Cameron Ward will finally make his big stage debut when he performs with his Cameron Ward Band at the upcoming Cape Town Jazz Festival.
The Florida resident is excited about the opportunity to showcase his music talent.
“Being invited to perform on such a grand stage is amazing but it hasn’t sunk in yet. This is a place where the biggest names in jazz music will be performing. As the festival date draws near I’m sure I will start to realize what I am about to do,” he said.
Cameron is no stranger to big stages, after studying music at the Prompt College in Cape Town, he joined a band called Loading Zone as a guitarist and performed together for six years.
However, while with his band he received a called from the manager of Hugh Masekela to become a guitarist for the legendary South African musician.
“I got a call from his management in 2009 to become his guitarist. I thought it was a prank or something. However I then found myself flying to Joburg and a few months later I was on stage with Hugh Masekela and his band in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Since then, Cameron has toured all around the world, gaining experience which led him to want to release an album.
“It has been an amazing five years with Bra Hugh and I have learned so much from him. I am still learning from him. He has been supportive of me and encouraged me to do an album. Not only had him, but my family and friends also gave me the push,” he said.
He recorded his 12 track album called So Much Joy in 2014 independently with the help of his Cameron Ward Band.
However, the process of recording was not smooth sailing and that experience helped him to become a better musician.
“When I got together with my band, it was when I realized how expensive just being in a studio was. Struggling between us on how to get there in the first place was fun. But when we got into the studio and recorded, the vibe and energy was amazing,” he said.
The album is a fusion between jazz and gospel with various other genres influencing the music.
“I wrote and composed all the songs and lyrics so this album is personal to be. Putting pen to paper was very therapeutic to me as some of the songs I wrote while I was away from my family for months at a time. The genre is Afrojazz as I sing on the tracks,” he said. You can contact Cameron via his social media accounts:
Twitter: @WardCameronward
Facebook: Cameron ward
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr0I9_hjmbE&feature=youtu.be
