The Little Giants

The Little Giants was established in 1999 by local jazz icons, Ezra Ngcukana and George Werner, at the request of organisers of the annual Jazzathon festival. They needed a township youth band to perform South African standards at their 2000 event. The performance was received with such great response from the audience that it was decided to continue with the project.

This group of 22 young musicians, aged between 13 and 23 years, from the townships of the Cape Flats and beyond, has developed into a tightly knit integrated unit, bonded by their youthful enthusiasm and shared cultural experiences. Their repertoire of African standards, jazz standards, fusion and original material has wowed the crowds wherever they have played. The combination of traditional rhythms and a solid brass section has provided this group with a biggish band sound that is not often found in community projects of this nature.

Their first big event, after the 2000 Jazzathon, was as an open act for the “African Piano” event, which featured Bheki Mseleku and Mervyn Africa, at the Baxter Theatre in 2000. From there onwards, demand for the group rose.

The group has performed at most of Cape Town’s major festivals and jazz clubs e.g.

1. Jazzathon, Waterfront, Cape Town, 2000-2009; 2017
2. Cape Town International Jazz Festival, 2008
3. North Sea Jazz Festival, People’s free Concert, Cape Town, 2002-2004
4. The Cape Town Festival, Company Gardens, Cape Town, 2004
5. Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival, Grahamstown, 2002-2016
6. Cape Town Big Band Festival, Baxter Theatre, 2003-2017
7. Artscape youth festival 2003, 2005, 2010, 2011
8. Afro Café TV Programme, 2008
9. Expresso TV Programme, 2011

Other highlights

1. Education Budget banquet for the Minister of Education, Kader Asmal.
2. The opening of parliament and President Thabo Mbeki’s state of the nation address in 2005.
3. Minister Naledi Pandor and Guests at the Education Budget Vote in 2007.
4. The Archbishop Ngunbane of Cape Town’s Farewell speech, 2007
5. Part of the French-SA cultural exchange project, “Bigtime!” 2012-13. Toured France in

March/April and September 2013.

1. Three little Giants were invite to participate in a cross cultural project which culminated, in November, in a performance at the London Jazz Festival, 2015
2. Africa Day, 2015
3. Mama Afrika: The Musical. Backing band. Pentech, May, 2016; St Louis and New York, USA, September, 2016 and Artscape, February, 2017.

Over the years, more than 250 youth have been developed through this project and many of the Little Giants have been selected to represent the National Youth Jazz Band or Schools Jazz Band in Grahamstown. Several have gone on to successfully pursue music careers becoming established musicians and teachers, too, Some have studied and/or are living abroad, e.g. USA, Norway, Ireland and Australia.

Some of our successful graduates include:

1. Shaun Johannes, MMus, at present a University of Cape Town (UCT) music lecturer
2. Vuyo Gugushe, MBusSc (Cambridge University), South African Reserve Bank & Rand Merchant Bank
3. Craig Mehl at present completing his doctorate in Physics (Kentucky University)
4. Chris Engel, UCT/NAM graduate, performing and recording artist
5. Sisonke Xonti, BA LLB(Unisa), performing and recording artist, and
6. Darren English, Grammy nominee, UCT/Norwegian Academy of Music/Georgia State university graduate.

Besides their annual Grahamstown Festival and Cape Town Big Band Festival performances other highlights are:

1. The Little Giants completed their first CD in 2016 containing mainly their own compositions.
2. They have appeared on many collaborative CD/DVD recordings since then, as well as various festival appearances including the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in 2008.
3. 2012-2013 Big Time project: 11 Little Giants collaborated with four French and two South African musicians; this led to tours in South Africa and France
4. 2015: three Little Giants were invited by a London Youth organisation, Kinetic Bloco, to participate, with a group of British, Ukrainian and Nigerian youth at the London Jazz Festival.

The list of SA Jazz greats The Little Giants have performed with are as follows - Winston Mankunku, Robbie Jansen, Tete Mbambisa, Thandi Klaasen, Duke and Ezra Ngcukana, Errol Dyers, Zane Adams, Tony Cedras, Vernon Castle, and many more.

In 2006, the “Giants” released their debut CD, “Ungalibali” which featured 8 of their own compositions. Since then, they have performed on 4 other CD’s, namely “G Spot Grooves”, “Winter in Cape Town” Vol. 1, II and III and “Summer in Cape Town” Vol. 1 and Vol. II and two DVD “Songs worth singing, Words worth saying” and " Shades of belonging: Follow the beat".

They are accompanied by their musical director, George Werner, who has performed/recorded with the like of Winston “Mankunku” Ngozi, Ezra and Duke Ngcukana, Robbie Jansen, Errol and Alvin Dyers, Sylvia Mdunyelwa, Sathima Bea Benjamin, etc. and toured Internationally he has performed in Japan, Germany, France, USA, Bahrain and Brazil. He has taught at various institutions such as The Jazz Workshop, UWC -Centre for the Performing Arts, Artscape, MAPP , Grahamstown Youth Jazz Festival and the MIAGI New School Orchestra. He is the recipient of the 2012 SA Association for Jazz Education (SAJE) Distinguished Teacher Award.

He was a reference member of the “Songs worth singing project”, 2009 collaborated in the production of sheet music book, “The Cape Jazz Collection” and has, also, produced several CD’s. George Werner is the South African director of BIG TIME! A joint French-South African music exchange project that forms part of French Season in South Africa and South African Season France, during 2012 and 2013, Music director, “Mama Africa; The musical in 2016, 2017. He continues as a professional pianist and is a director of IMAD, the Institute for Indigenous Musical Arts Development.

Little Giants Personnel

The present Little Giants group comprises of 22 youth, ages ranging from 13-26 years and residing from all corners of the Cape Flats. The band is able to perform in many formats ranging from Sextet to Big Band.

1. Muneeb Hermans Trumpet/Conductor 22 Hanover park
2. Anathi Mobo Vocals 18 Strandfontein
3. Keno Carelse Drums 18 Lotus River
4. Sean Bratz Bass 21 Manenberg
5. Bryce Allies Guitar 15 Ottery
6. Nobhule Mazinyane Piano 18 Rosebank
7. Siraaj Allen Trumpet 24 Delft
8. Angelo Danster Trumpet 18 Mitchell's plain
9. Chaz Abrahams Trumpet 18 Bridgetown
10. Lubabalo Valela Trumpet 13 Khayelitsha
11. Dane Paris Trumpet 17 Lansdowne
12. Miles Stewart Trombone 26 Delft
13. Calvin Louw Trombone 19 Delft
14. Lezaam Beets Trombone 15 Elsies River
15. Ashraf Nell Trombone 23 Mitchell's Plain
16. Brandon Williams Alto Sax 22 Silvertown
17. Jed Petersen Alto Sax 18 Ottery
18. Cervin April Alto Sax 14 Delft
19. Duncan Johnson Alto Sax 22 Retreat
20. Esihle Valela Tenor Sax 14 Khayelitsha
21. Abubakar Petersen Tenor Sax 20 Delft
22. Angelino Hare Tenor Sax 22 Elsies River

The Repertoire

The Little Giants proudly performs Original and South African Jazz standards – vocal and instrumental-, arranged by music director, George Werner, and current and past Little Giants alumni. In addition, American, Cuban and Brazilian standards forms part of their repertoire.

SA composers covered range from Abdullah Ibrahim, Zakes Nkosi, Chris McGregor, Dudu Pukwana, Winston Mankunku, Robbie Jansen, Errol Dyers, Miriam Makeba, Tony Schilder, Judith Sephuma and more.

Audio

1. Ungalibali – Composed/arranged by Lwanda Gogwana
2. Retreat! Beware of the Chicken – Composed/arranged by George Werner
3. Anton's teaparty – Composed/arranged by Vuyo Gugushe

Use link below to hear samples of the above

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d6oaanpgy881fqw/AABG5WTIjRXyKJaKD9JoRZr-a?dl=0

Videos

Use below links to open some sample vids

https://youtu.be/EvgFYCd4KM0 Malaika -Year end concert Nassau 2016

https://youtu.be/y8hg9NkTEfU Feel good – Jazzathon 2017

https://youtu.be/ZbsN8xCy0Dk Country Cooking - Nassau November 2015

Contacts

George Werner – 073 182 5305 [email protected]

Muneeb Hermans – 084 922 0004 [email protected]

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/the.little.giants.band/