JAZZ ASSASSINS

Based in Johannesburg


Pictured above: Jazz Assassins' core instrumental unit

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Typical Corporate performance: up to 4 X 45 min sets

One of our most popular bands in South Africa, the Jazz Assassins is comprised of a core of professional jazz and session musicians who decided to combine their wealth of experience gained working under various bandleaders into one solid outfit, dedicated to providing a top-quality live musical service to the function industry.  The band primarily plays a mixture of swing era jazz, latin and smooth jazz, and prides itself on adjusting its sound to the complement the atmosphere of any event, taking your guests through cocktails and dinner with atmospheric, laid-back jazz and eventually leading them out onto the dancefloor with latin and smooth jazz rhythms as the evening progresses.  The Jazz Assassins is perfectly tailored to add an air of sophistication and glamour to your function.

Formats:
The Jazz Assassins offer a variety of setups, allowing you to pick and choose the combination of instruments that is best suited to your event and budget:

Recent bookings with 5sm include:

The Band:

Joe Penn – Saxophone and clarinet
Originally hailing from Cape Town, Joe studied at the University of Cape Town.  As a young musician on the Cape Town scene, Joe was fortunate to be able to play shows with many of South Africa’s top jazz musicians – an experience which has granted him a wealth of invaluable experience.  Joe has performed with:  Dan Shout, Ivan Masuse, Kevin Gibson, Kesivan Naidoo, David Cousins, Russ Nerwich, Ivan Bell, Dominic Peters as well as members of Breakfast Included.  He also regularly performs with DJ’s on the Gauteng club circuit.

Devin Howell – Piano
Devin gained his musical education at the Tshwane University of Technology, where he studied piano and flute as part of the institution’s jazz performance course.  Since leaving the Technikon, Devin has been engaged in the Gauteng jazz scene on a professional basis, playing with many of the top names on the local circuit; including Marc Dube, Ernest Mohtle and the John Davies Big Band

Wouter Reynecke – Bass
Wouter is also a graduate of the Tshwane University of Technology, where he honed his abilities on the bass guitar for the duration of the 4 year degree.  He has since played in the bands of top Gauteng jazz musicians such as Kevin Davidson, John Davies and Marc Dube; and is the first-call session bass player for many of South Africa’s top Afrikaans musicians, including MJ Greyling and Beeskraal.

Howie Combrink – Drums
Howie is currently in his seventh year of study under South African drumming and session legend Neil Ettridge and operates as a professional session drummer in the same prestigious circles as his mentor.  He is also presently engaged in additional studies through the internationally acclaimed Berklee School of Music based in Boston, USA.  Howie has performed on many sessions for notable jazz and pop musicians, including Mike Slavin’s Blues Train, Sangoma, Higher Ground, Mono and Mosaic Ministries.

The Vocalists
The Jazz Assassins offer the services of top-class professional vocalists (depending on availability), male and female, to supplement the band’s sound:

Edit Klug - Female Vocalist
Edith Klug graduated in piano and voice from the Vienna Conservatory and after graduating moved to South Africa with trombonist Dan Selsick. Daughter of a jazz trumpet player she was influenced at an early age to move into the realm of jazz vocals.

 

 

Elrine Spies – Female Vocalist
Elrine gained her musical education at the Tshwane University of Technology, from which she graduated with a B Tech Music in 2005.  Since then she has been highly active on the music scene, both as a performer and advanced vocal coach.  A jazz singer with a powerful mastery of both classical jazz and r&b stylings, she has performed regularly with established professionals such as Melvin Peters, Jesse Mogale, Mzamo Bengu, Bacco Xaba, Gerald Clarke and has done big band work with John Davies.  She is also involved in television work; her most recent vocal contribution can be heard in the theme song for Franz Marx’s Dit Wat Stom Is, screened on Kyknet.

Andrew Massey – Male Vocalist
Andrew is an extremely accomplished vocalist and is also currently an educator at the Campus of Performing Arts, having previously lectured vocals at the tertiary level. He started his career as a member of the acclaimed Drakensberg Boys’ Choir and went on to study music at Tshwane University of Technology.  As a freelance singer, Andrew has had the opportunity to work with some of the country’s top musicians. These include: Avzal Ismail, Niell Ettridge, Denis Lalouette, Véronique Lalouette, Brendan Ross, Sydney Mnisi, Sydney Mavundla, Wessel van Rensburg, Kevin Davidson, Marcus Wyatt, Dan Selsick, Annette Louw, Kate Normington, Tim Moloi, Mandisa Bardill, Pete Sklair, Vusi Khumalo, Trevor Donjeany, André Behnke, Bradley Cooper, James Sunney, Deon Kruger, Alwyn Vorster, Peter Auret, Ruedi Wagner, Barry Snyman, Andy Klee, Roland Moses, Jasper van Rensburg, Rob Watson, Jason Green, David Manchip, Graeme Sacks and Lowell Jeffrey.