New Orleans group wows

Young jazz aficionados from local schools and UCT had a treat last week when the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Septet - hailing from the Jazz at Lincoln Centre in New York in the US - dropped in at UCT's South African College of Music (SACM) to perform standard tunes from their native New Orleans. The visit was part of a South African tour by the group, sponsored by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in collaboration with the SA Field Band Foundation. The foundation uses brass and drum corps marching music to highlight the importance of HIV prevention. The Jazz at Lincoln Centre Septet, led by star trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and including Doreen Ketchins (in picture), will host shows in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. In each city, the band staged concerts to raise awareness of the Field Band Foundation's HIV/AIDS education and prevention programme, and will also provide jazz master classes for township residents.