Stanbic Jazz Festival to showcase indigenous talents

As patrons get ready for the 2016 edition of the Stanbic Jazz Festival, a critical part of the event appears largely unknown.

The three-day event will have a number of local artistes and groups to delight the audience. Aka Blay and the Abiza Band, Steve Bedi, the Ayisah Dey duo, Les Femmes, Kyekyeku and Stephanie Benson are just a few of the acts schedule for the Accra International Centre June 24- 26.

Two-time Grammy Award winner and smooth jazz keyboardist Bob James is the main act. Also on the bill is saxophonist Tom Braxton.

Speaking at the launch, Mawuko Afadzinu, Head Marketing and Communications Stanbic Bank, said: “We want to contribute in positive ways to develop and grow the music industry thereby providing employment, training and skills development in all the related fields of technical production including sound engineering and lighting, marketing and PR, event management and hospitality.

Over the past three years we have been ensuring that the Stanbic Bank Jazz Festival gains recognition as a stop on the global jazz calendar by presenting top-flight musicians to the people of Ghana.

We believe that getting the chance to play with legends will rub onto our indigenous artists and make them greater acts.

This year we are presenting Bob James to cement the plan of making this a must-attend event on the jazz circuit. Stanbic Bank’s association with such world class talent is to buttress the point that we aim to deliver world class service.”

As part of Stanbic’s support for worthy courses, this year’s event will be in aid of the Leukaemia Foundation of Ghana.

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