I think my first music concert I attended was Soweto String Quartet playing at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. It was an UCT RAG initiative, and I believe one of the first concerts ever in the gardens. Since then, there has been a regular season of music concerts in the gardens, drawing a wide range artists.
I am back in Cape Town, and since M is also here; we decided to go have a picnic in the late afternoon, while enjoying jazz legend Jimmy Dludlu (interestingly there is a German wikipedia page, but no English) and local artist Claire Phillips.
Despite the strong summer sun, the grounds were packed. We still managed to find some shade at the back, though that did reduce the visibility of the stage somewhat. The MC was annoying, in his attempt to say something meaningful about the artists, but instead just babbling on.
I am not sure if there is an exact "type" of music for Claire Phillips - it was a bit of jazz and a bit of pop. It sounded good; but it was not very spectacular. She did engage the audience a lot; and drew warm applause at the mention of her (and the band's) imminent second album.
Jimmy Dludlu's set started rather slowly, but slowly much of the audience started to stand-up and dance along. He played some of his big hits, with barely a pause between songs; and included a song from Michael Jackson which got high approval from the crowd.
It was not the most active concert I have been to; but it was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon/early evening. I do think both artists' music would be better experienced in a more intimate setting of a club, but it was still enjoyable. If you are in Cape Town, I can't think of many better ways of spending a Sunday afternoon in the summer.
I am back in Cape Town, and since M is also here; we decided to go have a picnic in the late afternoon, while enjoying jazz legend Jimmy Dludlu (interestingly there is a German wikipedia page, but no English) and local artist Claire Phillips.
Despite the strong summer sun, the grounds were packed. We still managed to find some shade at the back, though that did reduce the visibility of the stage somewhat. The MC was annoying, in his attempt to say something meaningful about the artists, but instead just babbling on.
I am not sure if there is an exact "type" of music for Claire Phillips - it was a bit of jazz and a bit of pop. It sounded good; but it was not very spectacular. She did engage the audience a lot; and drew warm applause at the mention of her (and the band's) imminent second album.
Jimmy Dludlu's set started rather slowly, but slowly much of the audience started to stand-up and dance along. He played some of his big hits, with barely a pause between songs; and included a song from Michael Jackson which got high approval from the crowd.
It was not the most active concert I have been to; but it was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon/early evening. I do think both artists' music would be better experienced in a more intimate setting of a club, but it was still enjoyable. If you are in Cape Town, I can't think of many better ways of spending a Sunday afternoon in the summer.
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