Comedy & Jazz in the Wild unveiled its regional line-up yesterday in Ezulwini Happy Valley Hotel ahead of its November 28 event at Stush in the Bush, Kalanga.
Curated and hosted by comedy duo Gogo Eswatini and Slwane, the inaugural event will bring together performers from the kingdom, South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana for a mix of comedy and live jazz.
The announced jazz line-up includes local acts Itallo, Bholoja, Zwile, Judah, Temandla, SMP Evolution, Ntunja (SA), Xixel Langa and Nomalungelo.
Comedians Darren, Shaun the Talking Monkey (SA) and Magongo the Comedian will also feature.
Mozambique will be represented by SMP Evolution and Xixel Langa.
Botswana’s contribution is saxophonist Sebaga, who is based in Gaborone and has toured Europe and Switzerland.
She has also performed in the kingdom at the Jazz Gallery and Zwile’s one-man show.
The launch gave guests a preview of the event’s musical offering, with local poet Christian Maz and saxophonist Zwile Bhembe providing entertainment.
Zwile’s performance brought live jazz to the gathering, offering a taste of what audiences can expect in November.
Comedy duo manager Philani Mpanza said the line-up was carefully put together to give local performers recognition while introducing audiences to artists from neighbouring countries.
“We want to ensure that local acts are recognised,” he said.
Mpanza explained that bringing regional performers on board would add variety to the programme and create an opportunity for them to share the stage with local talent.
He added that the organisers were still working on the programme and would announce more performers in the coming days.
The event will combine comedy and jazz in an outdoor setting at Stush in the Bush. According to Mpanza, its regional line-up is intended to bring different sounds and styles together, while giving local performers a platform alongside artists from across the region. He stated that the programme would balance established regional performers with home-grown acts across music and comedy performances.
