Energy of sound across the most loved genres
GLORIA BOSMAN – BEYOND TALENT ENSEMBLE
ARTISTS: Gloria Bosman (voice, guitar), Titi Luzipo (voice), Pebble Mambane (piano), AusTebza (voice, bass), Bernice Boikanyo (drums)
DURATION: 1hr 10 mins AGES: All ages AVAILABLE FROM: June 27
“We will be taking you on a musical journey.” Gloria Bosman and the Beyond Talent Ensemble fulfil their promise of exactly that: a musical journey. Bosman is a multi-award winning musician with a unique style that has seen her perform alongside jazz’s greats, here and abroad.
Her early training in opera and her impressive range of styles, that includes Afrikaans music, gave her the perfect start to what has become an illustrious career that continues its upward climb.
You will be forgiven if you think you’ve been transported back to the glorious golden age of South African jazz, as Bosman and her crew perform some new and some older numbers with great passion and energy. Bosman’s voice is rich and warm with a power that puts her among singers like Miriam Makeba and Aretha Franklin, and her stage presence and performance style reminds one of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the original soul sister. Performing alongside Bosman making up the Beyond Talent Ensemble is singer Titi Luzipo, Pebble Mambane on piano, the ‘Queen of Groove’ AusTebza on bass and vocals, and Bernice Boikanyo on drums. It is quite clear why the name Beyond Talent Ensemble is so fitting. What is incredible is how Bosman manages to draw the audience in and make them feel like they are truly at a live performance, even though it is a pre-recorded session.
There is an energy and feeling of spontaneity in their performance that speaks to the passion of each of these musicians. Bosman shares her insights regarding music education and its value in society.
She reminds the audience that music is an academic study, “We do not want bored people who to turn to music as a last resort’, and has been a pioneering force in the promotion of young musicians.
Mambane on piano is a singer’s dream as he performs and improvises with exceptional ease and sensitivity. Boikanyo on drums provides what could only be described as the heartbeat of the group, his skill of creating impetus and an organic rhythmic line perfectly grounding the ensemble.
Titi Luzipo, originally from Port Elizabeth, provides a sensual youthfulness with her vocals, blending perfectly with Bosman and AusTebza, and showing off her soulful sound that she has become so famous for. The Beyond Talent Ensemble is completed by the ‘ Queen of Groove’ herself, Tebogo Patience Sedumedi. She is more widely known as AusTebza, and is a bassist par excellence, and a singer with beauty and power few can match.
This performance for the NAF has allowed many who have not had the opportunity to experience the cream of South African Jazz the chance to immerse themselves in it. Our Jazz artists are world-class and are recognised for their strong musical traditions.
Gloria Bosman and the Beyond Talent Ensemble are a shining example of why professional South African Jazz artists are in high demand the world over. One cannot help but be moved by this stirring performance by a group of musicians who are clearly passionate about their art.
This is one performance on the Standard Bank Jazz Festival line-up not to be missed!