Jazzing Up Our
act
City's
close ties with New Orleans cultural group
By
Bob Eveleigh
Tourism
Port Elizabeth announced this week that the New Orleans South
Africa Connection (Nosaconn), in association with the US city of New
Orleans, had forged an ongoing link with the Friendly City.
The Connection has identified arts events as a mechanism for regional
economic growth.
According to international showbiz producer and Nosaconn president
Damon J Batiste, this initial link will lead to many more cultural
ideas exchanges with the city of New Orleans.
It came about after Nosaconn was involved in presenting prominent
South African entertainers like Hugh Masekela and Jonathan Butler in
concert in New Orleans.
That springboarded the idea of reciprocal visits to this country and
after initial minor exploratory outings to Johannesburg and East London,
the group has now settled on the Nelson Mandela Metropole, with PE as a
main focus of this outreach programme.
Sparked by a personal visit by Batiste, initial activities take place
this long weekend.
These will be mainly jazz-related, as befits a tie with the US city as
the birthplace of the musical form, and will be headlined by top
saxophonist Donald Harrison, now based in New York.
Sharing the spotlight with him will be the man regarded by many US
critics as the next Louis Armstrong, trumpeter Christian Scott.
The city of New Orleans' largest family act, the Batiste Brothers,
headed by David Batiste Sr., will also perform at various venues around
Port Elizabeth, including the Boardwalk's open-air Tivoli Amphitheatre.
kicking off the Port Elizabeth programme will be a late-night "meet
and greet" impromptu session at Razzmatazz in Grace Street tonight at
11 o'clock. Tomorrow, New Year's Eve, the musicians will perform at the
Tivoli Amphitheatre at 10pm and on New Year's Day at 4pm at the same
venue.
A number of local artist, including Gauteng's Vusi Khumala and Denzil
Africa, will share the PE stages with the Nosaconn stars.
During their stay in Port Elizabeth, Nosaconn personnel will conduct
workshops especially aimed at the youth.
Heading the initiative is model turned-actress Chrystee Pharris, who
numbers appearances in such American TV successes as the long-running
soap opera General Hospital and the new MTV series Spyder's Web
among
her most recent credits after stints in such hits as Sister, Sister
and
Moesha in earlier years.
Yesterday she hosted a music workshop for previously disadvantaged
youths at Great Centenary Hall in New Brighton.
And this will be followed by another such event today at 1pm at the
same venue, when Chrystee and the company will extend the subject matter
to concentrate on the need for continued education, setting long-term
goals and planning for a better future.
The project has also been promised substantial civic and personal
support by Mayor Nceba Faku, and already carries sponsorship from SAA,
PE Tourism, the SA National Arts Council, Louisiana Senator Diana
Bajoie, the Louisiana Music Commission and Arthur Andersen.
Source:
East Province Herald, December 30, 2000.
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