Description

You have probably never heard the Great American Songbook sung like this in Cape Town.

Al Clapper has been on stages here for years, fronting soul-hop outfit androgenius with a voice people remember and a presence nobody forgets. What this city has not yet heard is Clapper as a jazz singer. On Sunday 1 November, SeekArt presents the Al Clapper Core-tet at Cape Town Jazz Club: his professional debut in the idiom, and the first night this band plays under its own name.

The Core-tet is a celebration of musical kinship and sheer swing. These are the players who have been Clapper’s artistic anchor since he arrived at the South African College of Music in 2025, and they are three of the most dynamic young cats on the Cape Town scene: Jason Marshall on piano, Adam Selikowitz on double bass, Matt Keswell behind the kit.

The repertoire dives headfirst into the Songbook. Beautiful ballads, playfully sassy swing, bouncing bebop, and Clapper’s love affair with Latin jazz. Alongside the standouts from his last recital, a handful of brand-new arrangements get their first hearing in public, written for the Masters recital he closes out the year with. Hear them here before anyone else does.

Sophisticated without ever being stuffy. Four close collaborators serving up the Great American Songbook at its cheekiest, with just the right amount of scat.

Sunday 1 November 2026
Cape Town Jazz Club, Bokeh, 11 Warwick Street, Claremont
19:00 Doors
20:00 First set
21:15 Second set
22:00 Finish

General admission: R200
Students: R150, limited to 30, student card required at the door
Early bird: R150, first 10 tickets only