SAMRO winners to feature at Dutch jazz fest

This initiative is part of a Dutch/South African cultural exchange initiative fostered over a number of years by Dr Alexander Beets, representing Amersfoort Jazz Festival, Prof Karendra Devroop from the UNISA Music Foundation, Masindi Mantwa Chinoamadi from Standard Bank Joy of Jazz and André Le Roux from SAMRO.

The three artists who were selected to perform at the festival are Bokani Dyer, Zoë Modiga and Linda Sikhakhane. They will be performing as a trio and will share the stage with US saxophonist Houston Person.

Dyer, Modiga and Sikhakhane are expected to thrill festivalgoers. Modiga, an outstanding jazz vocalist and winner of the 2015 SAMRO Overseas Scholarship, is no stranger to South African jazz circles. She recently made major waves with her latest album Yellow – The Novel. Modiga’s music has gained her fame and earned her a place at celebrated festivals such as the Aardklop Festival, Artscape Youth Jazz Festival, UCT Jazz Festival, Joy of Jazz, and the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. She has also shared the stage with musicians such as Gloria Bosman, Matthew Gold, The Kiffness, Breakfast Included, Frank Paco Art Ensemble, Mark Fransman, Sibusiso Dhlamini, Marcus Wyatt, Benjamin Jephta and Tshepo Tsotetsi.

Saxophonist, composer and arranger Sikhakhane, a 2016 SAMRO Overseas Scholarship winner, has played with respected South African and international artists such as Barney Rachabane, Feya Faku, Marcus Wyatt, Herbie Tsoaeli, Andile Yenana, Nduduzo Makhathini, Afrika Mkhize, Sibongile Khumalo, among others. Sikhakhane features on Nduduzo Makhathini’s Mother Tongue album and formed part of Afrika Mkhize’s septet. He is part of the H3 ensemble that feature on many South African records including McCoy Mrubata’s Brasskaap record, Zakes Bantwini’s Dance and Thuto Motsemme’s My Dream.

Pianist Dyer’s recent career highlights include playing at the opening of the London Jazz Festival (2015), showcasing his trio at Jazzahead in Bremen, Germany (2016), headlining the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (2015) and an artistic residency at the Bird’s Eye jazz club in Basel, Switzerland (2014). Dyer is a 2013 SAMRO Overseas Scholarship recipient.

The Rabobank Amersfoort Jazz Festival is an indoor and outdoor annual summer event held in Amersfoort near Utrecht. It is characterised by broad programming of jazz music. Since 2012, the festival has been merged with a local festival called the Global Village Festival. This has enabled jazz programming to be rich with a large share of world music.