urban groove

Based in Cape Town

 

Urban Groove specializes in a mixture of great jazz standards, smooth jazz and a range of enjoyable popular background music!  Urban Groove performs with live instruments (saxophone & keyboard) as well as high quality tailor made backing tracks.  The combination of the live instruments  performed with the tracks gives the band a full, dynamic sound of a much larger band, whilst keeping an intimate feel to the performance.  The tracks are produced by one of the band members in a top recording studio (co-owned by Mark de Kock and Tony Higgins) for the exclusive use of Urban Groove).

"Urban Groove were awesome and contributed hugely to the success of our gala dinner at The Mount Nelson. The band were very professional and played music that was perfectly suited to the theme of the evening. The band received a lot of compliments as guests thoroughly enjoyed their evening." - Tessa Owen, Green Route.

The band members are:


Marc de Kock (Saxophone) 
Top South African Saxophonist Marc de Kock is of an international standard. Marc graduated from UCT College of Music in 2000 with an Honours degree in Jazz performance.   At age 19 he was chosen to tour with the National Youth Jazz Band to New York where he represented South Africa.  Over the years Marc has been involved with many bands and theatre productions such as: Cats, Grease and all Barnyard Theatre shows, which have also taken him around the world to Thailand, Mauritius and Europe. Marc had the honour of playing with Israel and New Breed (number one selling gospel group in America) and recorded their latest DVD with them.  He is currently a member of Sony BMG for recording artist "James Stewart" as well as for "The Sticky Triggers". Marc has performed at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival with Gavin Minter and the Mother City Groove and Leslie Klein Smith.

 

Tony Higgins: (Keyboards)
Tony has been involved with many of the top South African cover bands of the 80s such as Late final, Brother to Brother, and Panama.  Tony performed on the Sun International Circuit before opening  his own recording studio in partnership with Marc de Kock.  He is highly experienced and has been booked for top session gigs in the jazz arena and projects performing for clients such as MTN, Shoprite Checkers & Coca cola . He has performed on the barnyard circuit at Willow bridge, having done Mick & Tina, Danny Fisher show, Glory Days, Walking in Memphis & he recently completed highly successful Rock Me Amadeus. Tony brings a fresh dynamic keyboard sound, he is multi stylistic and is equally comfortable with straight ahead  jazz, smooth jazz & pop & rock.

 

NOTABLE VENUES
Table Bay Hotel
Mount Nelson
Westin Grand Hotel
Nederburg Wine Estate
Simonsig Wine Estate
Groote Schuur Estate (Presidential Residence)