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Jammin’ with the giants of jazz
Cape Jazz Safari
Cape jazz safari in Mac McKenzie’s home
© Iain Harris/Coffee Beans Routes
Did you know?
Cape jazz is a blend of Khoisan and Cape minstrel vernacular music, American jazz, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and influences from Europe and Asia.
What’s a Cape jazz safari like? Imagine jazz legends like Miles Davis or Earl Klugh extended an open invitation to you to come over to their house, hang out with their family and friends, and listen to them blow, strum and jam just for you – well, it’s like that. Only, possibly, a Cape jazz music tour is even better, because on this urban music encounter you’ll experience Cape jazz genres that few locals have enjoyed firsthand.
Led by a guide, usually a local jazz aficionado, your Cape jazz safari starts in District Six – a multi-cultural non-white community whose residents were displaced forcibly as recently as 1966. Here, where Cape jazz greats like Abdullah Ibrahim and Basil Coetzee translated the heartache of an oppressed nation into melodies, you’ll learn about the development of jazz at the Cape.
If you take the Monday night tour, it’s on to the home of master musician, Mac McKenzie, in the coloured township of Bridgetown. Dubbed the ‘King of Goema’, jazz guitarist and composer Mac will regale you with stories of the bygone heyday of Cape jazz, and seduce you with a home-cooked meal accompanied by Cape jazz standards and classic cover renditions.
Next up is Swinger’s jazz club in the township of Lansdowne. On Monday nights, local muso’s jam here, and you won’t find better live jazz music in Cape Town. From pianists like Hotep Galeta to saxophonist Robbie Jansen and sibling guitar wizards Alvin and Errol Dyers, no matter who takes the stage you’ll be blown away along with the rest of the jazz maniacs that party here.
Wednesday night tour stops are the same as Monday nights, except you’ll swap your jazz club visit for another private at-home performance. The Dizzy Gillespie of Gugulethu, Blacki Tempi, might entertain you, or perhaps young keyboard impresario Kyle Shepherd, or poly-instrumental Hilton Schilder will tickle the ivories.
Theory says, your tour lasts 4 hours, meaning you’ll be home around midnight. Reality says, you won’t want your Cape jazz safari to end.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
Jazz safaris are jointly operated by
Coffee Beans Routes
www.coffeebeansroutes.com
+27 (0)21 424 3572
+27 (0)21 813 6373
E-mail:
info@coffeebeansroutes.com
Andulela Tours
www.andulela.com
Tel: +27(0)21-7902592
Fax: +27(0)21-7902599
E-mail: info@andulela.com
How to get here
Drive on the N1 or N2 to Cape Town, or fly to Cape Town International Airport. Translux, Intercape, and the Baz Bus have regular services to Cape Town from all major South African cities. There are also rail options.
Tours to do
Coffee Bean Routes also offers Rootz Reggae, Hip Hop, Storytelling tours, as well as private African music dinner parties on the slopes of Table Mountain.
Get around
Guests staying within the City Bowl and Atlantic Seaboard, up to Sea Point, will be collected at hotels or guesthouses. Guests outside of these zones need to arrange transport to, and from, Coffee Beans’ premises at 70 Wale Street.
What will it cost
R695 p/person.
Length of stay
7pm to 11:30pm. Plan for 4 hours
What to eat
Your tour includes a light home-cooked meal.
What's happening
Watch the press for the Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2011.