Music-lovers united to watch a jazz trio groove up the stage at Wits Chris Seabrooke Music Hall.
The stage was adorned with a gorgeous baby grand piano, a bronze trumpet, and a larger-than-life cello, all waiting to play a tune. The music hall was designed with acoustic architecture and welcoming colours added to the ambience. The stage was awaiting South African trumpet legend, Sydney Mavundla, who was accompanied by Africa Mkhize on keys and Dalisu Ndlazi on strings, to debut his single, Dirge for our fathers.
Mavundla “hated the beginning” of his music career, and it took him “quite some time to get into it”. He told Wits Vuvuzela how he “used to come home, drop [his] school bag, and run [away] before [his] dad comes, because if he gets here, it’s ‘let’s go to the trumpet’”. His father was a colonel with the Salvation Army and encouraged Mavundla to join their band.
It was around the age of 14 years, when he began to love the brass instrument. Interestingly, he had auditioned for Wits and got rejected, but soon found a home at the University of Natal, studying under prestigious musicians and creating unique pieces he went on to perform all over the world.
Silence fell over the audience as they waited in anticipation for the first note to sound. The three men looked in their element, waiting for each other’s cues and then, suddenly, a symphony hit everyone’s ears. The audience become one, each in their own bubble interpreting the music as they pleased — an old-school pipe-smoker, a young head-bopper, and a curious foot-tapper.
The first song of the evening paid homage to the time of covid-19 lockdown, when all social circles were broken. The tune was melancholic, with a slow blending of piano, trumpet, and cello sounds. Each musician had a solo which drove home the idea of isolation, yet finding the beauty within it. Now that society has returned to normal, Mavundla says the places available for jazz musicians to share their music is limited, so even though one has music, there is no one for whom to play it.
The next composition was an ode to his daughter, the song recreated her happy and lively nature. The music consisted of high-and-low points and soft-and-loud blends. The three gentlemen were living in the moment, dancing to their own music and smiling at each other whilst performing. The feeling was contagious throughout the audience, with many “whoops” and “yes’s” echoing around the hall.
Contrasting this energy was a composition referring back to Mavundlas’s roots. It was whole-heartedly melancholic, with a contagious silence falling amongst the audience. A general emotion of lost-yet-found was tangible. But, as they transitioned into their next melody, everything gained momentum again, resulting in a sound that has “everything to do with happiness”. The three musicians were sweating at this point — they were playing their instruments with their full bodies and encouraged the audience to feel the beat through their whole bodies too.
The climax of the evening was when the trio played Dirge for Our Fathers, “paying tribute to all the people who have paved the way for us”. It doubles as a reference to African culture and the importance of the ancestors in life. Mavundla sings “may your soul rest in peace, know that you are so loved, tell all the others the same”. This drove people in the audience to sing and dance their hearts out.
FEATURED IMAGE: Sydney Mavundla on stage performing songs of his own composition. Photo: Victoria Hill
RELATED ARTICLES:
- Wits Vuvuzela, Wits lecturers co-launch jazz albums, August 2023
- Wits Vuvuzela, REVIEW: Jazz saxophonist serenades Joburg, April 2023
- Wits Vuvuzela, Jazz and art meet at WAM, March 2020
