Johannesburg - The Birchwood Hotel Jazz event series has finally made its return following a launch event held on Monday evening.
The return of the event at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Ekurhuleni to be headlined by veteran Afro-soul singer Ringo Madlingozi alongside Brenda Mtambo is set to enthral jazz lovers on June 3.
The first event in the series comes after a more than three-year hiatus following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected both the music and hospitality industries immensely.
Other entertainers on the bill include comedian Noko Moswete, Beyond Vocal and Hector Motivator as host for the jazz evening.
Madlingozi, who is one of the longest-serving artists on the line-up, said he was grateful to have been retained by the organisers, who have continued to support his career for more than 20 years since his first show with the hotel.
“I look forward to performing at Birchwood Hotel again. I always try to make sure that I bring something new to the table whenever I perform. This time will be no different as we relaunch the jazz event following months and months of Covid-19. We have lost some of the artists who used to be part of this event, and some of the artists suffered a great deal and are depressed, while others died due to Covid-19. It is up to us to remember those of us who have since passed on,” he said.
Moswete, who is a rising star of comedy, was equally happy to be on stage for the first event of the year, saying she would not disappoint fans when she takes to the Birchwood stage once again.
Having started comedy in 2014 and going on to become a household name, Moswete said comedy was always in her genes, even though at the time she was not aware of her talent.
“People should be looking forward to my brand of musical comedy with fresh angles. There will be lots of new jokes and laughter. I have always been a comedian, even though I was not aware of it until 2014, when I attended a comedy show in Pretoria. From there on, I attended more comedy events to get myself started,” she said.
Mtambo said having grown up musically through performing with Judith Sephuma as a backing singer, she was forever indebted to the opportunities afforded to her music brand.
“When I started my career, I was a backing singer to Judith Sephuma, and I performed here at the Birchwood Hotel. She gave me a solo to sing, and I sang, and that is when the audience actually received me. The following performance, I became the opening act, and there was a lot of media coverage on the day, and they also received me well. So in a way, I can say this platform has launched my career,” she said.