Legendary South African composer Todd Matshikiza will be spotlighted in two webinars during the festival. In Milestones: The Todd Matshikza Centenary, veteran South African journalist Sam Mathe will discuss the life and career of legendary composer Todd Matshikiza with Dr Lindelwa Dalamba (Wits University), Dr Sazi Dlamini (University of KwaZulu-Natal), Ms Nomfundo Xaluva (University of Cape Town) and Dr Carol Muller (University of Pennsylvania).
South African Jazz: Connecting the Tradition is the theme for an online festival that will be presented on Tuesday 27 April as a partnership project of the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Arts & Culture at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music at UKZN, and the South African Association for Jazz Education.
The theme is inspired by a broad conference topic, Does Jazz Matter?, which would have been hosted by the South African Association for Jazz Education later this year, but which had to be cancelled because of the national lockdowns. The one-day free to attend online mini- festival will be presented to mark the global Jazz Appreciation Month celebrations.
Jazz Appreciation Month (fondly known as “JAM”) is a global event held in April every month to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. JAM is intended to stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz – to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radio and recordings, read books about jazz, and more.
About Centre for Creative Art
The 25-year-old Centre for Creative Arts is located in the School of Arts in the College of Humanities at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. The Centre is renowned for presenting its four festivals, the Time of the Writer festival, JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Festival, Durban International Film Festival and the Poetry Africa Festival. The Centre for Creative Arts.
The Centre’s leadership role in presenting festivals, seminars, workshops and public events provide platforms for celebrations of the arts as well as being a platform for provocation and social change. The Centre for the Creative Arts is a champion for democracy, human rights, social justice, creative education and access to the arts for all.
https://cca.ukzn.ac.za/
About UJ Arts & Culture
UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA), produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.
In addition to UJ Arts & Culture, FADA (www.uj.ac.za/fada) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines, in Art, Design and Architecture, as well as playing home to the NRF SARChI Chair in South African Art & Visual Culture, and the Visual Identities in Art & Design Research Centre. The Faculty has a strong focus on sustainability and relevance, and engages actively with the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Johannesburg in imagining new approaches to art and design education.
https://arts.uj.ac.za/
About South African Association for Jazz Education
The South African Association for Jazz Education is a non-profit organisation which promotes jazz and jazz education in Southern Africa. The main aims of SAJE are to build the jazz arts community by advancing education and research, to promote skills development and performance, and to develop new audiences. To this end, SAJE presents annual conferences, festivals, masterclasses, workshops and international collaborations which promote and celebrate jazz and jazz education in Southern Africa.
About The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music
The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music is a facility within the School of the Performing Arts at UKZN that fosters the goals of social cohesion and promotes jazz and jazz education as a multicultural art form that is inclusive and diverse. CJPM was established in 1989 and is a performance venue with an established weekly concert program going back to its inception. It has hosted musicians from across the globe, and seeks to actively connect musicians, educators, students, industry professionals, alumni and media by organizing and facilitating performances, conferences, workshops, outreach events, exchange programs and partnerships. Jazz Appreciation Month is a highlight of the CJPM calendar and represents an intense period of activity for our jazz students and staff.
https://music.ukzn.ac.za/facilities/centre-for-jazz-and-popular-music
Audience Responses
I was very disappointed by the generality of most of the initial contributions, with the exception of the perceptive observations of the lecturer from Wits so I’m afraid I didn’t stay online for very long..
Yvonne • Attended April 27, 2021, 1 p.m.
3.0
Interesting that panelists (and perhaps listeners) didn’t know much about Matshikiza life/background other than the legacy he left with King Kong. Perhaps researchers need to come to the forum, or at least, come with material about the man
Carol • Attended April 27, 2021, 1 p.m.
3.0
Great effort
Beverley • Attended April 27, 2021, 1 p.m.
4.0
missed hearing some of the music he composed
Louise • Attended April 27, 2021, 1 p.m.
4.0
4
Myra • Attended April 27, 2021, 1 p.m.