One Giant (Jazz) Leap For Little Giants

LITTLE GIANTS PRESS RELEASE – 2006

The Little Giants are proud to announce their debut recording with an album called Ungalibali.

The CD is intended to be a true expression of the major role South African music has played in our society as it reflects the voice of young and old while highlighting the diverse cultures of a growing nation.

The album also highlights the growth and development of the music industry in Cape with the inclusion of so many young people in a project that spans only the last 5 years. The album contains mainly original compositions and includes only one cover, namely that of a Winston “Mankunku Ngozi” song.
The Little Giants will launch their CD at Manenberg’s Jazz Café on Tuesday 23 May.

The Little Giants was established in 1999 under the musical directorship of Ezra Ngcukana and George Werner. This group of young musicians aged between 15 – 20 years old, hails from the suburbs and townships of the Cape Flats and greater Cape Town. The group’s repertoire of African standards, jazz standards and fusion, combines traditional rhythms with a solid brass section not usually found in community projects of this nature.

The group has performed at most major festivals and some important corporate and status events including The Cape Town Jazzathon, The North Sea Jazz Festival, The Cape Town Festival, and The Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival in Grahamstown. The Little Giants were also guest performers at the opening of parliament and President Mbeki’s state of the nation address in 2005.

The Little Giants comprise of 10-12 musicians, each being individually progressive musicians in their own right. Some of the Giants have already performed with the biggest names in Jazz including legends like Winston Mankunku, Robbie Jansen, Sylvia Mdunyelwa and Ezra Ngukana, to name but a few.


The group is available for bookings and can be contacted on littlegiants@jazz.co.za

------------- Press Release by JCQ Media (A division of JCQ Productions) --------------
JCQ Productions
Phone: +27-21-683 2201
Fax: +27-21-683 6573
E-mail: jcq@jazzathon.co.za
info@jazzathon.co.za
Website: www.jazzathon.co.za



------ARTIST PROFILE-----

THE LITTLE GIANTS
May 2006

The Little Giants was established in 1999 under musical directorship of Ezra Ngcukana and George Werner. This group of young musicians, aged between 15 and 21 years, from the suburbs and townships of the Cape Flats and greater Cape Town, has developed into a tightly knit integrated unit, bonded by their youthful enthusiasm and shared cultural experiences. Their repertoire of African standards, jazz standards and fusion has wowed the crowds wherever they have played. The combination of traditional rhythms and a solid brass section has provided this group with a biggish band sound that is not often found in community projects of this nature.

The group has performed at most of Cape Town’s major festivals and jazz clubs e.g.

Jazzathon, Waterfront, Cape Town, 2000-2006
North Sea Jazz Festival, People’s free Concert, Cape Town, 2002-2004
The Cape Town Festival, Company Gardens, Cape Town, 2004
Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival, Grahamstown, 2001-2004

Some of the Little Giant’s achievements thus far include:

• Performing at the Jazzathon for the seventh consecutive year.
• Playing at the Cape Town - North Sea Jazz Festival – People’s free Concert for the third year.
• Performing at an Education Budget banquet for the Minister of Education, Kader Asmal.
• The selection of three band members to national bands at the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival 2002.
• The selection of one of our high school band members to the National Youth Big Band at the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival 2003.
• The selection of five members of our ten-piece band to national bands at the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Festival 2004.
• Taking part in a tribute concert for the vocalist Annaline Malebo of the band Joy, where they were joined on stage by such great Cape Town musicians as Robbie Jansen and Sylvia Mdunyelwa.
• Being the only jazz group invited to The New Apostolic Church Concert and performing with a 1600 NAC member orchestra and the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra.
• Playing at the New Year’s Eve – Homecoming Concert (2002 - UWC – Bellville), and being the supporting band for Stompie Mavie at this concert.
• Performing at the opening of parliament and President Thabo Mbeki’s state of the nation address in 2005.

For any further information, contact littlegiants@jazz.co.za

THE LITTLE GIANTS – STORIES of Progress


Seven of The Little Giants performing on the CD (as well as three past members of the group) have been selected on several occasions for the National Youth Jazz Band or Schools Jazz Band in Grahamstown since 2001. This means they have been recognized as some of the best performers of their respective instruments from a national pool of 300 top young jazz musicians between the ages of 14 and 26. They include:

Shaun Johannes
As one of the original members of the Little Giants, Shaun Johannes completed his B.Mus. (UCT) degree with distinction in 2005. Shaun plays acoustic bass, electric bass and the piano. He is also a composer and arranger and was the first to compose for the Giants in 2001. He performs extensively for the D.A. Band, UCT Big Band and Mike Campbell Big Band, and used to be the resident bass player at the Monday Night Jam Session. One of Shaun’s career highlights was a performance at the International Association for Jazz Education Conference in New York in 2005.

Chris Engel
Chris is a 2nd year UCT B.Mus. student who plays all saxophones, flute and clarinet. He is a composer and arranger, and has been with the Little Giants since mid-2000. Chris performed extensively with the D.A. Band, UCT and Mike Campbell Big Band and Various other units. A highlight in Chris Engel’s career was his invitation to play in Norway in 2005.

Lwanda Gogwana
Trumpet/Composer/Arranger- originally from East London, Lwanda is a 2nd year UCT B.Mus. student. He plays with the UCT Music Big Band, DA Band, and various other outfits. Lwanda has recently completed a season as part of Show Band at Roxy’s at Grand West.

Vuyo Gugushe
Trombone/Composer/Arranger - Vuyo, who has played with various big bands, is a 2nd year Business Science student at UCT (proving that jazz musicians do have grey matter!).

Jody Kriel
Trumpet – First year UCT student, Business Science. Jody has also played under 19 Cricket for W.P.

Sisonke Xonti
Tenor/Baritone – Sisonke is currently in Matric at SACS and also plays rugby and cricket and aspires to pursue Entertainment Law.

Keenan Ahrends
Guitar/Composer– First year Music student at UCT, Keenan plays in a ska band, amongst others.

One of our ex-Giants and National Schools Band members, Tshepo Puoane, is currently studying jazz in New York. One of the pieces on the Little Giants CD is composed by him. Unfortunately, he left Cape Town to pursue his studies before he could take part in recording it with the Little Giants.

Photos taken at cd launch at Nassau Center on 9 June 2006

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