Experience joy of music as Incognito lights up CTIJF

WHEN Incognito hits the stage at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) this weekend, there's one song that nearly everyone in the audience will be waiting to hear.

- VERNA VAN DIEMEN

"Still a Friend of Mine," says bandleader Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick, with a knowing smile.

"People have memories tied to our music. Their moms and dads played it. When we perform, it is like someone has opened a photo album.

"We cannot visit Cape Town and not play that song."

The song, originally released in 1993 - and many other global hits such as and their legendary rendition of Stevie Wonder's Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing - has become a classic for South African fans, making the British acid jazz group one of the festival's most anticipated acts.

With over four decades of music behind them and their 20th album on the way, Incognito has long been a fixture on international stages.

Formed in 1979, the only original band member left, Bluey emphasises that his group is not a band, but a collective.

Over the years more than 1 500 musicians have passed through its ever-evolving line-up.

One of the newest voices is gospel singer Zebulon Ellis, 42, from Atlanta, Georgia, who Bluey discovered during a performance on the Capital Jazz Supercruise.

"I heard his voice," says Bluey, "It was that sound that united us and everything else just followed... And strangers became friends."

"And friends became family," says Ellis, adding that Bluey has become somewhat of a big brother to him.