Monday 29 September 2014

The Joy of Jazz at the Sandton Convention Centre

On 25 September 2014, the Joy of Jazz treated it's VIPs with utter care. The line-up was exciting and the event was beautifully organised. If you want to learn about great hospitality and event management, ask for an internship at the Joy of Jazz.
Peter Tladi (T Music Man) welcomed the attendees, distinguished guests including Kgalema Motlanthe and Nathi Mthethwa. He thanked the Sandton Convention Centre for receiving the Joy of Jazz with open arms. He then commended Standard Bank and other sponsors for their support over the years, enabling the music festival to breathe life and happiness to people in Gauteng, South Africa.
The sound at the Dinaledi Stage was incredible when Ann Hampton Callaway and Dianne Reeves gave us electrifying performances. Unfortunately, when the Jazz Divas took the stage featuring Sibongile Khumalo, Gloria Bosman, Tutu Puoane and Melanie Scholtz, the sound became muffled. Perhaps they used a different sound engineer during this performance. Nothing could bring this performance down though, thanks to Sibongile Khumalo’s song titled “Thando’s Groove” with a flawless vocal section arrangement.


The Sandton Convention Centre is well on its way to being a world-class concert venue, although on 26 September, Billy Ocean’s performance at the Mbira Stage could have been more enjoyable if the acoustics were right. One assumes that an acoustics engineer may be consulted in the future to assist. Perhaps the Joy of Jazz could facilitate that process. I’m confident that the next 5 years will be bliss thanks to the Sandton Convention Centre’s partnership with the Joy of Jazz.