Cape Town South Africa - Insider advice for the independent traveller May 2010 Edition
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My Cape Town
Upcoming Events
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CLICK TO READ WHAT DAISY WROTE ABOUT:

Township Touring

Kayaking with Penguins

The Observatory

Quad Biking

Behind the scenes at the Opera

Rob Caskie: Rorke's Drift

Toy Run

Paragliding

Cape Cobra Cars

Kgalema Motlanthe

Ben Zander

Simon's Town Boat Company

Food & Wine Pairing

Polo Farm

Taste of Cape Town

Greenpoint Stadium

The Design Indaba

The J&B Met

Christmas in Cape Town

Excellent Township Restaurant

International Kite Festival

Newlands Cricket Ground

Riding in a Jet Boat

Cape Town Comedy

Flying in a Huey

Diamond Tour

Greenpoint Market

Driving a Ferrari

A Trip on a Luxury Motor Yacht

Diving with Sharks

Riding in a Sidecar

Taking a Champagne Cruise

Abseiling down Table Mountain

Travelling with a baby

Robbie Williams and co.

Riding Harleys

Parents in tow

Winter in Cape Town

Riding on Noordhoek beach

The Old Townhouse

Whales

Driving in Cape Town

 

My Cape Town

Vusi Mahlasela    Photo: Meinrad Heck

I was once reprimanded for talking in Ronnie Scott’s – an earful from none other than beehive-topped Mari Wilson herself.  But, though scarlet with embarrassment at the time, I still feel that the perfect atmosphere for listening to jazz should be like Rick’s Café in Casablanca... a smoky, low buzz with a just streak of rebellion running through it.

In its 11th year and more popular than ever, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival is also dubbed “Africa’s Grandest Gathering”.  But is it really grand?  To take over one of the largest conference centres in the world is an impressive feat.  More than 40 acts, split between African and overseas artists on five stages over two days... 33 000 attendees... accompanying workshops and master classes... a contribution of ¾ of a billion rand to the national economy...  and yet it all felt so easy and laid back. 
 
Attending for the first time this year, I’d been concerned about how it would all work.  I wanted to be able to skip from stage to stage, dipping into and tasting a little bit of everything, lingering where the music grabbed me. 

And I was thrilled to find I could.  It was an eat-as-much-as-you-want jazz buffet, with a little blues, a little folk, acid and smooth, funk and soul, and a lot of piping hot Afro-jazz.  With three indoor stages and two outside, food and drink stalls, shops and a photographic gallery, there was even a good contrast between the crowds who chatted and sang and danced and ate and drank and moved about just as they pleased.

My first glimpse was as I drove on the flyover into town and saw below me a massive screen backing a stage where pianist Stix Hojeng was banging the ivories to the applause of an ever growing audience.  I pressed my foot harder on the accelerator, screeched into a parking space and threaded my way through the crowds to the main stage.

Then Vusi Mahlasela came on stage and blew me away.  Not just for his voice and his guitar playing (and his ability to do the twist while playing – how on earth??) but the emotional response he pulled from the audience.  Not a screaming / crying / bra-throwing kind of reaction but the ululations and shouts of agreement to individual lyrics that for some reason is particularly African. And Mahlasela is a political poet.  His are the messages of unity and an end to poverty etc which can seem trite from Western pop stars, but coming from an African folk and blues and soul star singing to a mainly African audience, it felt earthy and real and I felt honoured to be a part of it.

On the other hand the jazz buffet included a certain amount of cheese – George Benson being the prime candidate.  But that’s fine.  Benson has a huge following in SA and for 10 mins it was fun to be a part of that.  But if his style was more my cup of tea I would have stayed longer and therefore would not have discovered the groovy delights of Marcus Wyatt and Language 12 on the Moses Molelekwa stage.

And then there was Jonathan Butler and Charles Lloyd and Paolo Flores and Toots Thielemans and the Brooklyn Funk Essentials... but it was impossible to see everyone.  And rushing was not an option. The crowds were slow moving but the general mood was so good spirited that I found myself at one point being hugged for being “too tall”.  And I was allowed to talk as much as I wanted. Now that’s my kind of jazz.

Daisy

www.capeconcierge.co.za



Upcoming Events

Highlights for May, selected from  WhatsoninCapeTown.com  - the indispensable guide to all that's happening in Cape Town.   For more events and full details of venues, times, ticket prices etc  check out the website.   Upcoming events include festivals, shows and fairs; music, theatre and dance; rugby and other sporting events; comedy and concerts and exhibitions; celebrations of wine and whiskey, flowers and freedom... bring it on, Cape Town!   

Click here to contact me and find out how you can subscribe to my weekly information service.     

RIEBEEK VALLEY OLIVE FESTIVAL
to 2 May
A feast of wine, art, food and live entertainment with country hospitality.

SPIER CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITION AND SALE
to 14 May
South Africa's largest biennale art exhibition features 101 artists exhibiting 132 art pieces in various media.

CONCERT: ANDRE RIEU
1 May - 3 May
The Dutch violinist, conductor and composer known as the 'King of Waltz' leads a 50-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra in a programme of classical music.

CHARITY "BIG 5" LUNCH
2 May
The 4th annual event features a five-course wine-paired gourmet meal prepared by 5 of SA's leading chefs with live musical performances.

COMEDY: DEKAF
2 May - 31 May
Sivuyise Ngeli laughs at the emergence of the black white man in South Africa - one who can swim, is liked by dogs, didn't vote for Zuma and even listens to Josh Groban.

V&A WATERFRONT WINE AFFAIR 2010
4 May - 7 May
Top Cape wineries showcase over 300 wines alongside gourmet delicacies from award-winning V&A Waterfront restaurants. Other highlights include a wine tasting theatre hosted by the Cape Wine Academy as well as a food and wine boat cruise.

THEATRE: THE UGLY NOO NOO
4 May - 20 May
A one-man physical-theatre performance of Andrew Buckland's award-winning sharp political satire.

CONCERT: SPANDAU BALLET AND ALPHAVILLE
5 May
The British pop band is in Cape Town for their comeback Reformation world tour. They are supported by another famous 80s band, Alphaville, famous for classics such as Big in Japan and Forever Young.

THEATRE: BOEING BOEING
5 May - 5 June
The Broadway and West End hit about an architect in Paris whose attempts to juggle his three flight attendant fiancées are put in jeopardy by the advent of a newer and faster Boeing.

CPO SYMPHONY AUTUMN SEASON: FARIDA BACHAROVA & FRANOIS DU TOIT
6 May
The Russian violinist is joined by SA's most renowned pianist in a performance of works by Kodaly, Mendelssohn and Mahler. Joolz Gale conducts.

POETRY IN MOTION
6 May - 15 May
An artistic representation of ballet interwoven with music and the spoken word with a series of dance vignettes created by well-known choreographers

NIGHTLIFE: PAUL OAKENFOLD
7 May
A dance party with the British DJ and record producer who has worked with the likes of Madonna and Britney Spears.

MUSIC: THE GUGULETHU TENORS
7 May
The world renowned quartet performs opera favourites.

HENRY ROLLINS ON TOUR
8 May
The American author, actor, spoken word artist, human rights activist and former punk band front man presents his anecdotes and observations on life as part of his Frequent Flyer tour.

MUSIC: FRESHLYGROUND
8 May
The hugely popular Afro-pop group launch their new album Radio Africa supported by DJ Toby2shoes.

OLD MUTUAL FREE ENCOUNTERS CONCERT
9 May
Live musical performances by Goldfish, Lira, Freshlyground, Johnny Clegg and Gang of Instrumentals. Bring a picnic.

OPERA: IL VIAGGIO A REIMS
9 May - 15 May
UCT Opera School and Cape Town Opera present Rossini's exuberant coronation comedy with a modern twist as 14 B-list celebrities find themselves stranded in the lobby of an airport hotel.

THE GOOD FOOD AND WINE SHOW
13 May - 16 May
The latest and finest of everything related to the world of food, wine, lifestyle and gourmet travel. This year's event features celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

DINNER AT MAZE RESTAURANT WITH GORDON RAMSAY
14 May
The celebrity gourmet chef prepares a four-course feast of his signature dishes in the restaurant's open-plan kitchen, followed by a Q&A session.

FRANSCHHOEK LITERARY FESTIVAL
14 May - 16 May
South African writers and award-winning international authors interact with audiences at informal talks, readings and discussions in intimate venues in the village centre.

RUGBY: STORMERS V BULLS
15 May
A Super 14 Match. The local boys take on their Gauteng rivals.

CAPE TOWN CONCERT SERIES: KATYA APEKISHEVA
15 May
The Russian pianist, named the London Philharmonic Orchestra`s ‘Soloist of the Year’ in 1996, performs a programme of classical works by Chopin, Grieg, Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky.

COMEDY: WAYNE BRADY - MAKING IT UP
19 May - 20 May
The multi-Emmy Award winning star of Whose Line Is It Anyway returns for a night of stand-up comedy, singing and dancing complete with a three-piece band and a chorus of talented dancers.

STATE ST PETERSBURG MALE BALLET
20 May - 23 May
Valery Michailovsky leads the first all-male Russian ballet ensemble in a repertoire of classical ballets.

THEATRE: SON OF THE WILD
27 May - 30 May
A multimedia stage drama about two ancient San tribes and their struggle to survive in a modern war.

OLD MUTUAL TROPHY WINE SHOW
28 May
SA's most highly reputed wine show.

COMEDY: BAFUNNY BAFUNNY
28 May - 29 May
Top South African comedians share the stage in celebration of the up-coming 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup.

THEATRE: A KOEKSISTER FOR ZUMA
28 May - 11 June
SA's celebrated drag queen activist, Evita Bezuidenhout, reveals the secrets behind the favourite foods of the world's leaders and discusses her thoughts on 'recipes for reconciliation'.

MUSIC: ABDULLAH IBRAHIM AND THE WDR BIG BAND
29 May
The local-born jazz legend together with the Grammy Award-winning band performs compositions from his new CD Bombella.

OPERA: DER ROSENKAVALIER
29 May - 9 June
Strauss' grand opera is a comedy of errors as the daughter of a rich Viennese man falls in love with her suitor's messenger.

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