Jaguar Land Rover | Jazz Voice
British Queen of Rap Queen Leshurr
LaSharVu brings the house down with their version of Prince’s Purple Rain
Broadcaster, food critic and jazz aficionado Jay Rayner was the master of ceremonies;
Kandace Springs
Sue King (Jaguar Land Rover) welcomes the Ambassador of Egypt Mr Nasser Kamel
Dame Ann Grant explains to guests the work of the Serious Trust in helping emerging talent from their countries
Sue King (Jaguar Land Rover) with Finnish Ambassador Mrs Päivi Luostarinen
The Ambassador of Chile Rolando Drago, Sue King (Jaguar Land Rover) and Mrs Edith Gallardo
JLR’s Sue King meets the Ambassador of Honduras Ivan Romero-Martinez and the High Commissioner for Mozambique Mr Filipe Chidumo
Host Sue King from Jaguar Land Rover with the Slovak Ambassador Dr L’ubomír Rehák, his wife Dana and their daughter
Deputy Austrian Ambassador Christoph Weidinger and Helen and Paul Gardner (Chacalli De Decker)
The Ambassador of Honduras Ivan Romero-Martinez, his wife Mirian, the Ambassador of Costa Rica Jose Enrique Castillo and Mr Jorge Arturo Aguilar Castillo
Gerard Liddon (Chacalli De Decker), Gloria Weidinger (Austria) and Embassy Editor Elizabeth Stewart
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Jazzed up diplomacy
Jazz lovers in the diplomatic corps were in for a real Festive Season treat, courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover and international contemporary music producers, Serious, who offered connoisseurs VIP tickets to Jazz Voice, the opening Gala of the London Jazz Festival.
Diplomats heard from Dame Ann Grant, former British High Commissioner to South Africa, who chairs the Serious Trust, a charity supporting emerging talent from all over the world and introduces new audiences to music.
The programme was just that – a crowd-pleaser accommodating jazz purists and new audiences alike, including soulful jazz from Kandace Springs (reminiscent of Billie Holiday) and jazz-rap by the outstanding Queen Leshurr. Contemporary jazz powerhouse trio LaSharVu ended the programme with a soaring rendition of Purple Rain, in tribute to the artist Prince who died earlier this year.
PHOTOS: PIERRE DE VILLIERS