Jazz on the Lake has a stellar line up this year, from scene-stealers like Zamajobe and Simphiwe Dana to the venerated Don Laka and Jimmy Dludlu. Indian Ocean brings some spice from the sub-continent.

THE wintry days are fast slipping away, and the smell of spring is almost in the air - heralding the annual Jazz on the Lake music feast.

Taking place at Zoo Lake on Sunday, 7 September, the day-long concert will feature some of South Africa's most popular jazz artists with some international flavour thrown in in the form of a band from India.

Jazz on the Lake is a free concert and forms part of the Johannesburg Arts Alive Festival, a month-long season of music, theatre, dance, film and comedy that is sponsored by the City of Johannesburg.

The festival is now in its 15th year and in the past has featured international artists like Cuba's Omar Sosa, Mattafix and Koffi Olomide.

This year's line-up boasts the best of South Africa's jazz artists like Simphiwe Dana, Jimmy Dludlu, Zamajobe and Don Laka. Indian Ocean will add some Indian spice.

Simphiwe Dana
Bringing some spirituality is the award-winning Dana, who has numerous South African Music Awards (Samas) to her credit, including Best Female Vocalist (2007) and Album of the Year (2007).

The award-winning Simphiwe Dana brings some spirituality to the Jazz on the Lake event

Growing up in Transkei, Dana's earliest musical influence was the soul sounds in her mother's songs. She was also drawn by the songs of the local church choir and listened on the radio to local artists like Amampondo and Madosini.

After moving to Johannesburg, she was spotted by record producers, resulting in the recording of her first album, Zandisile, in 2004. Her second album, The One Love Movement On Bantu Biko Street, was released in 2006. The album reflects on the essence of Steve Biko's philosophy: about finding, accepting, loving and respecting yourself.

Zamajobe
Zamajobe announced her arrival on the continent's music scene with the debut album, Ndawo Yami, for which she received four Sama nominations in 2005, including Best Newcomer, Best Jazz Vocal Album, Best Joint Composition, and Best Engineer.

The singer has wowed fans with songs like Ye Wena Sana and Wondering, which features gentle guitar work and breathy vocals. She represented South Africa at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2005, one of five African artists to be nominated. She was the only South African and the only woman to compete in the first ever Best African Act category.

She recently collaborated with international jazz master Lee Ritenour and is featured on three tracks on his latest album, Smoke n' Mirrors. Zamajobe is currently working on her second album.

Don Laka
One of South Africa's top jazz musicians, Don Laka, will headline the concert. A great pianist, Laka blends jazz, swing, pop, kwaito, African traditional, funk and rock n' roll to produce a sound unique to himself.

Top jazz musician Don Laka headlines

A mature musician who has successfully married technique and emotion to create something with a universal appeal, Laka is probably one of the few South African musicians to combine the roles of musician and credible businessman. He is also a producer, engineer and record label director.

Born in Mamelodi in 1958, Laka formed his first band in 1969 and made his first recording in 1972. From 1980 to 1981, he was a member of the Afro fusion group, Sakhile, which was formed by Sipho Gumede and Khaya Mahlangu. The group revolutionised South African music and set a trend for groups like Bayete.

Laka has played with many South African stars, such as Joy, Brenda Fassie, Sipho Mabuse and Sankomota. In 1990, he began writing orchestral arrangements for singer Sibongile Khumalo, who has performed his songs with such notables as the National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa.

Among other achievements, he has spoken at music seminars and panels on the issue of quality and standards in South African music. He has also toured to London, the United States, Canada, Austria, Russia, Chile, Cuba and Jamaica.

Jimmy Dludlu
Guitar maestro Jimmy Dludlu will also dazzle the crowds with numbers from his long career, starting with his first album, Echoes from the Past. Before releasing this album, Dludlu played with various bands in Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa.

Set to dazzle is guitar maestro Jimmy Dludlu

He also attended the music school at the University of Cape Town, where he completed a three-year scholarship in the jazz programme. Here he honed his skills in composition and craft.

Dludlu's latest album, Portraits, paints a picture of the artist in the middle of his career. The album has a mature quality that identifies the personal side of the musician.

Indian Ocean
Tough relatively unknown in South Africa, the contemporary fusion band Indian Ocean promises to give something new to the Jazz on the Lake. The music is described as a fusion of Indian classical music and rock.

The band grew out of a friendship formed between Susmit Sen and Asheem Chakravarty, who met at a concert. Sen played guitar while Chakravarty was a tabla player and drummer. They would jam and play the occasional concert.

In 1990 Sen raised the money for a demo for the band - now called Indian Ocean. It featured Shaleen Sharma on drums, and Indrajit Dutta and Anirban Roy on bass and led to a record deal with HMV.

Bass player Rahul Ram joined in 1991, replacing Roy. When Sarma left the band in 1994 he was replaced by Amit Kilam, who was just out of his teens and still writing college exams.

Indian Ocean started to gain recognition after a New Year's Day concert in Delhi in 1997. The band recorded its live performance and the album Desert Rain was released independently. Bookings started to increase and in 1998 it was signed by Times Music.

The album, Kandisa, was released in 2000, changing Indian Ocean's path and putting the band on the national and international map. Since then it has toured internationally and is now India's most renowned band globally.

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