews from the Washington Post and the New York Times. At just 24 years old, Stone is known for his finely crafted evocative songs and a fresh, smooth, soul-filled voice.
-GABRIEL TCHIEMA visit artist website
Angolan-born Gabriel Tchiema cites his main musical influences as Afro jazz, Afro fusion and Tchianda. His music career began in the Angolan army where he co-founded the band ASP, which won several prizes at Angolan military festivals. Tchiema released his first album in 1998 and his second, Azwlula, ten years later. Tchiema is considered one of Angola’s most prominent artists.
-LINDIWE SUTTLE visit artist website
Lindiwe Suttle started out in the fashion industry, styling artists like Beyonce and Ciara. Her incredible voice and sense of style soon saw her take the limelight herself as a performance artist, singer and songwriter. In South Africa, she has performed at prestigious events and alongside well known musicians. Suttle’s music career took off in 2008 as the lead singer of jazz-hip-hop band The Collective Imagination. The next year she launched her solo career and while performing at various gigs across Cape Town Suttle was spotted by German music legend Marius Mueller-Westernhagen. This meeting lead to a musical collaboration which produced music that blends Suttle’s soulful voice with contemporary Berlin electronic sounds. Her first single, Man Made Moon, was premiered at the FIFA World Cup concert in Cape Town in 2010. Her first album Kamikaze Art, which she wrote and recorded in Germany, will be released this year.
-UNATHI visit artist website
Performing for the United Nations delegates Unathi evoked such strong emotions that legendary producer Quincy Jones gave her a standing ovation and proceeded to join her on stage during her performance to sing her praises. She has shared the stage with international greats such John Legend and Yossou Ndou. Over the years she has collected a string of accolades including two awards at the Metro FM Music Awards, two nominations at the South African Music awards. Her most recent accolades, being voted as South Africa’s Best Female at the Annual Metro FM Music Awards and nominated for Best Urban Pop Album at the MTN SAMA’s.
-MIKE STERN AND DAVID WECKL visit artist website
Mike Stern
In a career that spans three decades and a discography that includes more than a dozen eclectic and innovative recordings, six-time GRAMMY? nominee Mike Stern has established himself as one of the premier jazz and jazz-fusion guitarists and composers of his generation. Born in Boston in January 1953, he studied the Berklee College of Music and at the age of 22, played guitar with popular group, Blood, Sweat & Tears. Since his earliest recordings, this former band mate of Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius, Billy Cobham and other high-profile innovators has grafted elements of rock, blues, soul and more to his solid jazz foundations. In 2009, his album Big Neighborhood was nominated for a GRAMMY.
Dave Weckl
US-born drummer, Dave Weckl, has been drumming since the age of eight. His cutting-edge technique and innovative use of electronic and acoustic drums has brought him world recognition. Dave was recognised by the Modern Drummer magazine as "one of the 25 best drummers of all time." After his first major break, thanks to drumming great Peter Erskine, he played for the 1983 Simon and Garfunkel reunion tour. Since then, he has performed alongside artists as George Benson, Peabo Bryson, Diana Ross and Chick Corea.
-ALEXANDER SINTON HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ BAND visit artist website
Inspired and mentored by some of SA’s jazz greats, the Cape Town-based Alexander Sinton Jazz High School Jazz Band has shot up from an enthusiastic UCT student jazz group to a well-known 14-piece ensemble. The band’s first gig was at the Turf Hall Soft Ball Stadium in Athlone, Cape Town, in 2008. Since then, they have broadcast on local radio stations, performed at major music and arts festivals and travelled internationally. The group has shared the stage with the likes of Jimmy Dludlu, Gloria Bosman, Errol Dyers and George Werner.
-VIRTUAL JAZZ REALITY (VJR) visit artist website
Established in 1993, VJR has performed throughout Africa, USA and Dubai becoming acclaimed for its comprehensive jazz repertoire. They have worked with artists such as Pavarotti, Jonathan Butler, Shirley Bassey, Liberache, Bono, Anastasia, Shakatak and many more.VJR have composed over 100 original numbers, some reaching the top of the jazz charts. Individually, the VJR band members are top in their fields as bandleaders, studio musicians, performers, teachers and composers.
-STEVE DYER visit artist website
Born and raised in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, Steve Dyer was influenced by a range of music from an early age, from the great classical masters to Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. He left South Africa during apartheid, settling in Botswana where he encountered the exile sounds of Jonas Gwangwa and Hugh Masekela, while steeping himself in the music of eminent saxophonists such as John Coltrane. In the late 1980s Dyer formed the group Southern Freeway, while living in Zimbabwe. Back in post-apartheid South Africa, he directed the Soweto String quartet for an international tour, and went on to create southern Africa’s first substantive music collaboration. Since 2000, Dyer has released four solo albums, composed for and performed with top African dance companies, and in 2010, he composed the first African concerto for saxophone.
-SOPHIA FOSTER visit artist website
Sophia Foster’s unique talent at transcending all boundaries of music has secured her a place as one of South Africa’s top divas of song. As a young performer she faced the atrocities of apartheid, but went on to become one of South Africa’s pioneers and much loved ‘sisters of song’. Foster has performed internationally and at home for the past four decades. Having starred in various musical extravaganzas, it is her one woman shows that have earned Foster her greatest acclaim. Hey Sister, a tribute to jazz and blues greats, saw her wow audiences at the Grahamstown Arts Festival and then internationally. Other one woman shows include Too Hot to Handle and Nancy’s Dues, a tribute to the great Miss Nancy Wilson. While Foster’s singing talents have been compared to those of Billy Holiday, Lena Horn and Shirley Bassey, she is celebrated for her unique, sophisticated energetic style.
-XIA JIA TRIO visit artist website
The Xia Jia Trio features jazz pianist Xia Jia, bassist Zhang Ke and drummer Izumi Koga and perform mainly Jia’s compositions. Their music is founded in classical jazz, and while incorporating contemporary and Chinese musical themes, it retains a distinctly oriental character. The Trio began first began performing at Beijing’s only live jazz house in 2009. Jia holds a music degree from the Eastman School of Music in New York, and has played with top jazz musicians like Ryan Kisor and Willie Jones. Last year, he performed with Italian master jazz pianist Danilo Rea in Rome. Bassist Zhang Ke is a top performer on the Beijing jazz circuit while drummer Izumi Koga, who holds a jazz percussion music degree from Berklee in the USA, is a celebrated jazz teacher and performer in China.
-VICTOR KULA visit artist website
Victor Kula started out in the 1960s playing guitar for both pop and RnB bands in Cape Town. In the 1970s, influenced by the likes of Grover Washington and local great, Winston ‘Mankunku’ Ngozi, Kula switched to the tenor and soprano saxophone. In the 1980s, he performed in the first performance of the applauded South African struggle musical, District 6. During this time, he fulfilled his long life dream of recording with music icon Winston ‘Mankunku’ Ngozi. Kula went on to tour in the United States, across South America as well as in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. He is currently musical director for the Lagunya Band, a popular township big band.
-ALFREDO RODRIGUEZ visit artist website
Born in Havana, Cuba, pianist and composer Alfredo Rodriguez launched his career at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 2006, when he was spotted by producer Quincy Jones. At just 25, the now USA-based star has performed at top jazz festivals across the globe. Last year, his composition Better City, Better Life was selected official theme song of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Alfedo recently launched his debut album with Quincy Jones.
-JASON REOLON TRIO visit artist website
Jason Reolon, founder of the Jason Reolon Trio and renowned SA jazz Group, Breakfast Included, holds a degree and lecturing post at the University of Cape Town Jazz department. Jason's father Bobby Gien, was the drummer in the Ronnie Scott Trio in the 1970's. As a jazz pianist and composer, Reolon is well known for his groovy, soulful style. A SAMRO Jazz Piano award took him to the USA, an experience which had a significant impact on his work. Upon returning, he collaborated with local and international artists, forming the Jason Reolon Trio as well as the Restless Natives group. His work was performed at the Loerie Advertising Awards, he worked as pianist for South African singing legend Vicky Sampson and more recently, performed as keyboardist for Justin Bergh. Last year, he performed in the opening support act for Bryan Adams.
-DAVID SANCHEZ AND LIONEL LOUEKE visit artist website
David Sanchez hails from Puerto Rico and is an internationally acclaimed 2005 GRAMMY?-winning jazz tenor saxophonist. His early influences range from Afro-Caribbean to danza, and European to Latin classical. Dave found a trusted mentor in the Dizzy Gillespie who had a profound impact on his career. He also travelled the world with Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra. Since then he has toured with the Philip Morris SuperBand and several others, released seven albums and maintained his passion for teaching.
Lionel Loueke - After his initial to exposure to jazz in Benin and then the Ivory Coast, Loueke left Africa in 1994 to pursue jazz studies in Paris, after which he went to the USA on a scholarship and graduated from the Berklee College of Music. He was accepted to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles where he studied with his greatest mentors - Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Terence Blanchard. Hancock praised him as "a musical painter". He fast became an influential force on the world jazz stage, performing with the likes of Angelique Kidjo. Loueke’s music expresses his deep knowledge of Africa.