By JOWIT SALUSEKI –
US guitarist and jazz legend Earl Klugh says musicians should take time to compose songs which are aimed at uniting people.
Speaking at a Press briefing at Lusaka’s Pamodzi Hotel on Wednesday, Klugh said musicians are ambassadors of peace and unity and hence they should compose lyrics which can foster unity among different ethnic groups.
. Klugh
The jazz maestro who is in the country for the second edition of the International Stanbic Jazz Festival said artistes should also learn to perform live music and not depend on playbacks.
He urged upcoming artistes in Zambia to learn the ropes of music from veteran musicians of yesteryears who played their music without relying on computers so that their followers can appreciate their work.
“I have travelled throughout the world and come to appreciate that music is a universal language,” Klugh said.
Earl Klugh, who was flanked by four of his band members, promised a flawless and splendid show tonight and tomorrow.
Meanwhile, jazz lovers will today and tomorrow be treated to the very best of the genre during this year’s second edition of the International Stanbic Jazz Festival to be held at Levy Mall’s Misty Jazz restaurant in Lusaka.
With a career spanning over 30 years, American Grammy Award nomination legendary Earl Klugh is the main headlining performer while Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi and South Africa’s Mi Casa are also expected to thrill the audience.
The 62-year-Earl Klugh who has been performing since age 13 is expected to unleash songs such as Laughter in the Rain, The Shadow of your smile, Angelina Cabo Frio, Wind And The Sea, Living Inside Your Love and Waltz For Debly, among other hit tracks.
In 1981, Klugh and Bob James received a Grammy Award for Best pop instrumental performance for their album One on One.
Klugh has recorded over 30 albums including 23 top ten charts, five of them number ones on Billboard Jazz album chart.
Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi, a connoisseur of smooth jazz returns to this year’s festival having headlined it last year when he shared the stage with South African artists Hugh Masekela and Zonkie who were on the list of international musicians to grace the jazz festival.
Johannesburg based Mi Casa consists of J’Something, Mo-T and Dr Duda. The trio are acclaimed for their debut project Micasa Music which catapulted straight to gold and won them several awards at the annual MTN South Africa Music Awards in 2012.
Local artists such as Scarlet, Abel Chungu, James Sakala, AfroRed, Kiki and the veteran musician Jaggari Chanda have also been lined up for the event.
On the International Stanbic Jazz Festival, Stanbic Bank Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Helen Lubamba said: “We realised as a bank that as a country we did not have a signature event that had international stature thus our sponsorship of the jazz festival which offers a passion point for music enthusiasts”.
Tickets for VIP have been pegged at K700 with ordinary tickets fetching at K450.
Pay Television channel Multichoice Zambia gave out 100 tickets to some of its lucky premium subscribers.
Various radio stations in conjunction with Stanbic Bank have also been giving out tickets to the festival.
Standard Bank Group is renowned for sponsoring of arts with signature events such as the Grahamton Jazz Festival and the famous Joy of Jazz in South Africa.
