AfriCanva jazzing it up
VIRTUAL CONCERT: VISUAL ARTIST WILL HELP PIANIST TELL THE STORY » Poet Percival Mdluli will also read his piece Ezulwini – The Heaven.
Zibusiso Makhathini will be staging a virtual concert titled AfriCanva next Tuesday, 2 February, courtesy of iSupport Creative Business, in collaboration with the Luthuli Museum and supported by Concerts SA.
Tickets are R30 and are available on https://nationalartsfestival.co.za/show/zibumac-presents-africanva/, where the concert will also be available to view.
Makhathini (Zibumac) is a Durban-based jazz pianist, producer and electronic musician.
AfriCanva is a collective effort between visual arts and music, where the visual artist is commenting and responding directly to the music and what the music is about.
Makhathini worked with Sphephelo Mnguni, a wellknown visual artist, also from Durban.
Makhathini said: “AfriCanva aims to diversify and integrate audiences and spark conversations and dialogue between artists and non-artists, and artists that practice different art forms.
“Hopefully, we can feed off each other’s energy, learn from our experience and take our artistry to the next level.”
Makhathini’s band comprises Dalisu Ndlazi on bass, Riley G on drums, Senzo Ngcobo on trombone and Thabo Sikhakhane on trumpet.
The concert will also include a performance by the poet, Percival Mdluli, from the Uhuru Poetry in Motion Club at the Luthuli Museum, with his poem Ezulwini – The Heaven.
From a tender age, Makhathini displayed a passion and attraction to music, which manifested and had him fiddling on the piano, the closest instrument he could get his hands on. Having grown up in a musical family, music was the one thing that stood out during his school years, which later influenced him to pursue music as a career by studying and obtaining a degree in music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College.
Zibusiso has worked with various artists, as a pianist and producer. Those he has collaborated with include Professor Salim Washington, Jo Kunnuji, Ndabo Zulu, Zoe “The Seed” Masuku, Zethe, Mbuso Khoza, King Sfiso, Benny Maverick and Zakes Bantwini.
This concert was initiated as part of a partnership between the Luthuli Museum and Concerts SA and produced by iSupport Creative Business.
The Luthuli Museum is a site of international historical significance. It celebrates the life and legacy of Chief Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli, a human rights champion, an exemplary leader and the first African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1960.
Concerts SA is a joint South African/Norwegian live music development project housed under the auspices of Samro (the Southern African Music Rights Organisation) and managed by IKS Cultural Consulting.
Concerts SA receives financial, administrative and technical support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Samro and the Samro Foundation.
Working with musicians, promoters, venue owners and audiences, and providing support through research and skills development for music professionals, the project aims to build a vibrant and viable live music circuit in southern Africa.