Plett Music Festival 2014 

Article and photos by Timothy Twidle

The Plett Music Festival that was staged at The White House Theatre, Plettenberg Bay, from Thursday 13 until Sunday 16 February 2014, was a resounding success.

The first evening, that played to a capacity house, featured saxophonist Andrew Young, who blew up a storm and had the audience baying for more – he duly obliged with Baker Street, the number that every saxophone player relishes. Backing was provided by Waldemar van Wyk on bass guitar, Rene Piet, keyboards, Eric Valleres on drums, Jaco Jordaan, rhythm/lead guitar and Beatrice Esterhuizen, who joined the combo at intervals to belt out the vocals.

A Saint Valentine’s Day Special on the evening of Friday 14 February saw Carol Thorns on electric cello and Shelley Frost on electric harp play a pastiche of delightful music, accompanied by some stunning overhead visuals. Both are accomplished musicians and together they delivered a superb rendition of Spiegel im Spiegel by the great Estonian composer, Arvo Pärt.

Saturday evening 15 February saw The Swing Setters, a seven piece band from Cape Town, play a mix of swing and funk, that quickly had the dance floor alive with couples movin’ and a groovin’, doing a boogie and twisting the night away. The Rick van Heerden Quartet from Grahamstown played a session of jazz on the afternoon of Sunday 16 February, that concluded with the Dave Brubeck standard Take Five.

The Plett Music Festival was organised and run by the Kids of Kurland project and all proceeds, after the deduction of costs, went towards improving the quality of education at The Crags Primary School at Kurland Village, a community located some 20 kilometres to the north-east of Plettenberg Bay.