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THE STIX HOJENG JAZZ NIGHT on APRIL 19th 2008 |
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The Stix Hojeng Jazz Night on
19th April 2008 Rand Club
The Assore Sports Lounge at
the Rand Club is the new jazz venue
Article written by Brian Hough of the Jassman
magazine
Founded in October, 1887, the Rand Club featured
in most aspects of Johannesburg’s history and is
often considered a stuffy relic from the past.
Enter Robby Richardson, General Manager of two
years, has been empowered to change the
character of the club, and attract a younger
membership by shedding (not the Eishkom variety)
the old colonial image. |
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Of interest to jazz
fans is the launching of a new jazz club.
The second event took place on 19 April
and featured Stix Hojeng. Stix cleverly
mixed modern African jazz with some
classic standards and with his magic
rapport soon had the audience cheering.
As soon as he played the first few bars of
Meadowlands, the crowd were on
their feet and boogying. I calculated the
ages of those dancing to range from 17 to
people in their 80’s. I doubt that this
venerable club has seen so much excitement
since the gold mining days. A finger menu
of items priced at R39.00 was very
popular, as were the range of wines
starting at R60.00 per bottle.
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Robby has installed a
state-of-the-art sound system, and there
are large LCD screens on the surrounding
walls, so wherever you sit you can catch
all of the action. |
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The idea is to have a
jazzy event, including blues bands and big
bands, every two months. I reckon demand
for more entertainment will force Robby to
increase his evenings to about two a month
as this is the only jazz venue in central
Johannesburg. The venue is warm,
attractive and welcoming. And, in the
event of a big band performing, there is
the ballroom upstairs. The jazz club is
situated in the Assore Sports Lounge which
comfortably holds about 100 people. Kathy
Raven and her Blues Band are scheduled for
21st
June, and I expect a similar riotous
evening to the Stix performance as Kathy
has a great number of fans in
Johannesburg. |
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On July 5th, South
Africa’s top Dixieland band, the Classic
Jazz Masters, perform in a celebration
marking the USA’s Independence Day.
Booking is essential.
For up-to-date
information on performers and dates, call
Robby Richardson: 011 834 8311 or email:
robby@randclub.co.za or visit:
www.randclub.co.za
Rod Taylor took the
pictures. You can view more at
www.rodtaylor.co.za. |
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Contact Brian with news,
views, and venues on 083-262-2333, or e-mail at
brian@hough.co.za |
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News -
The Stix Hojeng Jazz Night