KEYSHIA COLE FOR THE CALABAR JAZZ FESTIVAL

Organisers of the Calabar International Jazz Festival have announced today that Grammy-nominated R&B singer Keyshia Cole and the multi-talented songstress Asa have joined the already star-studded lineup scheduled for 18-21 April 2014.

Cole is well-known in Nigeria for her hits 'I Should Have Cheated' and 'Heaven Sent', and her two BET reality TV series 'Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is' and 'Keyshia and Daniel: Family First'. Asa returns after a triumphant performance at last year's Festival, where she wowed the crowd, switching effortlessly between vocals, guitar, trumpet and some fancy footwork.

Conoisseurs of smooth jazz, R 'n' B and African dance music can look forward to fabulous performances by Hugh Masekela, Liquideep, Jimmy Dludlu and Micasa Music (South Africa), Timotha Lanae (USA), Gwyn Jay Allen (UK) and local superstars Dare Art Alade, Yinka Davies and Kunle Ayo. Dludlu was invited to return after a spell-binding show in 2013, while living legend Masekela is a frequent visitor who considers Calabar his 'home away from home'. He will anchor a special Peace Concert, a private event hosted by His Excellency, Sen. Liyel Imoke, to highlight the futile and senseless killings around Nigeria.

According to the Governor of Cross River, the invitation-only concert is an important one: "Having endured the horrors of Apartheid, we feel it is fitting to have Hugh Masekela help us to highlight this disturbing new trend in parts of our beloved country, even as we search for solutions. We must never forget the victims."

Calabar Jazz Festival is the backbone of a great Easter weekend break for Nigerians, looking forward to escaping hectic city life in Lagos, Aubuja and Port Harcourt. Calabar beckons with its reputation for being the cleanest, greenest and safest state capital in Nigeria. In addition to the concerts, there will be fun day-time activities and tours for all the family, fabulous VIP after-parties, and, of course, an opportunity to sample some of the local delicacies which have made Calabar famous with food lovers.

While the concerts will light up the night at Calabar's Cultural Centre, with a glittering array of music stars, the venue will play host to an intriguing range of daytime activities. Music Meets Photography brings together some of Nigeria's most promising creative photographers with an audience seemingly addicted to being 'snapped', against a backdrop of live jazz and local music. Art lovers will be able to visit a gallery of beautiful paintings and sculpture, curated by Terra Kulture, in the large and imposing lobby.

The confirmed line-up of artistes for the Calabar International Jazz Festival from 18th - 20th April is as follows:

Friday 18th

·         Jimmy Dludlu                                                     

·         Salvadore Sango'        

Saturday 19th

·         Asa

·         Micasa Music                            

·         Kunle Ayo            

Sunday 20th

·         Keyshia Cole

·         Darey

·         Liquideep                         

·         Gwyn Jay Allen

Monday 21st (private event, by invitation only)

·         Hugh Masekela

·         Yinka Davies

Tickets start from just N15,000 per night and are available at Jumia.com. All-inclusive travel packages to Calabar (flights, hotel, concert tickets, after-parties and ground transfers) are available from Leadway Travel & Tours (07042631730, info@leadwaytours.com). Sponsors include Bouygues Construction, General Electric, NAIRDA, Hennessy and NetConstruct; while media partners include MTV Base, EbonyLife TV, Beat FM and Classic FM.