-Vusi Mahlasela visit artist website
Vusi Mahlasela, is simply known as “The Voice” in his home-country, South Africa. Celebrated for his distinct, powerful voice and his poetic, optimistic lyrics, his sound is a hybrid of folk, world, blues and soul, one that connects Apartheid-scarred South Africa with its promise for a better future.
Mahlasela, an accomplished guitarist, percussionist, composer, arranger, band leader and performer, has bridged generations at home and abroad. Over the past three years of heavy, world-wide touring and spreading his message, Mahlasela has remained true to his roots.
Born Vusi Sidney Mahlasela Ka Zwane in 1965 in Lady Selborne, South Africa, Mahlasela became enchanted by music at an early age, building his first guitar out of tin and fishing line. Reared in Mamelodi Township, a vibrant artist community where he still resides, he gravitated toward poetry and song writing as a teen, eventually joining youth organizations protesting South Africa's separatist, white government.
Reading poems at night vigils, funerals and anti-Apartheid marches triggered a long streak of police harassment. Local police soon began requiring that he keep them abreast of his whereabouts at all times, and his poems and songs were routinely confiscated—forcing him to memorize his work. It was a time when people like him would 'just disappear indefinitely,' he recalls, or, in Mahlasela's case, be held for periods of time. 'Somehow you get some sort of courage. You look at what's happening to your comrades, and you see that their struggle has to be testified—and you don't have to be afraid.'
Mahlasela never knew his father, finally locating him in 2000, sadly, six months after his death. When he was in his early 20s, his mother collapsed in church, dying the same day, just a year after she'd proudly held his first recording in her hands and wept. He wrote the song 'River Jordan' for her, and it was with her inspiration and the motivation of leaders like Nelson Mandela that Mahlasela crafter his official debut, 1991's When You Come Back, produced by Lloyd Ross, who returns to the controls for Guiding Star.
In 1988, he joined the Congress of South African Writers, developing a new level of confidence as a poet and a writer. He struck up a creative friendship with South African poet Lesego Rampolokeng (who joins Mahlasela and Dave Matthews on 'Sower of Words'), while falling under the spell of artists like Miriam Makeba and Phillip Tabane and the work of Victor Jara— all central influences on Mahlasela's music and lyrics.
After the end of Apartheid, Vusi performed at Mandela's inauguration in 1994, and is now an ambassador to Mandela's 46664 Foundation, a campaign to help raise Global awareness of Aids/ HIV. Mahlasela proudly promotes Mandela's message at all of his performances.
Having released a string of albums in South Africa - and after world-wide touring and international acclaim - it wasn't until the 2003 debut of the documentary film Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony, a film that charts South Africans' long time struggle for racial equality, that Americans first glimpsed and heard Mahlasela. In a rave Los Angeles Times review, noted critic Robert Hilburn wrote: 'Vusi Mahlasela's voice is so pure and commanding; you wonder whether you should have gotten an entire album by him.' After the release of the film, long-time admirer and fellow South African, Dave Matthews, signed Vusi to his own ATO Records label and released The Voice (2003) - a collection of the best songs from Vusi’s catalog.
Dave Matthews calls Mahlasela 'one of the most important influences of my life.’ It was an album so chock full of beauty, soul and struggle that it had a profound effect on American listeners in the wake of 9/11—even though much of the album wasn't sung in English. And that's a power that Mahlasela doesn't take lightly.
One of the hardest things to learn as a musician is when to not only recognize inspiration, but when to trust and follow it. Over a musically and socially consequential career, Vusi Mahlasela has successfully followed his muse. That trust in his gift is at the root of his latest album, Guiding Star (Naledi Ya Tsela). In 2007, ATO released Guiding Star as his first full-length release in the States.
Mahlasela wrote and recorded this album as he toured the globe. Its soul-stirring title is very much a product of the new friends he's met and experiences he's had touring. Bearing the influences of various music and voices from throughout the world, Guiding Star features guest appearances from friends that Vusi has met along the way, including Dave Matthews ('Sower of Words'), band leader and Allman Brothers guitarist Derek Trucks ('Tibidi Waka'), Australian didgeridoo star Xavier Rudd ('Chamber of Justice'), singer-songwriter Jem ('Everytime') and longtime friends and touring mates Ladysmith Black Mambazo ('Heaven In My Heart'). Mahlasela also drew on the talents of numerous South African guests, including the legendary 'Black Moses' Ngwenya of the Soul Brothers, the children's choir from the Agnes Chidi School in his home Township, Mamelodi, and the KCC Gospel, among many others.
The bulk of Guiding Star was recorded on a farm in rural South Africa. Like any Vusi Mahlasela album, there are songs that connect him and the people of South Africa with both their past, present, and hopes for a better future: 'Song for Thandi' tells the story of detained freedom fighter Thandi Modise, while the affecting 'Sower of Words'—featuring Dave Matthews—is a lament for the late Black Consciousness poet and writer Ingoapele Madingoane, who wrote the influential poem 'Africa My Beginning, Africa My Ending.'
A single listen to Guiding Star, is all one needs to be assured that Mahlasela is a gifted performer. And with that gift comes responsibility, says Vusi: 'I know that I have something that is like a borrowed fire from God. And I have to use it in a very positive way.'
Recently, Vusi performed at Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday celebration in Hyde Park, London. Over 50,000 people gathered for the event to raise awareness for Mandela’s 46664. Vusi also performed with Paul Simon for a week of shows in New York and toured with banjoist Bela Fleck this past spring. In the midst of a busy international touring schedule, Vusi remains dedicated to his social activism and partnerships with non-profits, including his own Vusi Mahlasela Music Development Foundation (www.VMMDF.org), committed to the promotion of and preservation of African music.; OXFAM; The Acumen Fund; The African Leadership Academy, the ONE campaign and more.
-Selaelo Selota visit artist website
These days it seems like everything SELAELO SELOTA touches turns to Gold! The multi-talented musician’s career keeps developing at an outstanding rate, and the last two years have seen him carve out a sparkling career in the highly competitive South African Afro Jazz scene – but the scary thing is that he is only just getting started. In addition to the recent success of his landmark 2000 debut album PAINTED FACES achieving Platinum status for sales in excess of 60 000 units, his latest release ENCHANTED GARDENS has also achieved Gold status. The former gold miner is now mining the same precious metal, but armed with a guitar rather than a drill.
SELAELO SELOTA was born and grew up in a rural village near Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg) in South Africa’s most northern Limpopo Province, where he remembers being greatly inspired by the traditional musical practice that were abundant all around him. On completing high school, and not having financial resources to further his studies, he found employment in mining. Working in the mines and living amongst the migrant workers, he was exposed to the traditional songs and dances from many other South African tribal groups. After three years, in 1989 he left the mines and went to Johannesburg – commonly known as “Egoli” (The City of Gold) – in search of a new direction in his life
In Johannesburg he found work at Market Theatre as an usher and later as a cleaner at famous Newtown Night club Kippies Jazz International, where he seized every opportunity to learn from the musicians he heard performing there night after night. During that year he bought his first guitar FUBA (Federated Union of Black Artist) Academy. By June 1998 Selaelo was playing with his first band at the Market, and also gigging with renowned Ghananian artist George Lee and his outfit Anansi.
In 1992/93 SELAELO SELOTA worked on the shell Road of Fame Competition while teaching Jazz Guitar at FUBA Academy and in 1994 came a pivotal moment when he enrolled at the University of Cape Town’s renowned College of music to Study a Degree in Jazz Music. As a student and bandleader he performed Meropa, who played the Grahamstown Festival Fringe in 1995. Selaelo then formed his band Taola in 1996 as a vehicle of his original compositions, which were and still are an energetic and emotional fusion of Pedi music, modern elements and the traditional African musical experiences of his youth. Taola appeared numerous times on television and at live performances and festivals across the Cape region, including the UCT Jazz Festival held at the Baxter Concert Hall in Cape Town in 1997.
The band was then invited to perform at the Fin de Siecle Music in Nantes, France in October 1997, receiving standing ovation. Selaelo himself was awarded second prize in the prestigious Adcock Ingram Music Competition in1996 and in 1997 he won first prize, both in the Jazz category. By now he enjoyed a growing reputation and was regularly featured as a soloist and composer with the UCT Big Band. 1996 saw Selaelo appointed as one of the guitar teachers at the University, which followed into 1998 when he taught
Jazz Guitar and Jazz Improvisation. SELALEO SELOTA graduated from UCT in 1997 with a Jazz Degree, majoring in Jazz Composition and arrangement. In that same year he worked with well-known musicologist and researcher, David Fanshwane during his “African Sanctus” tour with the London Bach Choir in 1997.
In 1998 Selaelo featured on the debut CD of fellow musician Frank Mallows and Brydon Bolton entitled “Adamstor –The spirit of Table Mountain”, his first studio recording experience. Selaelo performed in early 1999 with the quartet at the Blue Note’s “Cape Town Salutes the Guitars” event to great acclaim, and it was at this concert that the managing director of the North Sea Jazz Festival, Theo van den Hoek, sported Selaelo and booked him for that year’s Festival. In March 1999 came another critical moment, when he won the instrumental Category of the Old Mutual jazz Into The Future Competition (Western Cape regional finals). This is when Selaelo came to the attention of Dave Thompson, Marketing/A&R Director of BMG Africa, who instantly signed the Johannesburg bound young star to BMG new Giant step record label.
Virtually unknown outside of the Cape music circles, Selaelo set about recording his debut album PAINTED FACES in Rhino Studio near Mmabatho, working closely with Cape Town Gavin Goldberg. Featuring “Ma Modiegi” (that became a huge hit) and a slew of other superb songs, the album was released in 2000, and by the time Selaelo bounded onto the stage at the 2001 South African Music Awards to collect two SAMA’s Best Newcomer and the Best Contemporary Jazz Album, there was no doubting that this incredibly gifted musician mare than deserved the accolades.
The brace of SAMA’s signalled his arrival in a big way, and since the release of his debut album, Selaelo had rapidly earned the recognition of his peers, music critics, and perhaps most importantly, thousands of music fans around the country for his beautiful composition and his incendiary live performance- igniting the stage and the hearts of every single fan around the country with every performance. Selaelo’s international reputation is also growing in leaps and bounds. He has already shared the stage with several international stars including Jonathan Butler, Bob James, Kirk Whalum and more recently with Richard Bona.
He has also worked with Ronny Jordan amongst others. Selaleo Selota performed in New Orleans in November 2001 as part of a cultural exchange programme made possible through the New Orleans South African Connection (NOSACONN). Selaelo visited the huge Womex (World Music) Trade Fair in Germany in October 2002, a trip that with no doubt opened further doors for his burgeoning careers.
Selaleo Selota’s second album offering, ENCHANTED GARDENS,which went (Platinum selling more than 60 000 copies) is an 11-track album that continues the intelligent Afro Jazz thread that the songwriter wove so beautifully on PAINTED FACES, only this time stepping harder on the creative pedal to turn the new record into one of the must-have Afro jazz purchases of 2002 and well beyond into a timeless collectors item. Produced by Selaelo himself (revealing the artist to be just as skilled in this field…more on that later), ENCHANTED GARDENS boast the musical talents of his highly accomplished live band travels a musical path that includes traditional sounds, smooth jazz, stunning instrumentals, inspired vocals and much, much more. ENCHANTED GARDENS is a varied, textured, and diverse album with standouts including the live favourite ‘Thrr…Phaa!’ (recorded live at Caesars Palace in Gauteng and also turned into a stunning music video), ‘ Baya Ndipatha-Patha’ ( featuring the sassy vocals of Xolisa Dlamini) and ‘Le Ile Kae’, the latter surely one of the most exquisite South African compositions of recent years.
In the artist own words: “ENCHANTED GARDENS is very much about asserting my voice. I wanted this album to be one where I re-assert the voice that I have already set up with “PAINTED FACES”. In preparing for the album I had many chats with retailers and hawkers on the street and every time I visited them they’d say: ‘You’re never gonna to produce a classic like this’, holding onto a copy of ‘Faces’. So that was a challenge for me. I had to go back and listen to ‘Faces’ time and time again and I thought that it was beautiful indeed but I needed to come up with something that would say I maintained and took the standard further by solidifying my statement as a musician and my own voice and style. When I listen to both albums I can hear that this is the same person who recorded them both. If I am going to come with another album and people say ‘who is this’ it means that I do not have a voice”.
As with all the creative work undertaken by Selota, ENCHANTED GARDENS has at its core, a definite theme and vision. “ It’s about the Enchanted Gardens of your soul where beauty can be found- it’s that moment of life when you enchanted by things. Take the song ‘Naomi First Dance’. After my daughter was born and I saw moving for the first time, I thought about a human being’s first dance and realised that this was just what she was doing. And I realise where my innate ability to dance- which is something I’ve only discovered recently- comes from”
SELAELO SELOTA, is quick to pinpoint that his many live shows – now renowned for their combination of beauty and visceral energy – are providing an excellent vehicle to enable him to find that style and voice. “More and more as I perform live, the artist within has been coming forward and making his own statement. I’ve always found myself restricted in my mind, but when I am on stage and let go, there is someone who comes forward and that person has been inspiring me. He’s a very energetic dancer and he’s very passionate when he has to sing and could even put lyrics to all instrumental songs.
Words play an important role in this jazz artist’s life. Several songs on ENCHANTED GARDENS are enhanced with the intelligent use of lyrics and albums sleeve contains notes – penned by Selaelo himself- on each of the album’s tracks, bringing to life the moment in time, the stories, the people that inspired this exceptional recording. With ‘ENCHANTED GARDENS’, Selaelo’s reputation as amongst the foremost Afro – jazz artist working today is considerably enhanced and a slew of counting life shows to promote the album is likely to earn this gifted young man further acclaim.
The hugely talented musician has done a lot more than create successful albums for himself alone. Since the phenomenal success of JUDITH SEPHUMA’S debut album A CRY, A SMILE, A DANCE (Triple Platinum sales status of more than 160 000 units) which was arranged and produced by the maestro himself, Selaelo has taken producing one step further by repeating the magic on troubadour UMANJI’S latest album WANTOLOBELA and more recently with that of fellow jazz guitarist, SASHA SONNBICHLER whose debut album was released through BMG Africa’s Giant Steps label in November 2002.
SELAELO SELOTA, is both an academic and a passionate, professional performer. He is making a fresh and substantial contribution to the development of South African music and enjoys sharing his work and inspiration with the wildest possible audience. It should come as a no surprise now that in conjunction with Keynote Artist Development Selaelo has embarked the Selaelo Selota Artist Development Programme, made possible by various funders.
SELAELO SELOTA travelled to Canada on the 08th July 2003 to make his debut performance at the prestigious Nuits D’Afrique Festival where he shared the stage with artist like Lokua Kanza, Diblo Dibala, Oliver Mutukudzi and many more. He was awarded the Song Writer of the year in 2003 by the South African Recording Rights Association Limited (SARRAL) and for the first time in history, University of Cape Town conferred an Alumni Award on Selaelo Selota in the recognition for his Contribution to South African Music.
Selaelo Selota has just completed a Tour of North America and he was billed to perform at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in April 2004 which was followed by a club tour of Ashford and Simpson’s Club Sugar Bar and Satalla in New York. He was also invited back to Montreal, Canada where he gave a sterling performance at Kola Note. Late in May he performed at the UCLA Jazz Festival in California, which was followed by a short tour of Zimbabwe and Zanzibar, Tanzania. He performed at the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) 2004.
In October 2004 the government of Limpopo Province in recognition of leaders in various fields conferred a Morula Award on Selaelo for his avid role in development in his hometown as well as his achievements in the music arena.
C-Lota Records. He has just completed production on his 3rd Album entitled “STORIES LIVED & TOLD” which promises to inspire, excite and explore hidden emotions of all those forgotten moments in life which need to be highlighted once again. The album has so far sold more than
2006 November SELAELO SELOTA released fourth album THE AZANIAN SONGBOOK under his (new) recording company LIVE AT THE SHACK ENTERTAINMENT which will be focusing on capturing live performances in an audio and visual format.. This product is a well thought out, beautifully and mature album that captures the style he started off six years ago. Selota has grown impressively as a composer over the years. His songs cover a wide range, from sentimental ballads and hymns to classic dance tunes. The songs ranges from his sing along tune Ordinary Day which features his daughter Tebelelo to Nkatanga which is a Tsonga song featuring Paledi Malatjie.
SELAELO SELOTA went to perform in Mozambique on the 14th January 2007 where he gave a massive performance that left the crowd shouting for more. During the rainy days and sunny times alike, Selota has always pushed the boundaries and has gained the respect of South African jazz lovers countrywide. Live at The Shack Entertainment is now in a Joint Venture with Sony BMG Entertainment. This venture has released its first artist Malatji with an album called The First Prince produced by SELAELO SELOTA. SELAELO SELOTA produced Judith Sephuma latest album Change is here which was released on the 25th of August 2008.
Now just finished his 5th Album SELAELO SELOTA describes this latest offering Lapeng Laka as finally being home. This album promises to provide a deeply satisfying experience. SELAELO SELOTA has been invited by the University of Southern California to be Artist in Residents where he will have series of workshops.
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Morula Awards
Eric Moloto Foundation awarded him a certificate for being an inspiration
He is the FIRST RECEPIENT OF THE ALUMNI AWARD for his contribution to SOUTH AFRICA MUSIC awarded by the University of Cape Town (UCT)
-Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet visit artist website
Michaela Rabitsch, singer, composer and Austria’s only and top female jazz trumpet player and her ingenious partner – composer and guitarist Robert Pawlik are pleased to release their junior release Moods. This album presents ten songs that reflect the passion, energy and emotions of their life.
Moods is their first recording with exclusively original compositions presented by both leaders, reflecting the core of their current work. The album was recorded and mixed in their private studio, which they try to optimize always according to their needs, constantly looking for and achieving the ultimate sound using vintage and only the finest gear in recording.
In the past both focused a lot on the standard repertoire – Michaela more on the Jazz repertoire and Robert more on funky and fusion side of music.
For more than ten years now they have shared their private and musical lives, playing together in their jazz quartet and their acoustic duo, writing for both groups and playing concert tours together.
The fact that they studied extensively the Jazz repertoire and a lot of Jazz related music genres gives them a rich musical vocabulary to draw from. Listening to their music will always bring new horizons to your listening palette.
Together they have developed a rich and eventful style, never trying to be purist’s only, but always looking for the core message of each song they are writing or playing, and how they can express it best.
The fact, that Michaela is a trumpet player and singer at the same time gives her an extra venue of possibilities in expression and interpretation. “The fact that I can choose to sing or to play a tune on the trumpet helps me to get to the essence of each tune and it’s mood.”
As international touring artists, Michaela and Robert have performed at Festivals and Jazz Clubs not only in their home country Austria, but also in Germany, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Israel, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, Russia, Iran and China.
BIO MICHAELA
Born and grown up in Upper Austria. Classical violin lessons at the age of 7; moved to Vienna with 14 to attend the Musikgymnasium and studied violin at conservatory of Vienna; completed with university-entrance diploma. Later on change to trumpet and studies for jazz- and popular music at the Bruckner conservatory Linz (now Anton Bruckner private University Linz) with Ingrid Jensen, Peter Tuscher and classical trumpet with Fritz Handlbauer. Plays and played with bands like: two of a kind, Hypersax, stage music at the Burgtheater Wien, Just for funk, Ladybirds, MBB, Blechvögel, Michaela Rabitsch Quartett feat. Lukas Zimmer, Robert Pawlik Quartet, Sophisticated Ladies, Theater des Kindes Linz, Damen der Gesellschaft, Con Moto, various Big Bands.
In the last years she focuses especially on her own compositions played together in quartet or duo with Robert Pawlik.
"A modern day female Chet Baker" (Kyle O' Brien, Jazzscene,)
BIO ROBERT
Born and grown up in Vienna, piano lessons at the age of 7. With 12 years he changed to guitar and after receiving his university-entrance diploma he studied jazz guitar at the conservatory of Vienna and at the American Institute of Music with Peter Legat, Claus Spechtl, Les Wise, Wayne Brasel and Karl Ratzer. Performances with bands of all styles: two of a kind, Al Fats Edwards, Andy Lee Lang, Respect, The Blues Punch, The Giant Tones, Fatal, Funky Stew, JJCapone, The Original Brothers, Jazz Terminators, Patty Miller, Robert Pawlik Quartett, Five in Love with Betty, Broadway Big Band, Musical Time Out with Marianne Mendt and Alfons Haider, the band of Nacht der Amateure Show (Café Jenseits Combo), the shows That’s Entertainment, and Viva Las Vegas with Andy Lee Lang, Loui Austin, Three Girl Madhouse, The Jive Giants and Doretha Carter.
In the last years he focuses especially on his own music played together in quartet or duo with Michaela Rabitsch.
"Incredible fluid guitar playing" (Don W. Seven, LMNOP Magazine).
-Mezzoforte visit artist website
30 years on, MEZZOFORTE seem on a great roll. Still fresh-faced, creative and vibrant.
After all they were only teenagers when they created Iceland´s first international chart-hit , GARDEN PARTY in 1983. This well crafted instrumental paved the way, allowing musical ideas to flow, develop and mature and making sure their over-night success should not be just a one-night stand.
Their stamina and well balanced longevity reflects the name itself. MEZZOFORTE. Playing it strong without distorting. More like a CRESENDO. A steadily growing , enhanced signal .
From strenght to strenght indeed well describes MEZZOFORTE´S continuing saga of suc-cess. With 40 countries already visited and 11 albums released, the year 2009 will see their 12th album followed by tours of European and Asian continents as well as their brand new collection of works on DVD distributed worldwide.
With original founders Eythor Gunnarsson on keyboards, Gulli Briem on drums and Johann Asmundsson on bass, the guitar chores are now amicably shared between axe-maestro Bruno Mueller and original guitarist Fridrik Karlsson. Other teammates include Reykjavik reed – man Oskar Gudjonsson, Sebastian Studnitzky, on keyboards/ trumpet and percussion - powerhouse Thomas Dyani.
This line - up recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of GARDEN PARTY with an open-air concert in the most appropriate Central Garden of Reykjavik, Hljómskalagardurinn. This con-cert gave a truly manificent overview of MEZZOFORTE´s great body of work, starting with numbers from their self-titled debut in 1979, through albums such as SURPRISE, SURPRISE ! OBSERVATINS, RISING, NO LIMITS, PLAYING FOR TIME , DAYBREAK, MONKEY FIELDS, FORWARD MOTION and finishing off with new compositions from their recently released grand DVD outing , MEZZOFORTE COLLECTION.
It was a grand GARDEN PARTY indeed, mirroring their own glorious musical history while marking a new exciting phase for this extraordinary group. While MEZZOFORTE is truly based on solid musical pillars, the group keeps refreshing and reinventing itself by constantly revelling in new concepts which typically lead to imaginative new global & musical adven-tures.
There is undoubtedly a lot to look forward to indeed for us MEZZOFORTE followers !
-Musa Manzini visit artist website
Musa Manzini was born at Inanda, north of Durban, South Africa in 1971 from parents Makhobane and Nomusa Manzini. He then moved to Cape Town in 1986 for high school and university studies. It was later in his high school days that he first picked up the guitar just as a hobby, but was hooked to it ever since. "I was faced with having to choose between music as a full-time career or becoming a lawyer which is the career my parents had carved for me. At one point, I thought I could be a lawyer who plays the bass".
After high school Musa enrolled at a MAPP institution that was a Swedish and Kagiso Trust initiative to assist musicians from previously disadvantaged communities of South Africa. This introduced him to the basic aspects of music theory and improvisation. In 1992-he enrolled at the University of Cape Town where he completed a Bachelor of Music degree, majoring in composition and arrangement. In 1995, while at UCT, he received the Prof Peter Klatzow Award for composition and orchestration "It was a big challenge coming from the township and being introduced to classical music at tertiary level, having to analyse the music of Bach, Chopin, Mozart, Debussy, Schonberg and other European composers"
After graduation, Musa spent three years as a part-time lecturer at UCT instructing electric and acoustic basses, jazz theory and improvisation to bridging course students, while at the same time performing and recording as a session musician around the country with musicians like Rene" MacLean, Jimmy Dludlu, Jonathan Butler, Gavin Minter, Nhlanhla Magagula, Kevin Gibson, Mark Goliath, Judith Sephuma, Winston Ngozi, Sipho Mabuse, Menyatso Mathole, Selaelo Selota, Joe McBride, UCT Jazz Orchestra and many other muso"s of that period.
The multi-facetted Cape Town music scene has honed Manzini’s style and sound, mostly the townships of Guguletu, Langa, Mitchell"s Plain and Khayelitsha. In 2000 Musa released his debut recording entitled "New Reflections" through BMG Records Africa, and was at the same time introduced into the film and television industry by Mfundi Vundla, where he worked on daily drama series like Backstage and Generations as film scorer and musical director. In 2002, Musa released his second cd Tributes and Memories under his own label Manzini Entertainment (Pty) Ltd with Gallo Jazz.
Musa has performed at North Sea, New Orleans, Joy of Jazz, Muscat, Jazzathon, Arts alive as well as many other club gigs, functions and musicians" workshops locally and abroad. The most successful producer of the South African TV soaps, Mfundi Vundla of Morula Pictures who appointed him as the Musical Director in the youth soapie ‘Backstage’ in 2000, has recognized his talent and ability. He has in 2002 joined the very successful TV show ‘Generations’. These appointments particularly to Generations, the soap with largest viewer-ship in South Africa, points once more to the versatility of his talent.
-The Glenn Robertson Jazz Band visit artist website
Glenn Robertson was one of the founder members of the band Airborne and was lead vocalist for the Tony Schilder Trio for a season, at Club Montreal in Manenberg. His musical influences come largely from the music of Al Jarreau, Nat King Cole, Jimmy Messina, Earth, Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder and his leaning is definitely toward a latin jazz flavour. Glenn is a family man, and has a wife Michelle and two daughters called Lisa and Caelyn.
Tony Drake was the piano player for the band Rio who played at the Sandton Holiday Inn, the Pig &Whistle in Rondebosch,Cape Town. Rio then became Tokyo Rose. Tony was involved with Gerald Sharp as part of Raven Rain and played at places such as Fudruckers. Tony then went on to record with David Kramer, All Night Radio, The Sweat Band, Andre de Villiers, Mynie Grove. More recently, besides running his own studio, called “Lightway Studios (Tracking Station). He has been doing a residency at the Louis B's Restaurant at the Arabella Sheraton for 2 seasons. Tony is a family man, he is married to Debbie. Tony has 3 children: Jared, Tyler and Darren".
Andre Henry is the Bass player and he played with various bands for the past 20 years. He did his studies at the Jazz Workshop in Cape Town with Alistair Andrews. He played in various venues in Cape Town either as a band member or session musician. He played with final connection, collaboration as well in the Gospel band Davahu.
Fabian has been playing drums since the age of 13. He played in a youth band called Generation Jam for 1999. He has also been playing in the Church Band. Attended Jazz Workshop for 2 years with Denver Furness. Also been playing for Prompt when they originally started. Also played with Trevor Parker, Liezl Graham to name a few. Fabian was the fill-in drummer for the Glenn Robertson Jazz Band until recently, replacing James Porter, and joining them in a full-time capacity.
Donveno Prins recently he performed in the award winning smash hit musical " The Kramer Petersen Songbook" by David Kramer, and most recently the extremely funny romantic show " Where the boys are" featuring Alistair Izobell, Loukmaan Adams and Mono Dullisear directed by Bazil Apollis. He’s currently busy with a show called 3 Wise men where he's leading a 4 piece band backing Marc Lottering, Riaad Moosa and Nik Rabinowitz at the Baxter theater.
-Stix Hojeng visit artist website
Ko-Kasi is a contemporary 12-track Jazz Album produced in 2007 by Stix Hojeng, bassist, producer, composer and pianist extraordinaire. The first track on the album, Time After Time, successfully reached number 1 on Kaya FM’s Jazz Top Ten.
Stix Hojeng was born to music in the small mining town of Kimberley, not far from the Big Hole. His mother was a vocalist, his father played the trumpet, and his brother played drums. Stix’s first lover affair was with the guitar when he was just twelve years old. But the piano finally won his heart.
He has played with some of South Africa’s greatest talents, including the late Miriam Makeba, Jimmy Dludlu, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Tsepo Tshola and the late Brenda Fassie. He also played with the band C C Beat and with Jimmy Dludlu, Fank Paco and John Nassan, he was founder member of the band Loading Zone. Later he joined another group Africa O’Ye and with this band produced an album called Moment of Truth.
The Stix Hojeng Jazz Band was overall winner of the SABC/RBF Challenge in 2008 – the first time ever won by a jazz artist.
-REGINA CARTER’S “REVERSE THREAD” visit artist website
“…Carter is a knockout violinist who leads a knockout band.”
-O Magazine
“Regina Carter creates music that is wonderfully listenable, probingly intelligent and, at times, breathtakingly daring…taking the listener into the future of jazz.”
-Time Magazine
Regina Carter’s car
eer has been a veritable crescendo of success that shows no sign of letting up. She is on a mission: to make a meaningful musical contribution and do it on her own terms. Indeed, she tours with relentless purpose and a seemingly endless supply of energy. Over the past seven years, Ms. Carter and her group have brought audiences to their feet with exhilarating performances worldwide. In 2006, Ms. Carter won the highly esteemed MacArthur Fellowship, which is given to individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits.
During the 2007-08 season, Ms. Carter continues to lead her group through an extensive, national and international tour. Along the way, she will perform music from her critically acclaimed release, Paganini: After A Dream, with music from her latest release, I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey, both on the Verve record label.
Back in December 2001, Regina Carter traveled to Genoa, Italy and made history: She became the first jazz musician and first African American to play the legendary Guarneri del Gesu violin owned by classical music virtuoso and composer Nicolo Paganini. Less than a year later, Carter returned to Genoa to accomplish another milestone-using the treasured violin to record her classical-infused album.
Regina Carter’s recent triumphs by no means came without paying her dues as a side person, a student and her early musical experiences, in her hometown, Detroit, Michigan. Carter’s master classes with violin giants, Itzak Perlman and Yehudi Menuhin, as well as her association as a member of the Detroit Civic Symphony Orchestra and with the pop-funk group, Brainstorm, provided the needed experience to play with a range of artists. Ms. Carter has had the opportunity to perform, with such jazz luminaries as, Ray Brown, Dr. Billy Taylor, Marian McPartland, Kenny Barron, Wynton Marsalis, Randy Weston and Cassandra Wilson. She has also performed with
POP icons, Dolly Parton and Billy Joel. During the 2002 – 2003 season, Ms. Carter and her touring band began performing with numerous orchestras including, the Atlanta Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra. Ms. Carter and her band also performed a special engagement with the Boston Pops, featuring classical virtuoso, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and celtic star, Eileen Ivers. Together, the three violinists debuted a song written especially for them, by Chris Brubeck (Dave Brubeck’s son), entitled, “Interplay.”
Just as prolific as her accomplishments on stage are Carter’s performances on record. Included in her discography, along with recordings with Patti Labelle Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and Lauryn Hill are recordings with vocalists, Cassandra Wilson and Carmen Lundy, trombonist, Steve Turre, pianists Kenny Barron and Danilo Perez, guitarist Rodney Jones, saxophonist James Carter, Quartet Indigo, led by cellist, Akua Dixon and the String Trio of New York.
Her influences have ranged from R&B to East Indian, to classical music. As a college student, Carter took on a double major in classical music and African American music at both the prestigious New England Conservatory and Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Performance.
Regina currently has five discs under her own name, two on Atlantic Records, Regina Carter (1995) and Something for Grace (1997). In 1998 Regina changed record labels and in the spring of 1999 Rhythms of the Heart made it’s debut under the auspices of VERVE Records (Universal). Her fourth CD, Motor City Moments, was released in September 2000 and is a tribute to the musical legacy of her hometown of Detroit. Freefall, a collaboration with pianist Kenny Barron was released in the spring of 2001 and was nominated for a GRAMMY Award in February 2002. The aforementioned Paganini: After A Dream, was released in April 2003 and her latest CD, I’ll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey, made its debut, in June of 2006. On this disc, Regina pays homage to her late mother by performing music from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s.
Regina Carter, one of the most popular contempoary violinists in modern music, further reveals her diverse musical personality with the upcoming release Reverse Thread — a celebration of traditional African music with a modern perspective.
-McCoy Tyner with special guest GARY BARTZ visit artist website
Tyner's blues-based piano style, replete with sophisticated chords and an explosively percussive left hand has transcended conventional styles to become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music. His harmonic contributions and dramatic rhythmic devices form the vocabulary of a majority of jazz pianists.
Born in 1938 in Philadelphia, he became a part of the fertile jazz and R&B scene of the early '50s. His parents imbued him with a love for music from an early age. His mother encouraged him to explore his musical interests through formal training.
At 17 he began a career-changing relationship with Miles Davis' sideman saxophonist John Coltrane. Tyner joined Coltrane for the classic album My Favorite Things (1960), and remained at the core of what became one of the most seminal groups in jazz history, The John Coltrane Quartet. The band, which also included drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Jimmy Garrison, had an extraordinary chemistry, fostered in part by Tyner's almost familial relationship with Coltrane.
From 1960 through 1965, Tyner's name was propelled to international renown, as he developed a new vocabulary that transcended the piano styles of the time, providing a unique harmonic underpinning and rhythmic charge essential to the group's sound. He performed on Coltrane's classic recordings such as Live at the Village Vanguard, Impressions and Coltrane's signature suite, A Love Supreme.
In 1965, after over five years with Coltrane's quartet, Tyner left the group to explore his destiny as a composer and bandleader. Among his major projects is a 1967 album entitled The Real McCoy, on which he was joined by saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Ron Carter and fellow Coltrane alumnus Elvin Jones. His 1972 Grammy-award nomination album Sahara, broke new ground by the sounds and rhythms of Africa. Since 1980, he has also arranged his lavishly textured harmonies for a big band that performs and records when possible. In the late 1980s, he mainly focused on his piano trio featuring Avery Sharpe on bass and Aarron Scott on drums. Today, this trio is still in great demand. He returned to Impulse in 1995, with a superb album featuring Michael Brecker. In 1996 he recorded a special album with the music of Burt Bacharach. In 1998 he changed labels again and recorded an interesting latin album and an album featuring Stanley Clarke for TelArc.
In the summer of 2005, Tyner joined forces with the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York and became the first client of Blue Note Management. That summer, Tyner began work on some unique projects, including performances with tap-dancer Savion Glover and the development of the Impulse! Septet, featuring his trio with some of today's top hornmen.
Tyner's partnership with the Blue Note has led to the formation of his own record label, aptly titled McCoy Tyner Music. The label is a subsidiary of the Blue Note's In-House record label, Half Note Records. The label launched on September 11, 2007, upon the release of Tyner's latest CD, "Quartet" featuring Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, and Jeff "Tain" Watts. Recorded live on New Year's Eve 2006, the album features a working band at its finest with some of today's "legends in training." Additionally, the record shows that Tyner, who now carries the torch as the only surviving member of the John Coltrane Quartet, is still at the top of his game as a composer, performer, and bandleader.
In review of Tyner's latest album "Quartet," Thomas Conrad of JazzTimes wrote "'Quartet' succeeds not only because everyone plays so well, but also because they play so well together. The pairing of Tyner and Lovano is synergistic. The McBride/Watts rhythm section, for intelligent propulsion, is state-of-the-art. 'Quartet' succeeds once more because of its excellent sonic quality. It was recorded by engineer Phil Edwards at Yoshi's in Oakland, Calif., over New Year's Eve weekend 2006. Almost always, even the best-sounding jazz albums require you to make a choice. You can have the visceral in-the-moment reality of a live recording, or the full bandwidth resolution of a studio session. This one has both."
McCoy Tyner's second release for the McCoy Tyner Music label is scheduled for a summer 2008 release. The recording features the stellar rhythm section of Tyner, Ron Carter, and Jack DeJohnette with four modern guitarists (and one banjo) of our time: Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot, John Scofield, Derek Trucks, and Bela Fleck. The package will be a CD/DVD featuring state-of-the-art technology that allows the viewer to manually choose which musician(s) they would like to view in the studio at any time during each track. In 2009, Tyner will release his third recording for McCoy Tyner Music, a solo piano performance recorded live in San Francisco during the summer of 2007.
Tyner has always expanded his vision of the musical landscape and incorporated new elements, whether from distant continents or diverse musical influences. More recently he has arranged for big bands, employed string arrangements, and even reinterpreted popular music. Today, Tyner has released nearly 80 albums under his name, earned four Grammys and was awarded Jazz Master from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2002. He continues to leave his mark on generations of improvisers, and yet remains a disarmingly modest and spiritually directed man.
-Brooklyn Funk Essentials visit artist website
Brooklyn Funk Essentials was born out of New York’s buzzing hip-hop-jazz and slam poetry scenes of the early nineties. Originally conceived by producers Arthur Baker and Lati Kronlund as a series of studio jam sessions, the group soon turned into a 12-piece live outfit consisting of some of the finest young musicians, singers, rappers, dub poets and dj’s the Big Apple had to offer. Lati Kronlund played bass, and other members included Hanifah Walidah (aka Sha-key), Joi Cardwell, Papa Dee and Stephanie McKay (vocals), Everton Sylvester and David Allen (dub poetry), Josh Roseman (trombone), Bob Brockmann (trumpet), Paul Shapiro (sax & flute), Yancy Drew and Tony Allen (drums), E.J. Rodriguez and Danny Sadownic (percussion), Desmond Foster and Masa Shimizu (guitar), ATN Stadwijk and Yuka Honda (keys), Bill Ware (vibes) and dj’s Jazzy Nice and Smash on turntables.
The debut album ‘Cool & Steady & Easy’ (1994/95) also featured prominent guests like Maceo Parker, The Tower Of Power Horns, Michigan & Smiley and even Dizzy Gilespie. It was first released by renowned UK label Dorado in Europe, but was soon picked up by RCA’s Groovetown imprint for the US and the rest of the world. The first single – a funky reggae-inspired reworking of Pharoah Sanders’ classic ‘The Creator Has A Master Plan’ became an instant hit reaching the Top 20’s. The album, which topped Billboard Magazine’s ”Best R&B Album Of The Year 1995”, also featured songs like ‘Big Apple Boogaloo’, ‘Take The L Train’, ‘Dilly Dally’ and ‘A Headnadda’s Journey To The Planet Adidi – Skizm’, all of which became classics of the genre. The popular album cut 'Bop Hop' was featured in a world- wide Nike commercial featuring Grant Hill and ‘Take The L Train’ became a signature tune for Hennessy Cognac’s TV ads.
Apart from being regulars at New York’s buzzing club scene, BFE began touring the world marking highlights in the company of acts like Parliament Funkadelic, The Roots, James Brown, Jamiroquai, Spearhead and Ben Harper. One of these tours found the group headlining the Fuji Jazz Festival in Istanbul, Turkey. The reception was so great that BFE recorded their second album there with 11 Turko-Roman folk musicians know collectively as Laço Tayfa. The result was 1998’s ‘In The BuzzBag’, which became a milestone in Anatolian collaborative projects and earned BFE a Grammy nomination. It also escalated the group to a stadium capacity act in Turkey.
In 2000, BFE released their third album ‘Make Them Like It’, which concluded where the first album left off: A happy mélange of funk, Latin, reggae, jazz, house, dub, electro and hip hop which featured the fan favorites ‘I Got Cash’, ‘Mambo Con Dance Hall’ and ‘Woman Thing’.
After the 2001 world tour the band members took a hiatus and pursued a number of noted solo interests.
Offers of recording and touring where plentiful, and BFE songs kept being featured on compilation albums around the world, and in the summer of 2006, a core of BFE members got back together again to do a tour of three world continents as BFE Sound System (mixing classic BFE with electro and dub). By the end of 2006, the sound system model had been abandoned for a return to the group’s original all live funk line up consisting of Hanifah Walidah, Papa Dee and Everton Sylvester (vocals), Lati Kronlund (bass), Yancy Drew (drums & vocals), Desmond Foster (vocals & guitar), Iwan van Hetten (trumpet, keys & vocals) and Philippe Monrose (percussion).
The group continued touring the world in 2007 and 2008, while at the same time writing and recording songs for the forth album ‘Watcha Playin’, which was released in the spring of 2008 in Europe and in the summer of 2009 in the US.
Radio stations around the globe immediately picked up songs like ‘The Park’, ‘Dance-Free Night’, ‘Work It Out’ (featuring raï diva Amina Annabi on guest vocals) and ‘Bellybuttons T & A’, which was also supported by a video, while the clubs went for tracks such as ‘S-Curve’ and the epic 12:41 minute ‘Need’ featuring a guest appearance by Turkish legend Hüsnü Senlendirici on clarinet. Turkey was also the first territory to release the song ‘Dibby Dibby Sound’ as a single. The song was based around Mozart’s melody ‘Rondo ala Turca’, which BFE brought back to Turkey via Kingston, Jamaica.
-IRIDIUM PROJECT visit artist website
Iridium Project was born in 2001 when Mario Parmeggiani and Nick Matthews met at a record shop in Bree Street, Cape Town. After a couple of meetings Mario decided that Nick and him should play a gig at one of Cape Town’s more up-market clubs, Rhodes House. On the night of the gig Mario introduced Nick to a very talented musician by the name of Ricardo Moretti and the three seamlessly worked together as a dance floor hit. When 2003 dawned Iridium had started producing their first tracks and laid down the initial concepts for their first album, Stroboscope. Lu Chase was invited to sing vocals and they produced their first single “Smoke & Fly”. Her strong performance both in the booth and on stage enveloped her into what was becoming a frequently requested act at club gigs around Cape Town. By summer the project had performed at numerous private functions between Clifton and Johannesburg In 2004 the project got its first taste of a big stage when they were chosen as the warm-up act at one of The Springbok Nude Girl’s live performances. Many hours of attention were focused in the studio and “Smoke & Fly” was playlisted to high acclaim on local radio stations. The single was included in compilations such as Platform and The Nightwatchmen. 2005 was a very constructive year with the addition of bass player ‘The Passion’. Together the act started playing regular shows at Opium nightclub and an alter ego midweek gig called “The Magic Carpet Ride” at Strega. The music grew its own shape driving from elements of Funk, Soul and Blues. The result was a series of incredible live jam sessions that featured many excellent musicians. By 2006 the group recorded new material and released a couple of singles and a compilation. "Sequenced Funk", the projects second single, charted on South Africa's 5FM reaching #6. Iridium also featured as a support act for Fat Boy Slim and The Stereo MC's and travelled frequently to Durban where their name spread. Near the end of that year the group asked their good friend and one of South Africa's top DJ's, Craig de Sousa, to join the project. 2007. The projects most successful year to date. A motivated crew planned rehearsals and recording sessions, Craig flexed his studio muscle and the first result proved to be the groups third hit single, "Lu's Control" which reached #1 on 5FM. They performed with new featured artists and new toys at many high profile events to packed dance floors such as the Durban July and A1 GP. 2008. Iridium Project's debut album, Stroboscope hit the shelves end of Jan and saw the culmination of a 4 year journey with many friendships made along the way.
After returning from a very successful Russian tour the band decided it was time to to look at working with a new female vocalist, namely Melanie Scholtz. Melanie Scholtz a phenomenal jazz icon in her own right bring completely different look and sound to this already amazing band. Her groundbreaking lyrics and passion for our style of music gave the band another hit single on 5fm called “Which Way to Go.
Subsequently the band felt that since this is a project and featuring artists is what we do best. The band approached RJ Benjamin and well the results were amazing. The latest track “Show My Love” . This track is soon to be playlisted on all radio stations shortly.
Featured Artists have included: Lu Chase, The Passion aka Maurice Paliaga, Bokani Macho, Joseph Avergil, Tony Paco, Mantis, Carlo Moretti, Rayelle Goodman, Dan Shout and many more.
Corporate Events
Durban July performed in the Heineken Hospitality Tent in 2005 Camel Experience Event at The Castle. Standard Bank Year End Function at Rhodes House. Cape Town Ma gents Fashion Week mid 2005 Johannesburg Fashion Week after party opening night. Café D’Afrique album launch in Johannesburg & Cape Town Good Hope FM & Vodacom Clifton Beach Challenge Colab Massive Mix Concert featuring Fat Boy slim & Metallica and After Party exclusive performance Carducci Fashion Show at Rhodes House in 2004 & again in 2005. Peroni Launch at Rhodes House in 2005. A1GP Afterparty in DBN Durban July 07 in the Millers Tent and at the After Party After the Durban July the band played that Sunday at Madame Zingara’s. Johnny Walker Red AAA student party in the Revolving Restaurant at the Ritz Hotel. Hugo Boss Women Store launch at Baia Restaurant Heart 104.9 Client Awards Evening at Mannenbergs Camel Event in Durban Performed at a Barmitzvah at the beginning of December. Performed for MTN Lets Go Summer Tour at Ignite. In January 2008 they performed at the J&B Met in the most prestigious hospitality tent “Cadiz” to the most high profile guest May – FHM 100 sexy event at Hemisphere 26 June 08 - CTICC – Staff Party at Hemisphere 28 June 08 - CTICC 5th Birthday bash 05 July 08 – Durban July for Tilt/Millers & Delasol After party Peroni – Fashion week After party at Hemisphere New Years Eve 2008 - Iridium Project perform in Khaborvsk, Russia
Iridium Performed for Peter Styvesant at Hemmingways in Cape Town
Mens Health Summer Mens fashion show at La Med in September 09
Synergy Music Festival
Residencies
Rhodes House, “Magic Carpet Ride” every Thursday at Strega and Opium on Friday’s
Chevelle – Monthly residency
Private Events
Performed at a high profile wedding in Constania in 2005. In 2002 they performed for Carol Fox Birthday Party in Clifton Matrix reloaded event at Rhodes House in 2003 New Year Eve 2006 at Fu Shi Bar in Plettenberg Bay First Time performance in Port Elizabeth at The Lennox.
Media Exposure
Countless News papers and Magazine (SL Magazine, Vida E & Absolute mag) exposure Featured their album launch on Show Biz Report on ETV Essential Magazine did a great write up 5fm Radio – “Sequenced Funk” climbed to no. 6 on Vodacom Hi5 on 5fm 5fm, Good Hope & Heart 104.9 radio airplay – “Lu’s Control” on high rotation. “Lu’s Control” has been playlisted on high rotation since November 2007 and in January 2008 the track hit no.1 on Hi5 on 5fm SA’s top national radio station. Also being played on high rotation on heart fm and good hope fm. Featured in the Obrigado Vida E magazine. Featured in the You and Huisgenoot magazines. Countless news paper ie, Cape Times and Argus.
The currently have a hit song “Which Way To Go” on high rotation
no 1 for 2 consecutive weeks on the Vodacom Hi5 @ 5
-Kesivan and the Lights feat. Feya Faku, Prof. Adrian Mears, Martin Sjöstedt, Johan Horlen visit artist website
tba
-The Bokani Dyer Trio visit artist website
Acoustic piano, keyboards and flute
2004 - began BA Music (Hons) degree studies at the College of Music, University of Cape
Town, South Africa majoring in acoustic piano.
2006 - chosen by Andre Peterson to participate in the Youth band that were invited to a summer
school in Sogne in the southern Norway led by leading Norwegian jazz musicians.
- chosen for the Standard band National Youth Jazz band in Grahamstown which also
performed at the Johannesburg International Jazz festival which then embarked on a
10-day tour of Sweden playing in Stockholm, Sundsvalle and surrounding towns in a
number of schools and major jazz venues.
The Standard BankYouth Jazz Band went on to perform at the prestigious Cape Town
International Festival in March 2007.
- played for the UCT Big Band that delivered a variety of concerts including the Duke of
Ellington Tribute staged at the Baxter Theatre, Cape Town and the official opening of
the Cape Town Iinternational Jazz Festival 2006 in Green Market Square.
- played at the ‘Arts Alive’ concert celebrating ‘Women’s Day’ at Megamusic in the
Newtown precinct, Joburg, an orchestration produced by my father, Steve Dyer
featuring legendary music icons including Dorothy Masuku, Thandiswa Mazwai and
Siya Makhuzeni
2007 - became a member of the band led by saxophonist Shannon Mowday who received the
prestigious Standard Bank Youth Artist Award in 2006. With her group, I went on to
perform at all the major jazz festivals in South Africa including the Cape Town
International Jazzfest, Grahamstown Jazz Festival and the Standard Bank ‘Joy of Jazz’.
- joined leading South African Afro-Jazz guitarist Jimmy Dludlu’s band on keyboards with whom I continue to work and have performed all over the Southern African
region and accompanied on several trips abroad.
- travelled to Sweden in March 2007 to participate at the Swedish Jazz Celebration held
in Lulea followed by a performance at the notorious jazz- club ‘Fasching’, Stockholm.
- formed an original-groove music band with talented vocalist, Sakhile Moleshe called
“Plan Be” who still perform regularly in and around the western Cape.
- graduated in June 2007 from the College of Music, Capetown, RSA with a first-class
Honours degree Bachelor of Music (Hons).
- Bokani Dyer Trio became a regular fixture at Green Dolphin Restaurant, Capetown.
- performed at the Cape Town International Jazzfest 2008 with ‘Jimmy Dludlu’s band with whom Bokani continues to tour in South Africa and the region alongside the likes
well-seasoned musicians such as Jonas Gwangwa and Judith Sephuma.
- joined the Moreira Project led by Mozambique saxophonist, Moreira Chonguica for
the Launch of the second album staged in Namibia, Mozambique & Cape Town, RSA.
- played keyboards with Judith Sephuma at the ‘Annual Jazzathon’ in the amphitheatre
on the V & A Waterfront, Cape Town.
2008
- continued to travel with Jimmy Dludlu which included a trip to Davos, Switzerland to
play for the South African delegation at the World Economic Forum.
- travelled to Zanzibar, Tanzania, with Moreira Chonguica to play at the annual
Sauti za Busara Music Festival.
2009
- performed with ‘Steve Dyertribe’ on keyboards as part of the line-up of the ‘Giants of
Jazz : Afro-beat’ at Bassline, Joburg under the auspices of African Synergy.
This event showcased Max Wild (NYC) in collaboration with Sam Mtukudzi, son of
the Zimbabwean musician, Oliver Mtukudzi who was also featured on the line-up.
The show was the first to showcase me in a major public performance with his father,
Steve Dyer and the set included two compositions from Bokani’s debut album which is
scheduled for release in South Africa in September / October 2009.
-Tete Mbambisa visit artist website
In the middle of the 1976 uprising, Tete Mbambisa took an octet into the studio to record Tete's Big Sound. For three decades the big sound of Tete Mbambisa has not been heard. This is despite general agreement amongst musicians that the 65-year old musician is one of South Africa's greatest composers and pianists. The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival 2008 is proud to host a sextet to play the pianist's compositions. Joining Mbambisa on stage are Barney Rachabane (alto saxophonist); Ezra Ngcukana (tenor and soprano saxophone); Feya Faku (trumpet and flugelhorn); Herbie Tsoaeli (contrabass) and Ayanda Sikade (drums). Rachabane is the only member apart from Mbambisa of the 1976 octet who is still alive. Rachabane's association with Mbambisa goes back to 1964 when they were members of a quintet. Ngcukana was a guest in a recording of The Brothers - a band that was made up of Mbambisa, saxophonist Duke Makasi, bassist Victor Ntoni and Lulu Gontsana. Ngcukana and Mbambisa also played together in Xhosa Nostra. Feya Faku comes out of the Soul Jazzmen school - a band that is a music institution in Port Elizabeth. In the 1970s, Mbambisa was not only with the Soul Jazzmen, he is featured in the recordings of the group such as Intlupheko. Faku and Mbambisa have played together as sidemen of Winston Mankunku Ngozi and Sylvia Mdunyelwa. The path of the two musicians also crossed recently when they worked on the soundtrack of the movie Sophiatown. Although now based in Johannesburg, Tsoaeli's musical career began in Cape Town where Mbambisa currently stays with his family. Like Mbambisa, Tsoaeli is known for his lyricism and is bassist of choice for many jazz musicians in South Africa. Sikade is a young drummer from East London. He is currently based in Johannesburg and is a member of the Zim Ngqawana Quartet. Mbambisa feels that Sikade is his musical child.
Tete Mbambisa's Big Sound plays at The Bassline
With his inventive piano playing, Tete Mbambisa helped to preserve South Africa's acoustic jazz tradition during the genre's decline in the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to performing as a soloist, Mbambisa often accompanies vocalist Ncediwe Sylvia Mdunyelwa. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide...
-Amanda Tiffin visit artist website
Amanda Tiffin has made her name in Cape Town, South Africa as a versatile vocalist and pianist, performing any number of styles from jazz to rock.
Amanda studied jazz at the University of Cape Town, graduating in 1999 with a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance And Jazz Composition. She received the degree with distinction.
Amanda has performed extensively in South Africa, and more recently has been touring Japan regularly as a jazz artist with the a.s.k. trio. She has also performed in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and has toured with Music theatre shows to Mauritius, Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Zimbabwe.
Amanda is also making waves as a songwriter, and released her debut album Who Am I? in 2005. She released an all-jazz recording A Woman Like Me in 2008.
Amanda has successfully produced a number of solo shows, to critical acclaim. She most recently produced, and performed in Piano In My Pocket, which received rave reviews and played to capacity houses. She has performed in, and musically directed her own show I’m Every Woman–a tribute to Female Vocalists of the 20th Century, and the Jazz tribute shows Ultimate and Now You has Jazz, which showcases her Little Big Band.. Amanda was also a founder member and leader of acclaimed all-female jazz vocal group Mamavox.
Amanda has appeared in various musical productions, such as the Abrahamse/Lingenfelder productions ABBAish/ABBAtoir, Discovery/Discovery Much, and Solid Gold Jukebox - Live!
Amanda is also a regular performer for corporate and private functions and events. She performed her own compositions with the Durban City Orchestra, arranged and conducted by German conductor, Philipp Maier.
She performed in and musically directed Tina Schouw and Christine Weir’s Lunar Tunes at the Two Oceans Aquarium. Amanda joined acclaimed a Capella group, Not the Midnight Mass in 2001 as Musical Director for their Live recording at the Planetarium, and for their run at the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre. In 2003, she worked with the all-male version of Not The Midnight Mass, writing all the arrangements for their show at On Broadway in August. She is working with Graham Weir (of Not the Midnight Mass) on his exciting new a capella musical Noah Of Cape Town, and was musical director/arranger for his A Circus Sideshow. in 2007
In 2005, Amanda was selected to be one of 20 participants in a film scoring workshop at New York University. The trip was funded with prize money from the SAMRO Overseas Scholarship, Composition, in which Amanda won the runner-up award.
As well as appearing regularly as vocalist and pianist on the Cape Town jazz scene, Amanda runs her own corporate function band Nightshift, and is actively involved in writing and arranging for various groups. She is a busy session singer and can be heard on a number of commercials running on South African Television and radio.