The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College campus in Durban is hosting a performance by jazz voice lecturer, Debbie Mari, on Wednesday, August 19 at 6 pm.

Debbie, who works at UKZN, performs regularly in Durban as a vocalist and pianist and has enjoyed collaborations with several local and international musicians including Melvin Peters, Darius Brubeck, George Mari, Mageshen Naidoo and Neil Gonsalves.

She also recently performed with Sharon Katz and the reunion Peace Train band at the Durban International Film Festival and with the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra at the 2015 National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.

In 2013, Debbie and George Mari established Marigold Music School as an opportunity to share their knowledge and skills as professional musicians, mentors and experienced educators with children and adults of all abilities in the greater Durban area.

She returns to the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music stage, for this month’s Women’s Day series in a concert that celebrates her love for vocalese and poetry. With her on stage will be Burton Naidoo (piano), Ildo Nandja (bass), Jude Kendrick (drums) and George Mari (trumpet).

The programme includes selected poems by Cape Town-based performance poet Malika Ndlovu, and vocalese lyrics (in the jazz tradition words set to an improvised instrumental solo), by Anita Wardell and a selection of jazz standards including Moanin, Blues On The Corner and LushLife.

The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music (CJPM) is on level two of the Shepstone Building at the UKZN Howard College campus. Doors open at 5.30 pm. Tickets are R50 (R30 pensioners, R15 students). Phone Thuli at 031 260 3385 for more information.