Broad and enticing programme of jazz
THIS year’s Standard Bank Jazz Festival in Grahamstown, incorporating the National Youth Jazz Festival, offers something for every jazz lover’s taste.
Friday night, for example, kicked off the action at DSG with electronic outfit The Kiffness, The Soil livened up the Guy Butler Theatre with its harmonious a cappella sound and then Zenzi Makeba Lee and Afrika Mkhize grooved until late at the Jazz and Blues Cafe in town. What a night!
1. THE KIFFNESS with MATTHEW GOLD
Dave Scott and new bandmate Raiven Hansmann of the Kiffness and vocalist Matthew Gold launched the jazz programme at its home base of DSG with their jazzy, funky house music, repeated on Saturday night.
Scott and Hansmann opened up with an infectious beat, their tune defying the audience not to pick up its feet and dance.
They took it down a notch with You Make Me Feel Better, a super smooth number with Gold’s vocals luring the audience in.
This is the first year multi-instrumentalists Scott and Hansmann are performing live together for The Kiffness, and under Scott’s production, their combo of trumpet, synthesiser and saxophone works fantastically.
Throw in the husky voice of Gold and it’s a winning outfit.
2. THE SOIL
This trio raised the roof at the Monument theatre at their first show, with the appreciative audience singing along and dancing – so much so, in fact, that it was hard to hear them over the noise.
The quartet – they are three, but see God as the fourth member – had to ask their fans to turn it down.
“You guys paid a lot of money to come to see us – let us sing for you,” Ntsika Ngxanga cajoled, but it was no use.
A Soil concert is an immersive experience and it was wise just to go with the flow.
Buhle Mda is phenomenal, fronting a band which creates wonderful sounds, ranging from Afro-soul and hiphop through to gospel.
They don’t need instruments: Luphindo Ngxanga is a one-man backing band with his body throwing out drum, bass and beat-boxing lines. All three have an amazing bond with their audience and whether it was an old favourite, a number from their new album Echoes of Kofifi, or tributes to other artists such as Simphiwe Dana, everything they sang hit the right note.
3. ZENZI MAKEBA LEE and AFRIKA MKHIZE
Singer Zenzi Makeba Lee is the granddaughter of “Mama Africa” Miriam Makeba and is married to pianist Afrika Mkhize, the son of Themba Mkhize.
What a dynamite jazz duo and, with Lee revealing her great-grandmother – one generation ahead of Mama Africa – was a sangoma, you can almost see as well as hear the magic in the music streaming down through the ages.
The late night crowd’s hearts melted when their son Khwame – he looked about eight or nine years old – was called up to sing, big eyed and overwhelmed, but he followed through.
In fact, he sang like an angel, bringing the musical bloodline of Mkhize and Makeba to a whole new generation. Michael Phillips on bass, Lindelani Lee on percussion and a drummer whose name I did not manage to catch (there was a programme switch) gave solid support.
ý The jazz festival continues until Saturday, with performances every day at several venues.
As well as our own African stars, there are several visitors from Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europea making this a broad and enticing programme.