Monday nights seem to be a popular time to start the week right, with cool jazz sounds to mellow into some unknowns of that week ahead.For almost 20 years now, one Monday night jazz jam has consistently thrilled the jazz freaks – both local and visiting – at a local club in the Wetton community of Cape Town. This unmarked building is called ‘Swingers’, operates other types of entertainment during the week and on weekends (i.e. DJs, karioki, other concerts), and could be hard to find if the person giving directions to some eager soul goofs up. Swingers is actually just off Wetton Road east of Wynberg and east of the M5 highway, tel 021-762-2443.
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| Errol Dyers (guitar); Buddy Wells (sax); Marcus Wyatt (trumpet) - 2011 |
Guitarist Alvin Dyers and his band start off these marvelous evenings with a 45 minutes set, from 10pm onwards, after which other musicians that turn up can come to the stage. Often, the mix of jammers are of different ages and abilities, many being university students and graduates of music. The mix is as rainbow as is the audience, composed of all racial groups of South Africa, with the occasional non-South African visiting musician or tourist or permanent resident rucking up for the festivities. One just never knows who’s going to show up, which is part of the evening’s fun. Holidays mean families and friends bring themselves to swell the floor stomping jazz enthusiast numbers to this 200 + seating venue. Swingers has the ground floor tables decorated with candles, usually attracting more of the avid listeners. Then for the noisier types, an open upstairs caters to other crowds. A room behind the stage is where the musicians prepare for their performance, deciding what songs to play and how they will present the two songs they are allowed to play collectively. The multi-instrumentalists get to play several times, especially when the virtuoso move between drums on one song to trumpet on another song!
By 1am, when many listeners have left because they have to get up at 6am to get ready for work, the young ones take over. This is their chance to jam, make a myriad of mistakes, even play awfully, without critics in their midst. Listeners are usually too inebriated or just plain tired to care! If you’re new to the venue, you will probably not leave the evening without having made a friend at your table, ‘cause that’s the way the ambiance is. People talk to each other, and share their enthusiasm for the various surprises they hear. You can even amble up to a musician and chat a bit, unassumably. They always love an appreciative audience.
Swinger’s cuisine isn’t bad, either. Several dishes on the menu provide either a substantial dinner or nibble, the curried lamb being a favourite among many.
So for 2-3 hours, depending on your listening and pocket budget, the Monday Night Jazz Jam offers something for everyone....even if you don’t like jazz. It’s the vibe and friendliness of the place that makes an evening worthy, over and over again.
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