Arts initiative to fund music tours across SA and SADC
A recently established fund is seeking applications from musicians who need to tour.
Art in times of a coming revolution
ITAI Hakim is a folk-soul singer, guitarist and songwriter with a sense of humor and a consciousness that allows for thoughtful conversation and spine-chilling socially aware music.
ITAI HAKIM: The singer, songwriter and guitarist is planning o releasing more music and more creative collaborations this year. Photo: Michelle Gumede
Born in Diepkloof, Soweto, Hakim says he grew up listening to the likes of West Life, Andrea Bocelli, and only later were his tastes in music challenged. “From the get go I wasn’t listening to anything traditional or deeply black. I think my first interaction with a black musician was Craig David, and you know he is very sanitised,” he says.
He went to a mostly white primary school “in the suburbs and I became culturally assimilated.” His first encounters with “race” as a social qualifier of space and opportunity was in high school, “when your white friend can’t come over and sleep at your house because you live in Soweto, that’s when you realise that something is off,” he says laughing.
By the time Hakim got to Wits University, where he studied Psychology, Sociology, English and Philosophy, his conceptions of the world and music were highly influenced by the “underground” hip hop, slam poetry and live music scene of the late 2000’s.
By the time 2012 came, he had been performing in gigs around Johannesburg in different bands and he would later be signed, as part of the group 8 Bars Short at Motif records (although this didn’t work out as planned). He would also perform his Tsonga and Venda folk vocals in a tour of the United Kingdom with the band, The Brother Moves On.
“My question even as an artist is ‘how big is your fight?’”
For him going to the UK was a sobering experience, “it was great in the sense that it felt like it was all me, you know, I couldn’t be like it was because of someone else who made it happen.”
With an upcoming international tour, an EP and an album to be released later this year, the current events that have woken different forms of resistance in universities across the country have pushed Hakim, and many other artists, to interrogate the inextricable connections between art and politics. “Will inequality exist forever? That scares me… I don’t think that, or at least I don’t want that to be the case. So we need to make a plan, so that this is not the case,” he says.
“My question even as an artist is ‘how big is your fight?’” he says. “It’s the same thing as an artist, as a journalist, as a doctor, as a policeman. You always have the issues of justice that you always have to negotiate with internally.”
CONSCIOUS MUSICIANS: Itai Hakim is also part of the group, Children Of The Wind with poet Modise Sekgothe. Photo: Michelle Gumede
One of Hakim’s interests are in storytelling, specifically writing books for young black children with black illustrations as a way to counter and speak against a narrative that feeds young black children whiteness and white values from a young age.
Pointing to a book he is currently reading by black feminist scholar and cultural critic, bell hooks, called Black Looks: Race and Representation, he speaks about how the book has helped him contextualize notions of black representation and how certain messages i.e. writing black children’s books, are important, valid and necessary.
Speaking about the student movement and the paintings that were burnt by #RhodesMustFall activists at the University of Cape Town he says: “I just found myself asking the question, ‘kanti how is a revolution supposed to happen?’ We can’t always be in dialogue debating, and in meetings, no. And I feel like South Africa has been here before.”
“What do you expect to happen? You gonna spend R2 million on secret police and tell us there is no money for kids?”
With music projects, theatre collaborations, and writing projects coming up, Hakim believes the question that artists should be asking themselves now is, “as an artist you are never neutral… are you just doing this just to be popular or are you for real for real? I think every artist needs to ask themselves that question at some point.”
The sounds of Islam
In a community where listening to music is prohibited, the melodic sounds of the nasheed genre are a popular alternative in Islamic households. However, even in this religious genre of Islamic praise music there are contending views as to what is halaal and what is haram.
Seductive, explicit, harmful, shameless, vulgar, promotes vice, is not to be listened to or haram (prohibited in the Qur’an). These are some of the terms used by the observant Muslim community to describe Western styles of music.
Within the religious constraints of the Muslim community that prohibits music, nasheed is an alternative option. The genre has been popular in the Arab world for centuries but has also drawn a lot of debate in the Muslim community.
To unfamiliar ears, nasheed sounds like a combination of humming sounds sung in a variety of tones and melodies. It comprises various pitch formations and harmonies that sometimes mimic the sound of instruments. Nasheed can also be accompanied by a percussion instrument such as the daf, a traditional Islamic drum. It is traditionally sung in Arabic or Urdu.
In South Africa’s observant Muslim community, nasheed is sung in English and the use of instruments such as the piano have been embraced, particularly by the Muslim youth.
‘All music is haram and should not be listened to’
For Mayfair resident Junaid Bata, music played an integral part in his adolescent life. “Many years ago I was very involved with music. We used to play around on guitars and enjoy ourselves with music,” Bata says.
In Surah Luqman, Verse 6 of the Qur’an, it states “And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e.music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allah, the Verses of the Qur’an) by way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hell-fire).”
This reading in the holy book is one of the reasons Bata changed his opinion on music. He says, “In our religion we are not allowed to use musical instruments, and being young we were naughty.”
As Bata matured, listening to the rock and roll of the 1960s and ’70s became a distant memory of boyhood. “When I got married I quickly moved away from the wrong things and music was one of those wrong things,” Bata says.
Bata, like many Muslims, now leads a life without Western-styled music. Sharing in the orthodox belief that all music is haram and should not be listened to. For Bata walking away from music was an easy choice based on faith.
For many observant Muslims like Bata, the sounds of nasheed have to be on par with their religious values. Keeping the sound and its content clean is a priority.
The nasheed genre is popularly associated with international artists such as Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens) and South Africa’s Qari Ziyaad Petal and Zain Bhikha.
Depending on their preferred school of thought, nasheed artists share varying perspectives on the religious boundaries of the nasheed musical process. Some artists prefer to take a traditional approach and only perform nasheed using nothing but vocals and Arabic, while others are experimenting with English lyrics and various instruments such as the daf and piano.
For Qari Ziyaad Patel, following orthodox dogma in relation to song is an important part of Islamic teachings. “My first and foremost priority is reciting the Qur’an. This is what differentiates me from other nasheed artists,” says Patel.
For Patel, nasheed can be described as a form of Islamic poetry made with soothing sounds that are accompanied by meaningful Islamic text. These are often sung in traditional tunes that have been passed down many generations.
“We all do know and we always follow the teachings of the noble Prophet Muhammad where he has mentioned in many of his narrations telling us of the harms of music,” says Patel.
“Wherever you go today you will find that wherever there is music, sadly a lot of vices take place at raves and clubs and so forth.”
Patel began singing nasheed some 15 years ago on a visit to Bata’s house where the two began a father-son like relationship composing nasheed together.
“My son made him read the Qur’an,” Bata recalls.
“I was inspired by his voice and I said to [Patel] why don’t you sing something and he said ‘what should I sing?’ and that time there was the war in Afghanistan and the Taliban,” says Bata. Patel interjects to elaborate that the pair were so impressed by the way children were taken care of during the time of war that they decided to write about it.
Over the years they composed a few more songs together, The Grief I Feel being one of their most popular songs. “I wrote one or two songs for [Patel]. The songs were a bit heavy,” says Bata.
“All of our songs are completely kosher. All our songs are in the spirit of peace,” Patel says, as he elaborates the non-fundamentalist aspect of his nasheed. For him nasheed is not music, it’s a form of Islamic praise poetry.
“We were taught when we were kids that anything associated with music will only bring harm and wrong with it. It’s forbidden. We were taught to be careful of the vices associated with music,” Patel recalls.
Despite the traditional approaches practised by Patel and other nasheed artists in the area, and worldwide, the more modern, instrumentally based nasheed industry is a thriving one.
Artists like Zain Bhikha have made the move to English nasheed and have found local and international popularity. Bhikha is among the handful of South African nasheed singers who sing in English and use instruments like the daf.
However, Bhikha still remains cautious about the restrictions of halaal and haram music. Most of his albums come with bonus tracks that consist of non-instrumentals or offer the drum versions of the original nasheed. “Inadvertently, by being cautious and my love for a cappella, I’ve created a niche for myself,” Bhikha says.
Zain Bhikha
In the past 20 years, the name Zain Bhikha has become one of the most prolific in the South African nasheed landscape. Bhikha’s career began with simplistic a cappellas, reciting the Qur’an on cassette tapes. It was in a fateful moment that one of his cassettes landed in the hands of Yusuf Islam, who was so impressed by it that he flew Bhikha out to London to record A is for Allah with him.
It seems the influence of working with former rock star Islam shifted Bhikha’s creativity from reciting a capella tunes to more elaborate tunes that consist of vocal layering, harmonies and drumming.
Bhikha has made a number of appearances on the Top 500 Influential Muslims in the World list, which is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan. He is also an international superstar in the Islamic music world and is often referred to as one of the founding fathers of the modern day nasheed. Though if you ask him, in his gentle demeanour, Bhikha would tell you “music is like a hobby for me”.
“I’ve seen this whole genre of English/Islamic music come from nothing over the last 21 years and every day I see new artists and every one of them comes with his or her own style. I think [the industry] is going to grow,” says Bhikha.
Bhikha adds that bringing an African influence to his nasheeds has helped distinguish him from other artists. “My songs are very African, you can hear the African backing vocals coming through, you can hear the influences, even the melodies, whilst contemporary, they have a very strong African background.”
But Patel feels the shift to English nasheeds is a sad sign of the Islamic community. “There’s a great shift to English nasheeds, sadly many a time the old folk and the young folk as well they won’t understand much of the Arabic sung on some of the nasheeds. The Arabic is of a very high level and even the Urdu at times is of a very high level,” says Patel.
According to Patel, Arabic nasheeds are easier to sing because of the way in which the Qur’an is written, it allows the artist to put a tune to the words with more ease. “That gives us the edge over English artists. Arabic is very versatile,” says Patel.
He adds: “You will find that some of our parents and our grandparents would understand. But the current generation, we have lost our connection with the home language so many tend to go and listen to English nasheed.”
Patel recalls how many of the nasheed artists started off reciting nasheeds without any music but once they are in the industry they feel the need to want to try and make their material more accessible through the use of instruments and English.
“They will start to try make their music better and start inserting a bit of musical instruments. So they will initially start by inserting instruments where there is consensus from the scholars, for example the daf, and as time progresses, they want to make their music and nasheed more accessible and eventually we find some youngsters having a full-blown musical nasheed,” says Patel.
For Bhikha, music is simply black or white. “Either it’s a good song or a bad song, either it’s inspiring you to do something that is in accordance to what you wish to emulate as a human being or not. A lot of the songs out there are teaching our children harmful messages, whether it be about the materialism of this world, whether it’s about disrespecting women, whether it’s about drugs, whatever the case may be,” says Bhikha.
“For me personally, I don’t subscribe to any particular dogma. However, I do believe that I’ve erred on the side of caution to make my music accessible. So all my albums are only with drums and voices and even on the same album you will find both,” Bhikha adds to his contemporary thoughts on the longstanding debate.
“The important thing is for people to focus on the music rather than everything else. We should focus on the music, focus on the message and make a difference,” says Bhikha.
His more conservative counterpart shares a stronger and more traditional view on the prohibition of musical instruments. “As a reciter of the Qur’an and a Qari of the Qur’an, I would say that this is totally and completely incorrect. For us and the teachings that we have been taught, music and instruments are not allowed,” says Patel.
Music on Islamic radio
For traditionalists like Patel, nasheeds should be recited using vocals and harmonies but no musical instruments whatsoever. “There are others who would beg to differ but majority of us here in South Africa are of the school of thought that all musical instruments are haram and should not be used,” says Patel.
Islamic radio seems to agree with Patel’s view and contributes to the conservative nature of the Islamic community of Fordsburg and Mayfair. “From a faith perspective if something is not clear, allowed or not allowed, people would rather abstain from that grey area,” says Ismheal, public relations officer at Radio Islam.
For Radio Islam in Johannesburg, the station only reserves 5% of its content for music. The other 95% is talk. “Our licence conditions don’t allow us to play music because we are a more traditional or if you would like to use the word ‘orthodox’. I suppose, yes, our listeners share this sentiment,” says Ismheal.
He adds that the station has conditioning measures that filter through all music before it gets put on air. While most stations are concerned with making sure their aired content is audible and complies with the Broadcasting Complaints Commission’s mandate, Radio Islam checks for lyrical content and the use of instruments. Their checklist is simple, “first people will listen to it see what the lyrics are, what does it say. The other is ‘is it accompanied by musical instruments’ yes or no and if it’s not, fine,” says Ismheal.
From a contemporary point of view, Bhikha’s sentiments are more concerned with the instrumentally populated Bollywood style of music. “It’s interesting in the debate about music because many people would say music might not be permissible but Bollywood music has its own genre and exceptions a lot of the times. I think it’s because the tradition of Indian culture in Bollywood is so strong there’s a lot of nostalgia there … but that’s also changing, it’s becoming a lot more modern.”
Within the large range of music on sale in the Fordsburg and Mayfair there is a split between traditional nasheed CDs and copies of Bollywood tunes that fill the album shelves in music stores.
“Like in many communities, music is a central part of the heartbeat of Fordsburg and Mayfair,” says Bhikha.
In the western part of Johannesburg, there is a plethora of small and big stores that cater to the musical needs of the Fordsburg and Mayfair Muslim community and its visitors, traditional and contemporary.
“Ultimately, I think all human beings want to listen to beautiful sounds and beautiful poetry, this is what makes up human beings,” says Patel.
FEATURED IMAGE: 1 MUSIC, 2 ARTISTS: Patel holding his album ‘Children of Africa’ and Zain Bhikha’s ‘Mountains of Makkah’. Photo: Thembisile Dzonzi
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Sisa Sopazi Tribute and Fundraiser Concert: A Jazz Soul
Fellow musicians and friends of the late drummer and producer, Sisa Sopazi, gathered at The Orbit jazz club in Braamfontein last Saturday to pay tribute to the multi-talented musician.
“Only the greatest of musicians could get such a remarkable send-off,” a friend whispers to me as we watch Lindiwe Maxolo singing dexterously at The Orbit, last Saturday.
Many in the South African music scene knew him as Mr Funk Daddy. Sisa Sopazi, a 35 year old Eastern Cape born drummer, composer and producer passed away suddenly in June earlier this year, leaving fellow musicians, friends and family devastated, “He has left a void that will never be filled,” pianist Nduduzo Makhathini told The Herald newspaper.
The best way to celebrate the life of a fierce musician, is to assemble others like him to cast in stone his memory through music. The Sisa Sopazi tribute and fundraiser concert did just that. The day of the concert, 08 August, was meant to be the date Sopazi would perform new compositions from his upcoming second album, at The Orbit.
Trumpeter, Mandla Mlangeni delivered an emotional performance in memory of Sisa Sopazi at The Orbit last Saturday. Photo: Zimasa Mpemnyama
Apart from his own compositions and musical work, Sopazi worked closely with many musicians, including Thandiswa Mazwai, featuring as the drummer and assistant producer of her second album Ibokwe. An experience Sopazi said was “always overwhelming because she’s a very talented singer & very creative.”
To honor the multi-talented and well recognized musician, songs from Sopazi’s debut album, Images and Figures – which was nominated for Best Jazz Album in the 2014 South Africa Music Awards (SAMA), were performed by the Lindiwe Maxolo Quintet and the H3 ensemble, along with specials guests whom were Sopazi’s friends and fellow musicians.
The musicians played Sopazi’s compositions like Ekomani, You Are and Nomthandazo, with compassion, depth and creativity – all qualities Sopazi was known to embody.
The young and talented Linda Sikhakhane blew his tenor saxophone like it was his last time, accompanied by his fellow band mates, Sthembiso Bhengu (who also played in Sopazi’s band, Sisa Sopazi Quartet) on the trumpet and Senzo Mzimela on trombone.
The animated drummer Sphiwe Shiburu and double bassist Thembinkosi Mavimbela gave the sound a warm jazz base, with the dapper Jacob Thomo on piano, delicately stroking his keys.
Double bassist, Thembinkosi Mavimbela playing tunes from Sisa Sopazi’s debut album, Images and Figures at the Orbit. Photo: Zimasa Mpemnyama
Guest performers included pianist and vocalist Yonela Mnana whose bluesy voice was coarse yet sincere and emotionally charged, legendary double bassist Lex Futshane, vocalist Titi Luzipho and bassist Banda Banda amongst others.
The highlight of the night was the bursting drums of Ayanda Sikade, and the wailing trumpet of Mandla Mlangeni. They created an atmosphere which was not somber but commemorative. Watch their full performance below:
Mnana finished off his performance of You Are by saying, “You know Sisa, Sisa was Mr Funk hey. I think he would really appreciate this.” Which goes to show that the artists were not mourning the death of Sopazi, but instead were celebrating his life. Celebrating his enormous contribution to the South African music scene.
Proceeds from the concert will be given to Sopazi’s family.
The Muffinz say This Is Afrika (T.I.A)
The Muffinz new album, Do What You Love was released almost two months ago and is a mix of jazz, soul, reggae and hip hop. The messages in the album assert a pan-African identity.
DOING WHAT THEY LOVE: (Left to Right) Sifiso Buthelezi, Mthabisi Sibanda, Gregory Mabusela and Simphiwe Kulla of The Muffinz performing songs from their sophomore album, Do What You Love, at the Bannister. Photo: Sibongile Machika
What does a transatlantic sound, sound like?
Is the idea of music that connects the “kings and queens tried on trees in New Orleans?” and “Children of the diaspora” possible?
Whose responsibility is it to make the connections between the blood of young black men spilled in the street and the social responsibility that every human should carry?
The Muffinz are a five piece band based in Johannesburg, who started their music career in 2011, but have been singing for years prior to that.
In their sophomore album, Do What You Love, it seems the band has made a concerted effort to make their sound more rooted in Africa. One can easily imagine hearing Alle Sokou in a market in East Africa, or #Standing! Trippin’ But Not Falling and #Beautiful, Don’t Believe The Fools Who Think You Ain’t in West Africa, or Sobaleka on a traditional South African radio station.
“His voice in the chorus is piercing. He sings from the marrow”
The album was released almost two months ago, but received scant mention from mainstream media.
The band, who consists of, Sifiso “Atomza” Buthelezi, Simphiwe “Simz” Kulla, Karabo “Skabz” Moeketsi, Mthabisi “Mthae” Sibanda and Gregory “Keke” Mabusela, crafted their sound while studying at the University of Johannesburg, one jam session at a time.
No histrionics, just music
The band is made up of four guitarists and a drummer and all the members contribute to the vocals. They all bring different elements to the music and have literally mastered harmonies. There are no histrionics, just guitars, drums, and voices.
Keke – the drummer, sings like he is speaking to the gods. His voice has a warm texture. In the song Ngwana Te, which features the legendary Zimbabwean musician, Oliver Mtukudzi, Keke’s voice literally gives one goosebumps. He transitions through intricate high and low notes with ease. Keke’s voice comes out shining on this album – blending well with the African theme of the songs.
On the other hand, Atomza’s voice is delicate. Careful. Precious. It takes heavy subjects and soothes them out. Sobaleka speaks of running away from hunger, running towards the sun. In the song, they highlight their disappointment with “our leaders” who “promised us a better life” but are failing to deliver. It’s a call for freedom. In the song, Atomza’s voice comes from a place of pain. Unlike in Do What You Love, where his voice is light, here, it is heavy and serious. His voice in the chorus is piercing. He sings from the marrow.
The album has a jazzy, afro-soul sound, with hints of reggae and hip-hop, and the band moves between these sounds with ease.
Crafting a pan-African sound
A wave of pan-Africanism and black consciousness has hit campuses around the country. Young people are being more assertive about their identity. Their blackness. Though this wave is still at its infancy – still needing to be nurtured and groomed, it functions as a beacon of hope for those who wish to see a more Afro-centric South Africa.
South Africa’s current social situation – high rates of unemployment and crime resulting from structural economic and racial inequalities, is one that cannot and should not be ignored by artists. And in a musical environment where glossy appearances sometimes subsumes real art and talent, the Muffinz have chosen to take the harder, rockier route. This for me, is what separates artists from entertainers. The Muffinz will withstand the test of time, not only because they are talented, but because they respect the art of making music.
Do What You Love is a must-buy album.
Wits music and Wits theatre sing against xenophobic violence and abuse
Wits Music students hosted a free concert at the Great Hall, singing against the recent spate of violence that has erupted across South Africa.
“Our country is going in the direction it is because our nation needs healing” said lead vocalist Kamohelo who performed all six songs performed at the concert.
“Music has the power to transcend boundaries and we need to stand together to heal our people.”
The group of musicians other than Kamohelo included saxophonist, Joshua Turnbull (BMus II), guitarist Edre van As (BMUSIII), pianist, Siphephelo Ndlovu (BMUSIII), Nhlanhla Ngqaqu (BMUSIII) on bass and Max Liebenburg (BMUSII) on drums.
Kamohelo sang Ti Nailo with the production cast of Yerma. A production running at the Wits theatre, directed by Rajesh Gopie.
Ti Nailo is arranged by Wits music student, Jermaine George. “The piece signifies a cry of pain and a yearning for something” said George.
According to Kamohelo, performing with the cast of Yerma was important for symbolising unity. “Music has the power to transcend boundaries and we need to stand together to heal our people.”
The lunch-time concerts are hosted for free every Wednesday by Wits music school. The next concert will be on April 29th where Josh Turnbull (BMus II) will be playing a smooth saxophone. Bass guitarist Nhlanhla Ngqaqu (BMUS II) will play on May 6.
WITS MUSIC & THEATRE: A free concert at the Great Hall took place in support of the victims of violence and abuse in South Africa. Photo: Michelle Gumede
“Cyber Guitarist” and crew to rock Great Hall
Three cities concert with “cyber-guitarist” and Wits music lecturer to rock the Great Hall on 28 April.
HACKED EQUIPMENT: The “cyber-guitarist” Jonathan Crossley stands with his heavily modified Ibanez guitar that he will play at the 3 cities concert in the Great Hall on 28 April. Photo: Reuven Blignault.
Three cities, three musicians, one Great Hall.
Wits music lecturer and “cyber guitarist” Jonathan Crossley will unite with New York based drummer, Lukas Ligeti and Capetonian drummer, Jonno Sweetman for a performance of epic proportions in the Great Hall on Tuesday, 28 April.
In the hopes of duplicating the success of last year’s show, the trio will come together again in the hopes of making an even more successful performance.
Crossley will be performing on his unique cyber guitar system, a hardware “hacked” Suzuki Omnichord, as well as playing an array of other unique instruments.
Jonno Sweetman, a musician and avid surfer, will be packing his surfboard away and bringing his drumsticks on his way from Cape Town.
With 32 years of study, Crossley is a classically trained guitarist, but on stage he appears to be something of a combination of man, robot, and guitar.
Crossley put on a world-first musical performance a few months ago, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for his doctorate in music.
It took Crossley three years to create what he calls his “hardware hacked electric jazz guitar”. Crossley describes himself as a guitarist, technologist, cyber-protagonist and composer.
When asked about his “unique” instrument, Crossley describes “the instrument system itself is completely software free… no PCs or laptops are engaged actively whatsoever in the performance and further no music is pre-prepared in a recorded audio format. All music is improvised wholly live”.
“The performance will be completely unlike traditional music, which is either pre-prepared or improvised over a predesigned set of constraints”, Crossley said illustrating further on the upcoming performance.
Lukas Ligeti will be jetting in from New York where John Zorn’s Stone Club where they have recently presented a week-long retrospective of his work. Ligeti lives in Joburg and New York and is currently completing his PhD at Wits.
Ligeti often leads or co-leads several bands such as Burkina Electric (the first electronic band from Burkina Faso), Sonic Youth and the Grateful Dead. Ligeti has collaborated with musicians across Africa, and in 2010 he received the Alpert Award in Music.
Jonno Sweetman is much in demand as a drummer and has played with the Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner, Kyle Shepherd, and has travelled beyond his borders to perform in Europe and Asia.
The trio will be performing improvisations between each other, playing original works and rock classics from bands such as Nirvana.
Jazzing up the Great Hall with Carlo Mombelli
Africa and Europe met at the Great Hall last night. Bassist, composer and Wits lecturer, Carlo Mombelli reunited with his European touring band, the Stories Ensemble, joined by Capetonian pianist Kyle Shepherd. They played music from Mombelli’s latest album, Stories.
PLAYER AND TEACHER: Carlo Mombelli tells ‘Stories’ through music Photo: Michael Hoefner/WikiCommons
Groove met classical and traditional at the Wits Great Hall last night. Composer, bassist and Wits music lecturer Carlo Mombelli and his band, the Stories Ensemble, took jazz music and stretched it. They played music that not only entertained, but pulled at the heartstrings – places indescribable by words.
“I love teaching, and I am very anti the ‘jazz police”
Mombelli brought his European band, the Stories Ensemble, for a South African tour that had them performing at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, at the University of KwaZulu Natal, in Maputo, Mozambique and ending off at the Wits Great Hall. They mainly performed music from Mombelli’s latest album, Stories (Instinct Africaine), recorded in Switzerland.
Born in Pretoria, Mombelli taught himself how to play the bass at age 16, and later went on to start his own band called Abstractions in 1985. He has performed with South African jazz greats like Marcus Wyatt, Zim Ngqawana and Miriam Makeba. He has, and continues to, perform all over the world.
Last night, the bassist was joined by Zulu ‘traditional’ vocalist Mbuso Khoza, whose clean yet strong and passionate voice effortlessly blended in with the ensemble. Adrian Mears’ warm trombone transitioned from powerful to delicate melodies in an instant. Drummer Dejan Terzic created a full, rounded powerful sound. Cape Town pianist Kyle Shepherd, who was not part of Mombelli’s original recording in Switzerland, merged his Cape jazz style with the eclectic sound of the band. His playing was intimate, compelling and strong, as usual. The classical element was brought by cellist Daniel Pezzotti, bringing elegance and originality to the group.
Mombelli began the set with a composition titled Requiem, originally performed with his band The Prisoners of Strange in 1996. The Hunter had the crowd grooving to its infectious bouncy melody. Shepherd took it to Cape Town, Khoza brought in a dynamic traditional component, resulting in a trance-like element to the music. A poetic tribute to Mombelli’s first piano teacher titled, For Mrs Loveday, then followed. Experimentation, creativity and improvisation. All elements piercing through the music.
On stage, Mombelli was tiny and short, and his bass guitars seemed almost too big for him. But, he connected with his band members like a choir master would to a 60 voice choir. Making eye contact, hand signals and head nods that indicated when to start, stop or pause. A seamless form of communication.
At times, Mombelli played with his back turned to the audience. Not as an act of alienation, but to rather unite – the audience, the band members, and those only among us in spirit.
“I love teaching, and I am very anti the ‘jazz police’” Mombelli told The Cape Argus last year. This shows in the Ensemble’s style of playing – going beyond rigid boundaries. Their music moves. It drives itself, creating new possibilities for the art of making music.
Carlo Mombelli and the Stories Ensemble delivered a solid performance, but what else can we expect from some of the world’s most creative and sought after musicians?
Hip-hop champion against all odds
Hip-hop artist, rapper and Witsie, Gigi LaMayne will be representing South Africa at the Miami Music Conference at the end of the month.
AGAINST ALL ODDS: Gigi LaMayne is representing SA hip-hop at the Miami Music Conference. Photo: Ilanit Chernick
LaMayne, otherwise known as Genesis Garbriella Tina Manney, is a third-year BA student who has beaten the odds to get to this point.
She grew up in what she calls “a dysfunctional family”. Her mom, who has been her ‘rock’, left to work as a nurse in England when she was just seven, and returned only when LaMayne was 15.
“My dad was an alcoholic and things were not stable … We moved around a lot. I grew up in the rough parts of Lenasia, Yeoville and Soweto.”
Her parents divorced during her time as a Richard Branson Scholar in England.
LaMayne was passionate about music from age 11 but discovered her talent for hip-hop through her love of poetry at boarding school.
“I was bullied at school and music was my only way out. I would just put my earphones in and find a place to listen away from everyone.”
“I’d always wanted to be a performer but just didn’t know which direction to take it. I studied drama at school too so there were a lot of options.”
“It’s not easy for women to make it in the hip-hop world. Women are so objectified in the entertainment and music world.”
Her journey into music was a difficult one. She was turned down four times by local record labels and when she approached Dream Team SA, was convinced they would “say no too”.
“It’s not easy for women to make it in the hip-hop world. Women are so objectified in the entertainment and music world.”
In her first year at Wits she was the first female to make it to the finals of the Sprite Uncontainable competition, where she came second.
She was then voted best female Hip-Hop artist in 2013 and 2014 at the South African Hip-Hop Awards. Recently she won the Jack Daniels music scout competition and part of the winning prize is to represent South Africa at the Miami Music Conference.
Her message to Witsies: “In the words of Eric Thomas, “you should be like a lion, not a gazelle”. Always have something internal to drive you. There needs to be a “why” in everything you do.”
Exploring their routes, barefoot
BARING THEIR ROOTS: Saul Nossel and Noah Bamberger are two of the band’s original members. The band’s new EP, Routes, was just released and is available for free online. Photo: Roxanne Joseph
Johannesburg band Go Barefoot creates music that makes you want to dance. Described as a mixture of urban-African, jazz, rock and folk, they “really love” their city, a lot.
John Smith, a graphic design student at Vega, is one of the band’s guitarists, vocalists and a “Kenny G” lookalike. The other is Michael Dawson, an architecture student at the University of Cape Town. When he is not coaching soccer, Clive Vicker is Go Barefoot’s bassist. Saul Nossel, a third year music student at Wits, plays the drums and finally, Noah Bamberger, a second year applied computing student, plays the keys.
New kids on the block
The band are relatively new to the South African music scene and take example from other local groups, such as Desmond and the Tutus and Shortstraw, who organise and book their own gigs, manage their own tours and work together in everything they do.
“We take conventional and obvious sound, and don’t do that.”
Each of them brings a different set of influences and styles to the group, according to Nossel. Jazz, rock, blues folk, indie and electro are all thrown into the mix when writing a song and practicing for a show. They even have elements of maskandi genre, which Michael learnt from a busker on the street.
“But we’re very experimental,” Bamberger said. “We take conventional and obvious sound, and don’t do that.”
Their audience, they said, has changed from just their friends, to a variety of people. They cater to the up and coming generation, but want to reach out to places like Hillbrow, Soweto and Yeoville.
“Joburg is a progressive, but segregated place,” said Bamberger. “And we want to get out of that by partying together.”
Doing something different
Their music speaks to people of different races, classes and backgrounds. One of their favourite places to play is Braamfontein’s Kitchener’s because it is one of the “coolest and most integrated clubs” in the city.
“We love an audience that loves to lose itself, and who loves dancing. It hurts us if they don’t dance, we struggle to play if people just stand there,” Bamberger explained.
Both Nossel and Bamberger agree that they do not fit into the South African music scene, because they are “trying to do something different”.
“There’s no such thing as original music, only original combinations of it.”
They want to encourage fans to explore the inner city a bit more, and believe their music can help that happen.
Go Barefoot recently played a string of gigs across the city, from Melville to Greenside to Braamfontein, and are about to start a small national tour, starting with an “epic” show at Kitchener’s next weekend. They also just released an EP, called Routes, which, according to Nossel, is about “the routes we take and the roots we come from”.
Their EP, Routes, is available for download online.
Playing Brave rock the stage
ROCKING OUT: Witsies (from left) Tish Singh, Stevan Johnson, Luke van Aardt and Ryan Deacon showcase their musical talents. Photo: Ilanit Chernick
New band on the Wits block, Playing Brave are not just your average boozing brood. Only six months old, their love for music shows in the way they speak, sing and act.
All Wits students, the band, which is an indie-garage rock genre, came together after meeting at a party where two of the members, Tish Singh and Stevan Johnson had already started playing acoustic music together a few weeks before.
Through Singh they met their bassist, Luke van Aardt and his “good mate”, drummer Ryan Deacon (who I must mention, is of Irish decent).
“Ryan is probably the best guitarist, drummer … you name it of the band!” said lead singer and rhythm guitarist, Johnson, “Ryan actually started out as a guitarist until we realised we needed a drummer.”
“And I was like ‘Hey, I can play drums too’ and that was it,” Deacon said.
Their music is inspired by art, contemporary cinema “especially films like Whiplash”, happy times and “of course break-ups”.
“We’re also inspired by other musicians, especially Josh Homme. He’s a phenomenal musician!” said Van Aardt
Playing Brave toured in Durban for a week recently and has also played at Cool Runnings, Smugglers and the Living Room in Maboneng.
The band’s favourite food is “Ryan’s moms’ spaghetti bolognaise”.
The band hopes to eventually make it to the Oppikoppi music festival because it’s one of the “best local rock festivals”.
“It’s the best place to be as a musician,” Johnson said. “We also hope to get an album out soon as well.”
Deacon told Wits Vuvuzela that conflict and rivalry within the band is kept to the bare minimum.
“If we have an issue with someone in the band, we hash it out there and then,” he said.
“Ja, we don’t let it build up. We’re all mates!” said Singh.
To chill out the band enjoy partying together, square-mosh dancing and rocking out to music which is what keeps them motivated.
“We just do things that remind us of why we are doing this, I love it,” said Singh.
The band’s favourite food is “Ryan’s moms’ spaghetti bolognaise” and when asked about what one would find in their garage fridge where they practice, Johnson joked, “lots of Baileys and Beer”.
The band wants to appeal to “young, fun and alternative” audiences who are willing to “dance their asses off”.
“Truth be told, none of us really want to be studying, if we could really make it as musicians we’d make that our full-time career,” Johnson said.
The bands next gig will be on March 20 at Sundowners.
Shadows in the Night: Not Rat Pack worthy
NEW ALBUM: Bob Dylan’s Shadows in the Night showcases a number of Frank Sinatra ballads. Photo: bobdylan.com
Bob Dylan’s Shadows in the Night is not one of his best considering his many decades of musical talent. The album which is a cover of a number of Frank Sinatra ballads lacks a finesse which makes it hard to listen to at certain points.
Shadows in the Night is his first studio album since 2012 and is not a traditional portrayal of Dylan’s usual music.
As both a Dylan and Sinatra fan – I feel that Dylan’s selection of the Sinatra songs he chose to cover were not ideal. The songs do not suit Dylan’s vocal style.
His vocals are well-suited for his regular country and blues music but it just doesn’t work for ballad or slow jazz.
It’s disappointing to say the least. I’ve always been a lover of Dylan and this album makes me wish he would have left things with his last album Tempest.
The only time I would ever think of listening to this album again would be while sitting on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Not Hawaii.
There are some redeeming features on this album that may make it bearable and enjoyable (to a degree) for die-hard fans of both musicians.
Dylan attempts to recreate a more ‘Dylanesque’ version of Sinatra’s ballads which work on a few of the album tracks.
I feel that Dylan’s selection of the Sinatra songs he chose to cover were not ideal. The songs do not suit Dylan’s vocal style.
His rendition of That Lucky Old Sun and The Night We Called It A Day are lovely on the ears. It shows how deeply entrenched Dylan’s roots are in the ballads of the 1960’s.
The use of live instruments and unedited or synthesised sounds makes it unique from the usual contemporary music that is currently being released.
The music style, sound and genre transports one back to late 50’s and early 60’s which represents the slow-swing or ballad era.
I commend Dylan for breaking out of his usual blues and folk genre of music (which in all honesty is his best) but I feel he just didn’t crack it this time.
Good on him for taking this risk, but in this case it just didn’t work.
About WCJ
We Should Be Writing podcast
- Frequency and FreedomIn episode six of We Should Be Writing season 7, the team unpacked the evolution of music as a form of expression and protest, through four decades in the South African context. The episode explores the journey of South African music and its consumers from the 80s, 90s, early 2000s and contemporary listeners. From the […]