Slow Life presents The Little Giants
Sun Jun 9, 19:00 - Sun Jun 9, 21:00
Olympia Bakery Kalk Bay
ABOUT
What an honour to have this band play Kalk Bay. Thankyou George Werner. Thank you David van Stavel for persistence and for your contributions to Jazz.
The Little Giants were 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 S outh African standards at their 2000 event. The performance was received with such great response from their 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.
Jazzathon, Waterfront, Cape Town, 2000-2009; 2017
Cape Town International Jazz Festival, 2008
North Sea Jazz Festival, People’s free Concert, Cape Town, 2002-2004
The Cape Town Festival, Company Gardens, Cape Town, 2004
Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival, Grahamstown, 2002-2016
Cape Town Big Band Festival, Baxter Theatre, 2003-2017
Artscape youth festival 2003, 2005, 2010, 2011
Afro Café TV Programme, 2008
Expresso TV Programme, 2011
Other highlights
Education Budget banquet for the Minister of Education, Kader Asmal.
The opening of parliament and President Thabo Mbeki’s state of the nation
address in 2005.
Minister Naledi Pandor and Guests at the Education Budget Vote in 2007.
The Archbishop Ngunbane of Cape Town’s Farewell speech, 2007
Part of the French-SA cultural exchange project, “Bigtime!” 2012-13. Toured
France in
March/April and September 2013.
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
Africa Day, 2015
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 170 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. The most notable are Shaun
Johannes, bass, lecturer, UCT; Darren English, trumpet, 2016 Grammy Nominee, Lwanda
Gogwana, Sisonke Xonti, Keenan Ahrends – recorded artist- to name a few..
https://www.facebook.com/notes/shaun-johannes/the-little-giants-changed-my-life-a-brieflittle-
story/10153817982105221/
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 début 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.