Ayisa, others for Stanbic jazz festival

Brilliant Ghanaian tenor saxophone player, Bernard Ayisa, is among the musicians to be featured at this year’s Stanbic Jazz Festival scheduled for the Accra International Conference Centre from June 24 to June June 26.

Jazz lovers can look forward to his gripping tonal colours as he pushes through his own compositions and some time-tested jazz classics.

Ayisa, who studied music at the University of Natal in South Africa where one of his lecturers was Prof Darius Brubeck, son of the late great Dave Brubeck, has plied his trade in places like Germany, United States, Dubai, Scotland, Romania, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

He is a formidable player well-grounded in Ghanaian popular music approaches as well as the traditions laid down by great saxophonists like Charlie Parker, Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Sonny Rollins, Lester Young and Wayne Shorter.

Other Ghana-based acts to play at the festival are guitarists Akablay, Kyekyeku and Constant Boty.

The headline act this year is popular American smooth jazz musician, Bob James. The concert will also feature American saxophonist, Tom Braxton. 

A two-time Grammy Award-winner, Bob James is a keyboardist, arranger and producer. He is recognised as one of the original founders of smooth jazz and is renowned for the complexity of his arrangements and instrumentals. 

Well-known artistes that have sampled his work include Run DMC, Paul Simon, LL Cool J, New Edition and Missy Elliott. 

Well-known songs under Bob James’ name include Feel Like Making Love, Nautilus, Angela, Take Me To The Mardigras and Westchester Lady. He has also collaborated with musicians like Earl Klugh, Kirk Whalum and David Sanborn and is a member of the formidable Fourplay jazz quartet. 

“We are presenting Bob James to cement the plan of making the festival a must-attend event on the jazz circuit. Stanbic’s association with such world-class talent is to buttress the point that we aim to deliver world-class service,” Stanbic Ghana’s Head of Marketing and Communications, Mawuko Afadzinu, said recently.

Sponsors of the three-day event include Graphic Communications Group Limited, Vodafone Business Solutions, Labadi Beach Hotel, Joy FM and Citi FM.