Music / Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival
Jazz Fest and UWE get Afro-grooving
Pandemic fall-out may have knocked the annual Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival off its regular March slot but they’re still bringing a slice of jazz-flavoured grooving to warm up these chilly April evenings. As the name cryptically suggests the upcoming Jafro-ZZ session at Crofters Rights (Tuesday April 6) celebrates African grooves with jazz energy, courtesy of Afro-jazz group Helele, the amazing Mundi Dance group and DJ Kareem.
Both Bristol-based acts, Helele are the city’s longest established Afrojazz combo, their authentic West African grooves are led by Cameroonian percussionist and singer Alphonse Touna. The band have been regular festival favourites around the South West and beyond for nearly two decades while Mundi Dance’s spectacular African contemporary dance routines made a big impact on Sky TV’s ‘Got To Dance’ show.
Jafro-ZZ is a fresh collaboration between the Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival and students from the UWE Event Management course who have curated and organised the event themselves. It’s rare that people get so much fun from someone’s college assignment but this colourful beat-packed evening should certainly get things jumping at the Crofters.
is needed now More than ever
Jafro-ZZ, featuring Helele, Mundi Dance and DJ Kareem is at Crofters Rights, Tuesday April 6. Tickets are available via www.facebook.com.
Main photo: Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival
Read more: Bristol’s month in jazz – April 2022
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