Cape Town South Africa

The 2010 Cape Town International Jazz Festival might still be way off in the distant, faintly glimmering future (the date is set for Saturday 03 and Sunday 04 April – coinciding with Easter), but the organisers have already whet our appetites by releasing the line-up of impressive artists who will be performing at the 11^th annual festival.

Although every single performer on the list is exceptionally talented and of a world class calibre, let’s drop the superstar names first and introduce veteran jazz pianist and winner of multiple Grammy Awards, McCoy Tyner. Renowned in the 1960s for playing piano for saxophonist John Coltrane and featuring on many of Coltrane’s recordings, 71-year old Tyner is a prolific recording artist in his own right – having released three CDs in the last two years. He has also been credited for being one of the first jazz musos to reintroduce African rhythms into jazz.

Also gracing the stage at next year’s jazz fest will be jazz violinist Regina Carter and jazz songbird Rachelle Ferrell. But not all the acts will be imported. Part of what has made the festival so successful thus far is its nice blend of international and local acts. Therefore some of our own greats will also hit the stage to represent the homeland and at what has been touted to be the continent’s Grandest Gathering.

South Africans that will be performing include pianist Tete Mbambisa, guitarist and crooner Jonathan Butler, Amanda Tiffan, The Glenn Robertson Jazz Band, Iridium Project, Musa Manzini, Sammy Hartman Project with Robbie Jansen & Ezra Ngcukana, Selaelo Selota, Stix Hojeng and the man otherwise known as “The Voice”, Vusi Mahlasela.

Internationals include US trumpeter Rick Braun, Scottish saxophonist Richard Elliott – both of whom will perform with our own Butler. Toots Thielemans will come out from his native Belgium, Mezzoforte from Iceland will melt our hearts and Michaela Rabitz & Robert Pawlik Quartet will be here from Austria.

The rest of the line-up will be announced at the beginning of 2010. Ticket prices will be R330 for a single day pass and R485 for a weekend pass. Patrons who wish to attend concerts on the Rosies stage will have to pay an additional R25 for every act they wish to see on that stage.

Intellectuals, scribes and readers from all over Africa and the rest of the world are about to descend upon Cape Town for the fourth annual Book Fair.

The Cape Town Book Fair is the largest book related event in sub-Saharan Africa. This year, more than 50 000 visitors are expected to attend the event where 250 exhibitors from across the global publishing industry are going to be showcased.

Despite the international presence, this year’s fair will shine the spotlight on African literature. As host country, South Africa in particular will be well represented. Award-winning South African author André P. Brink will read from Touch, a compilation of essays by leading South African writers.

The fair begins tomorrow, 13 June 2009, and will last until the 16th at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

For more information, visit the event’s official website. 

This year’s first serious winter storm is predicted to strike the Cape this weekend, but luckily for you, we know of at least one place in the Mother City where things will be so sizzling, visitors are bound to forget all about the cold front.

The annual Sexpo is back in town! Generally regarded to be the world’s largest, health, sexuality and lifestyle expo, the 2009 Sexpo kicks off today at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. 

More than 35 000 visitors are expected to attend this year’s event, which is being tagged as "bigger and sexier than ever".

The Good Food and Wine Show is on again from the 24th until the 27th of May 2007. The 24th is a Trade day, so social visitors should only go from the 25th onwards. See many celebrity Chefs battling it out in cookoffs, cooking workshops and more and experience the best that the Cape Winelands has to offer through hundreds of wines available for tasting. Call the HOTLINE: 084 565 0069 for more information. Entrance is R70 for Adults and R30 for children under 12 & pensioners and tickets can be booked at Computicket.

The Cape Town Intenational Jazz Festival is upon us on the 30th and 31st of March 2007. 7 International artists will be performing at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). Aspiring Jazz musicians will also be able to attend Jazz workshops. A Jazz conference will commence on the 29th at the CTICC and as with previous festivals, a free Jazz concert will be performed by various local and international artists at the Green Market Square on Thursday the  29th of March 2007, 17h00 - 22h30. For more information, visit www.capetownjazzfest.com.