ALL is set for the Victoria Falls International Jazz Festival to be held at Elephant Hills Hotel on December 24 and 25.

At least international stars such as Judith Sephuma (South Africa), Max Wild (United States of America), Marsha Moyo (Zambia) and Ntsholeng 'Citie' Seetso (Botswana) will perform during the two-day jazz extravaganza.

Sephuma will make her debut appearance at the festival this year after performing at the Harare International Festival of the Arts.

She turned professional in 1994 in Cape Town's Baxter Theatre under the University of Cape Town (UCT) School of Music's Big Band.

A finalist in the Shell Road to Fame and the SABC's Jam Alley Search for Talent, Sephuma is a UCT Performer's Diploma in Jazz graduate and has majored (Hon in Jazz Performance) in Jazz Singing.

She has worked with top artistes and bands among them Selaelo Selota, UCT's Big Band, The C-base Collective, The Cape Symphonic Orchestra, Jimmy Dludlu, Loading Zone, Ian Smith's Virtual Jazz Reality, Jack van Poll and Gerry Spencer. Sephuma has toured the world performing.

The line-up also features Oliver Mtukudzi, whose support of the festival has been outstanding since the inaugural show last year.

Zexie Manatsa, Sam Mtukudzi, Adrian Mparutsa, Sam Mataure, Patience Musa, Mama Africa, Cool Crooners, Mandebvu and Jazz Invitation will also perform while top poet Chirikure Chirikure will be the master of ceremonies.

Young jazz artistes have been roped in to showcase Zimbabwe's emerging jazz talent and to inspire the development of the music at the junior ranks.

Sam Mtukudzi and Adrian Muparutsa, both artistes from some of Zimbabwe's most outstanding musical families, are young jazz fellows with distinct style and amazing passion for jazz.

Sam plays with his father Oliver and sometimes with his own band while Adrian is with Colour Blu.

The inaugural event was in many ways a celebration of the development of jazz in Zimbabwe with South African based Zimbabwean Louis Mhlanga being the only foreign-based jazzman in attendance.

This year the festival assumes a much more expanded and visible international outlook by featuring four foreign artistes of great note.

The festival is organised by Rooftop Promotions and Sam Mataure.

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"The festival is what can be described fundamentally as the Zimbabwean platform for international jazz music in every respect...the line-up, the style, the presentation, the delivery, the purpose, the audience, in fact, everything that is expected to come with an international music festival.

"We are also supporting and enhancing the collaboration of local and visiting artistes. There is always something to share on common ground like festivals. The corporations that back jazz music are supportive of the development of music and are proud to be associated with the jazz phenomenon," said Mataure.

At national level the choice of the Victoria Falls is strategic. The tourist attraction is an undisputed international resort and there is no better place to showcase Zimbabwe's Afro-jazz heritage while supporting tourism through music.