AS SOLO ARTIST
ZENZI Makeba Lee, the granddaughter of the late Miriam Makeba, will be returning to Grahamstown to perform at the Standard Bank Jazz Festival as a solo artist.
The last time the musician performed at the festival, she was a back vocalist for her grandmother.
Born in New York, Makeba Lee’s musical career started at a young age when she joined her grandmother on stage. We caught up with her.
How have you been?
I’ve been good, thank you. I appreciate being able to get up every morning and being given the opportunity to live life.
It will be your first time performing at the Standard Bank Jazz Festival on your own, are you excited?
I’m really excited about this. The last time I was at the festival I was a back-up vocalist for my grandmother and that was an amazing experience. I remember even meeting members of the Makeba family that I had never met before. With this being my first time on my own, it’s very special to me.
Your grandmother performed at the festival a number of times, is there any sense of nostalgia going back?
There is a huge sense of nostalgia but there is actually more excitement. I mean, just getting to Grahamstown is an adventure, the drive from Port Elizabeth to Grahamstown is so beautiful.
I have been to many festivals in my life but for some reason the National Arts Festival and the Standard Bank Jazz Festival are special , the celebration of the arts is a beautiful thing and I think I love it because I have such beautiful memories of my grandmother associated with these festivals.
What can people expect from your performance?
They can expect music from the heart. I don’t like to refer to my band as a band, we are a group of people who come together to create great music.
I can’t even say what direction we are going because we like things to happen organically while we are on stage.
We obviously aren’t going to get on stage and start doing random things. In terms of the sound there will be my own compositions and also that of my grandmother’s and other great artists from across the globe.
There will also be a surprise featured guest artist but I am not saying anymore except that people are going to enjoy it.
What are you expecting from the festival?
To be honest, I am not expecting anything. For me, every song has its own message and story and I will accept any response from the audience .
Let’s talk about your upcoming album, Wipe your Tears
Oh yes, this album has been a long time in the making. I am composing my own music for this album but it is also a tribute to other composers.
I have been influenced by, like my grandmother, Hugh Masekela and Dizzy Gillespie.
There is going to be a mix of sounds as well, from African jazz to sounds from the Caribbean . I loved my grandmother but I don’t want to be in her shadow and I feel like this album will set me apart.
With your career starting at such a young age and with you being the granddaughter of the great Miriam Makeba, has there ever been a sense of added pressure?
To a certain extent there has been, but not as much as people would expect. My mother died when she was just 34, and she was my grandmother’s only child.
I was always with my grandmother and even when my mother died and she stepped in, it was not something that we had to think about.
Growing up I was always with my grandmother, even backstage when she was performing, so for me there has been no pressure.
It’s almost 10 years since your grandmother died, what do you miss the most about her?
You know to be completely honest with you, I have not even made peace with the fact that she is gone, after all this time I am still very sad about losing her and I am still holding on to her.
That might be one of the reasons I have taken such a long time to put my album together. But I am sure I will find peace soon.
What else can fans expect from you this year?
Well, they can expect more music from me, and music through many different expressions. You know losing my grandmother was not easy.