With 40 acts across five stages, there’s a lot of music going on at this year’s Cape Town International Jazz Festival. And yes, we know, fans sometimes complain that the festival’s scope means the consequent dilution of the event’s jazz purity. Programming in some past years offered justification, but the gripe also rests on a misconception: jazz was never a pure music constrained by a single definition. However it is defined, the musical genre is very present in 2018. Here’s our must-see list across types and tempos: In the beginning Those seeking jazz roots will find them on every stage and under multiple genre labels. Vibes player and musicologist Mulatu Astatke, the father of Ethio-jazz, argues that the ancient sounds of East Africa contributed significantly to what he calls "the science of music" that experimental jazz players are still exploring today. Southern Sounds The Big Easy is everywhere. Trumpeter and trenchant social critic Nicholas Payton applies the musical imaginat...

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