local musos’ guides to the city
Discover the local music scene with multicultural jazz band Tucan Tucan
Top recommendations are the Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts, the Jazzathon (in January) at the V&A Waterfront and the prestigious Cape Town International Jazz Festival (in April), where you can listen to the world’s finest jazz artists.
Manenbergs Jazz Cafe at the V&A Waterfront Clock Tower is a definite stop if you want to catch some African Jazz. We perform here twice a month over weekends.
Another excellent venue to experience African cuisine and music is Moyo in Stellenbosch, and look out for the jam sessions at Swingers (Lansdowne Road, Ottery) on Monday nights.
You can catch our sax player, Buddy Wells, at Buena Vista Social Club in Green Point, where he performs a duo with Angolan singer and guitarist Adamu, at the Carnival Court on Long Street on Wednesdays and at the Armchair Theatre in Observatory, where he performs the Headset sessions on Thursdays.
Texito, our percussion player, is also an accomplished drummer who loves performing at Zula Bar and Cool Runnings with Plan B, both on Long Street.
Muriel, our keyboardist, enjoys a cup of tea and good Jazz at Asoka, Kloof Street on Tuesdays and recommends Paranga restaurant in Camps Bay where you can catch her performing with a jazz trio.
Our bandleader, Frank Paco, recommends Pigalle restaurant in Green Point for fine dining. You can dance the foxtrot to fine jazz between courses. He also highly recommends the jazz gigs at Vida e Caffés around Cape Town (Stellenbosch, Green Point and Wembley Square branches). You can catch Frank at the Green Dolphin playing standards with various small ensembles.
Catch our bassist, Helder Gonzaga, performing with Verity for the Aids Day concert at Artscape on 1 December.
Angelo, our guitarist, opts for relaxed Sundays in the company of his friends listening to some cool jazz at the Winchester Mansions Sunday brunch.
Our singers Xixel and Cindy can be seen at a variety of night spots and coffee shops around Long Street over weekends.
LOCAL BAND CODA’S DAY-BY-DAY GUIDE TO THE CAPE TOWN MUSIC SCENE
Cape Town boasts a musical offering as cosmo-politan as the city itself. If you keep your ears peeled you will be rewarded with a cornucopia of inspiring live music from expansive productions to spontaneous once-off musical encounters.
Rayelle, CODA’s versatile violinist, is one for the latter. She recommends the jamming sessions at Manenbergs on Mondays where the city’s talent meets up to be creative and enjoy, without restrictions, some impulsive musical magic.
On Tuesdays DJ Nick Matthews can be found relaxing at Asouka on Kloof Street in the company of some mellow jazz musicians. This regular slot is fast becoming a favourite for Capetonians…
The week warms up on Wednesdays with up-and-coming local talent at the city’s most popular live music venues: The Green Dolphin at the V&A Waterfront, or the Armchair Theatre in Observatory.
Thursday night is cellist Carol’s spot, going back to her classical roots for inspiration, reflection and old-school sophistication. She recommends the Symphony Concert Series at the City Hall. (Rayelle, who has yet to pay for a ticket to any music event, suggests attending a dress rehearsal for free from 10 am to 1 pm.)
On Friday Carol can be found at the gorgeous venue, Relish, for post-work revelry and the occasional live act (sometimes CODA or a DJ). This stunning location has breathtaking views of Table Mountain and, coupled with some smooth sounds and a cocktail, ensures a good start to the weekend.
Rayelle and Nick are the party animals in the group and both recommend Long Street for Friday nights out. For some reason they choose opposite sides of the street – Rayelle can be found at Acid Blue for great acid jazz, and Nick at Fiction for a selection of dance music by some of the city’s top DJs.
A mother of two young sons, Yolanda, CODA’s multi-talented diva, picks her weekend night out with care. Zula, which offers a variety of live bands, is her chosen spot for Saturday evenings. On Sundays Yolanda can also be found enjoying some soulful gospel music at the Christian Lifestyle Church in Gardens.
For a daily dose of ‘music in your mouth’, CODA recommends pink fairy cakes at Lazari (to be eaten while listening to your CODA album Believe, a combination of Afro jazz, electric strings and DJ beats). Enjoy!
Jeremy de Tolly, vocalist for local indie rock band The Dirty Skirts and co-founder of electronic duo Prankster, gives you the muso’s guide to the CBD
Contemporary Dance Music
There are lots of clubs, but it’s useful to know what you like. Excellent Colgate-smile house music dance floors can be found at Opium and Ignite. For more left-field electro and breaks, I like Fiction and Roosevelt, depending on the night. For more filthy indie and alternative, EVOL on a Friday night is legendary.
Live Bands
There are lots of quality live bands to see – the best venues are Mercury Live, the Independent Armchair Theatre or Zula. Each venue caters to a whole lot of genres, so I heartily recommend using the gig listings in any of the newspapers to find something that intrigues. For traditional (and accessible) African music, Mama Africa is brilliant fun for tourists and locals alike.
Dinner dance
A personal favourite of mine has to be a night of dinner and dance at the reassuringly expensive Pigalle. Old-school tunes, good food, a quality big band, and an intimate dance floor guarantee a good night out.
Classical
Try the Baxter or Artscape. There’s always classical music, opera and ballet on the go. Personally, I’ve enjoyed outstanding Pakistani Qawwali music at the City Hall. Get the weekly Mail & Guardian for top drawer music listings.
Latino
There’s a surprisingly well-established tango scene in Cape Town. Try www.tangocapetown.co.za.