Amongst the diverse disciplines required, the musicians showed exceptional talent within the jazz genre, displayed their professional ability and had a good understanding of the jazz idiom. Their ages range from 15 - 34 years.
With the focus firmly on development and education master-classes are conducted by well-known local jazz icons who also form the judging panel. The team this year includes Melanie Scholtz, Keith Tabisher, Andrew Lilley and Kevin Gibson. Project manager is Tarnia van Zitters (Artscape).
Marlene le Roux, director of Artscape Audience Development and Education highlights the importance of nurturing young talent: "This project enables them to become empowered musicians, builds on their already skilled base and provides a platform to demonstrate their art in a professional public environment.
"The project was initiated by Artscape in 2003 as they recognised that there was an enormous amount of raw talent nationally and particularly in Cape Town where there is a jazz tradition. Because most of the musicians did not have the opportunity of music as a subject at school they were unable to read music. The project consequently started out as a developmental programme working with individual jazz musicians.
"The first mentors we worked with were Alvin and Errol Dyers and Charles Louw from the Mamela Project which was based in Manenberg. Sticks Mdidimba (Artscape) was the first project manager. Tomecy (Township Music Education for Children and Youth) based in Gugulethu played an important role in sending their youngsters to the first training programme. Tomecy was founded by the late Joe Mthimka.
"Artscape then contracted Hotep Galeta to investigate a youth jazz ensemble. We then realised that mentorship with the individuals needed a different platform, as the youngsters would go back to their bands as empowered musicians, but the band did not develop with them. For this reason I decided we needed to look at band development and contract well known professional figures in the jazz world that would also be able to teach. Over the years amongst the jazz icons who generously contributed their expertise are Melanie Scholtz, Keith Tabisher, Kevin Gibson, George Werner, Camillo Lombard, Kevin Gibson, Frank
"Paco, Lucas Khumalo, Andrew Lilley, Wesley Rustin, André Swartz and the late Alex van Heerden. All helped grow the project to where it is today."
Melanie Scholtz is head mentor and repertoire advisor and has been involved in the programme for the past four years and says, "What I really love about this project is the process of development. Every year bands are auditioned and we have the incredible privilege of mentoring them. Even though the level, by the time we get to the showcase performance is staggeringly high for semi- and non-professional bands, the project's main aim is to highlight the development and growth of all the bands and mentors involved.
"This year's mentors are Andrew Lilley for piano and brass, Keith Tabisher on guitar, Kevin Gibson on drums and bass and myself on voice. Andrew Lilley works on showing different chord voicings as well as writing parts for all the horns involved in the different bands. Keith Tabisher works on voicings and stylistic correctness for jazz guitar, Kevin Gibson also shares his wealth of knowledge to the drummers as well as finding bass lines for the bass players. Voice wise, I like to work on technique (classical and jazz) as well as writing for a capella ensembles for all the singers to perform together as a vocal piece at the jazz festival.
"Repertoire-wise this year, I have looked to the great American Songbook for inspiration. The music of Rodgers and Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Styne and Cahn and Jerome Kern, provide a great canvas for these young musicians. I have also gone with tunes of these composers that fit the selection of bands. This year, three of the bands have a horn section as well as male vocalists, so I opted for repertoire made famous by the great trumpeters, Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Clifford Brown.
"The aim with the repertoire choice is to teach the tradition of jazz and to inform them of the roots of where most modern pop music comes from and designing it so that they open up their ears and hearts to the jazz tradition."
Several of the bands who participated in the programme are in great demand and playing regularly at gigs both in and out of the Western Cape and include - Incredible Brass from Nyanga East, ESP Fusion from Stellenbosch. Three bands of the 2008 Youth Jazz project had success at the National Jazz Festival in Grahamstown last year. They were South Peninsula High Jazz Combo from Bergvliet, The Settlers High Jazz Combo from Bellville and ESP Fusion. Members of these bands also auditioned and won places in the National Jazz Band and National Big Band: drums percussion and saxophone.
Artscape Youth Jazz Festival takes place this year on Saturday, 6 June 2009 from 15h00 to 18h00 in the Artscape Theatre. The bands will each showcase their work as well as perform with the mentors.
Tickets cost R50. Book through Computicket, Artscape Dial-a-Seat 021 421-7695, Shoprite Checkers outlets and online at www.computicket.com. There are discounts for students and block bookings.
