SA: Joy of Jazz 2018 opens with Hugh Masekela tribute

The festival, which is in its 21st edition, tailored its programme to honour the award-winning icon whose music played a pivotal role in the country’s socio-political landscape. Masekela died in January after battling prostate cancer for some time.

The event was packed with local and visiting jazz lovers who thronged the Dinaledi Stage to experience live music from The Horn Summit (SA), Cassandra Wilson (US) and David Sanborn (US). The Horn Summit, an ensemble comprising local jazz artists, was the first to grace the stage with a captivating performance. The group – which features Phu2ma Tiso, Percy Mbonani, Sydney Mavundla, Lwanda Gogana, Fana Zulu, Leeroy Sauls and Cameron Ward, among others – took the crowd down memory lane by performing Masekela's unforgettable songs.

The Horn Summit started off with ‘Stimela’ (Coal Train), an anti-apartheid song released in 1994 that speaks of the migrant labour system in South Africa's mines. The band also played ‘Market Place’ and ‘Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela)'.

The JOJ organisers used the first night of the festival to exhibit photographs of Masekela’s long career in jazz and activism. The Horn Summit performance was touching and thrilling and the group managed to connect the audience with Masekela's legacy. People could be heard singing along and clapping their hands in approval.

Enter Cassandra Wilson and David Sanborn

Wilson got a standing ovation when she took to the stage. The visibly jovial singer grabbed the microphone, smiled and welcomed the audience. Wilson is an artist who can make the smallest gesture resonate with meaning. She communicated animatedly with her band and the audience, which often responded in laughter.

Wilson’s vocal inflections, lyrical phrasing, stage presence and atmospheric energy charmed the audience. Her performance also attested to the transformative nature of her art, which seems capable of adapting itself to any context. She performed various songs from memorable films, which the audience easily connected with.

Saxophonist David Sanborn hit the stage with an energetic show from all members in his band, who took turns to showcase their skills. Sanborn opened the show with Stevie Wonder's ‘Another Star’, which was followed by ‘Maputo’ off his 1986 Grammy-winning album Double Vision. The six-time Grammy winner delivered an impressive show, his powerful presence making people forget that the weekend hadn’t arrived yet, with some fans dancing until the early hours of Friday morning.

Masekela remembered

As part of this year's JOJ festival, the organisers also paid tribute to Masekela by including an exhibition at the venue in honour to the trumpeter's invaluable contribution to jazz. The exhibition features an arrayof portraits, Masekela's horns and vinyls of the maestro's many albums. Named after his last album No Borders, the installation portrays the famous musician's artistic journey – one that was expansive, prodigious, creative and global. It illuminates his infinite love affair with music and humanity.

The 2018 Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival continues into the weekend. Tickets are available via the official JOJ website.