Jazz lovers, join the celebrations! The 25th Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival is just around the corner, and to mark this milestone, Standard Bank is hosting a free concert on 26 September at Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton.
Titled Follow the Blue Note – Jazz in the Square, this concert is the final event in the Follow the Blue Note Series, which has been a lead-up to the main festival.
The concert will be headlined by saxophonist and 2020 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, Sisonke Xonti’s quintet, featuring trombone player, vocalist, lyricist, songwriter, and 2016 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, Siya Makuzeni; the Cape Town-based afro-jazz band Kujenga; and DJ Castro.
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Besides enjoying a great performance, attendees can bring their own jazz instruments and voices to participate in an impromptu jam session.
The Group Head of Sponsorship at Standard Bank, Bonga Sebesho, explained that the “blue note” is a special note in jazz, and the “blue” bank found it fitting to create a series of events leading up to the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival.
“South African audiences are renowned for their enthusiastic participation in live concerts, and these blue note events are about mobilising jazz and music lovers. Jazz on the Square is a way to give music lovers a taste of top-class jazz and to celebrate the festival’s legacy and heritage,” says Sebesho.
The event also aims to boost local businesses at Nelson Mandela Square, which will remain accessible to surrounding restaurants when the area is cordoned off for the concert.
Entry is free and the event will start at 6:00 p.m. at Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton
