Freedom’s Child joins the Artscape Women’s Humanity Arts Festival line up

Celebrating Women’s Day and Women’s Month, the 8th Women’s Humanity Arts Festival will take place at the Artscape Theatre Centre from Wednesday 6 August and ending on Women’s Day on Saturday 9 August 2014.

One of the four Artscape Arena performances that will form part of the Festival is Freedom’s Child.

The show was born out of a need to pay homage to one of South Africa’s greatest literary activists, James Matthews. Melanie Scholtz, Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz 2010 went on a soul stirring journey, marrying poetry and jazz by using the words of James Matthews as her muse for Freedom’s Child.

The album was written over two years and was first performed in 2011. Recorded in 2011, thanks to the generous support of the British Council, it was produced by Mark Fransman, fellow Standard Bank Award recipient. The album also features acclaimed British saxophonist, Soweto Kinch as well an array of South Africa’s finest jazz musicians.

The collaboration “serves to highlight and document our history as a people,” says Scholtz. The album is named after a poem in the collection Cry Rage which was banned in the 1970s.

The album will be brought to life on Saturday 9 August at 15h00 at the Arena, Artscape. In the band will be Mark Fransman (piano), Brydon Bolton (double bass), Kevin Gibson (drums), and Justin Bellairs (alto saxophone).

The album and the second edition of James Matthew’ book will be on sale at Artscape during the festival.

Details: Ticket price R80 / Date: Saturday 9 Aug at 15:00: Bookings at Computicket.

The theme of the 2014 festival is Humanity and the objective this year is to celebrate and salute those women who actively strive to better their own lives and the lives of countless other women in our society today. The Artscape Women’s Humanity Arts Festival is Artscape’s response to highlight the lack of “humanity” which marginalised groups face on a daily basis in South Africa, with particular emphasis on women and the disabled.

The Festival brings together a wide variety of events with a programme crammed with opportunities to celebrate being a woman in Cape Town. Prepare to be enthralled with world-class stage productions and empowering workshops. Song and poetry, art exhibits, book launches, a ground breaking launch of a website specifically designed for disabled women plus a women’s humanity walk add up to an empowering week with something for everyone, and to which everyone is invited.

Positive and uplifting, the programme is a kaleidoscope of events reflecting the Artscape ethos and focusing firmly on women’s role in society.

Melanie Scholtz’s Biography

Melanie Scholtz was born to sing. Coming from a musical family, she learnt to play the piano at the age of five and at 16 went to study singing with The Eoan group. In 1997, Melanie enrolled at the SA College of Music at UCT and graduated in 2000 Cum Laude with a Performers’ Diploma in Opera.

In 2002, Melanie won “Best Jazz Vocalist” in the Old Mutual Jazz Encounters and in 2006 released her debut album entitled “Zillion Miles”. Her voice has not only won her awards and competitions, it has also won her favour and acclaim singing the South African National anthem at the President’s Cup Golf tournament in 2003 to former South African president Nelson Mandela and the world. She has been invited to perform in Spain, Portugal, Holland, Morocco, Norway, Sweden and Austria and collaborates with numerous artists both nationally and internationally.

Melanie has performed with the who’s who of the South African jazz scene, as well as acclaimed international musicians such as Norwegian Band “Inkala”, Belgian jazz pianist Jack van Poll, Al Jarreau and Joe McBride.

She lectured in jazz vocal studies at the University of Cape Town from 2004-2005 and has been involved in Artscape’s Youth Jazz development projects since 2006.

Melanie is also an accomplished composer/lyricist/writer and director and in February 2009 recorded her second album with Norwegian trumpeter and producer, Ole Jorn Myklebust. “Connected” features her new original compositions and was released at Artscape in Feb 2010. It was followed shortly by “Living Standards,” a traditional jazz album, in April 2010. Both albums feature Melanie Scholtz with her band “The Love Apples”.

Apart from her own compositions and recordings, Melanie collaborated and was featured with guitarist Jimmy Dludlu on “Peaceful Moment” and on “Which way to go” with Electronic Dj’s Iridium Project. Both these singles went to No 1 on SA Radio. She has not only been a featured vocalist on albums by Mark Fransman and Ivan Mazuse but has also featured as a lyricist on both albums.

Melanie has performed at numerous music festivals nationally and internationally and in August 2009 recorded a live album with Inkala in Vadso at the Varanger Jazz Festival in Norway. In February 2010, Melanie performed in Murmansk, Russia as well as in Norway in March 2010.

It has been said about Melanie Scholtz’s music that it is like a ‘best friend’ and listeners are always inspired by her musical honesty. This South African artist will continue to captivate listeners with her original and unique sound.

Melanie Scholtz is the Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz for 2010.

Go to myspace.com/melaniescholtz to listen to some of Melanie’s original music as well as her fresh twist on standards, American and South African.

James Matthews Biography

James Matthews was born in 1929 in District Six, Cape Town. He is a South African poet, writer and publisher. In 1976 he was detained by the apartheid government and was denied a passport for 23 years. In 1987 he was elected as patron of the Congress of South African writers and he established the first black-founded art gallery in SA. In 2000 he founded the publishing house Realities.

He has published several collections of poetry, short stories and a novel. Awards include the WozaAfrika Award, Kwaza Honours List, Freeman of Lehrte and Nienburg, Germany and the National Order of the democratic SA Government.

Awards

WozaAfrika Award (1978)

Kwaza Honours List – Black Arts Celebration, Chicago, U.S.A. (1979)

Freeman of Lehrte and Nienburg, Germany (1982).

National Order, South African government (2004)

Poetry

Cry Rage (1972), Spro-Cas Publications

Black Voices Shout (1974)

Pass me a Meatball, Jones (1977)

No Time for Dreams (1977)

Poisoned Wells and Other Delights (1991)

Flames and Flowers (2000) Realities

Poems from a Prison Cell (2002), Realities

Age is a Beautiful Phase (2008), Realities

Short stories

The Park and other Stories (1983), Ravan Press

Novels

The Party is Over (1997) Kwela

Author: Charlene Key from HIPPO Communications.
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James Matthews

Melanie Scholtz

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