Real People, Gossip and gists; Keyshia Cole, Asa Headline Calabar Jazz Festival

Organisers of the Calabar International Jazz Festival have declared that Grammy-nominated R&B singer, Keyshia Cole and Nigerian Diva, Asa will top the star-studded lineup scheduled for April 18 to 21.

Cole’s fans will be thrilled to the live performance of her hit tracks such as ‘I Should Have Cheated’ and ‘Heaven Sent’. The singer’s stake in Hollywood went a notch up with her two BET reality TV series ‘Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is’ and ‘Keyshia and Daniel: Family First’.

By popular demand, Asa returns this year for the Festival where she wowed the crowd, switching effortlessly between vocals, guitar, trumpet and some fancy footwork last year.

Conoisseurs of smooth jazz, R ‘n’ B and African dance music can look forward to fabulous performances by Hugh Masekela, Liquideep, Jimmy Dludlu and Micasa Music from South Africa, US- based Timotha Lanae , Gwyn Jay Allen  from UK and local superstars Dare Art Alade, Yinka Davies and Kunle Ayo.

Dludlu was invited to return after a ground-breaking performance in 2013, while the legendary Masekela, a frequent visitor to Nigeria joins the team. He will anchor a special Peace Concert, a private event hosted by Cross River State Governor, Sen. Liyel Imoke, to highlight the incessant killings around Nigeria especially in the Northern parts.

According to him, the invitation-only concert is an important one: “Having endured the horrors of Apartheid, we feel it is fitting to have Hugh Masekela help us to highlight this disturbing new trend in parts of our beloved country, even as we search for solutions. We must never forget the victims.”

Calabar Jazz Festival is the backbone of a great Easter weekend break for Nigerians, a well-timed escapism away from the busy city life in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. While the concerts will change the face of nightlife at Calabar’s Cultural Centre, with a glittering array of music stars, the venue will be filled with people who will be drawn to an intriguing range of daytime activities.

Another special, ‘Music Meets Photography’ will bring together some of Nigeria’s most promising creative photographers with an audience seemingly addicted to being ‘snapped’, against a backdrop of live jazz and local music.

Art lovers will be able to visit a gallery of beautiful paintings and sculpture, curated by Terra Kulture, in the large and imposing lobby.