That beautiful connection ...
Charles Leonard Rainbow Revisited
Last year, South African jazz pianist Thandi Ntuli released her album on International Anthem Records, to great acclaim. But what does it feel like to translate the album to the stage? On Saturday evening, Ntuli, drummer Sphelelo Mazibuko and percussionist Tlale Makhene will do exactly that for an audience at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in a 60-minute set. asked about her favourite — and scariest — moments
on stage, handling nerves and how she deals with annoying talkers during her shows. What do you do in the last few hours before the show? Yoga, go for a run, drink a bottle of champagne …?
It’s not always possible but, if I can, I like to meditate. It’s really not always possible because sometimes on a show day there’s a lot happening.
But if I can’t meditate, close my eyes, and sit on the couch in a quiet space — then I meditate in a moment.
So, even if it’s just focusing on my breathing, I like to just say a prayer internally. I also believe that there are certain of my ancestors that give me certain gifts.
It depends, really. Like, sometimes, preshows are so chaotic that all of this, all our ideations of our perfect ritual before performing, never happen.
And sometimes it’s just in the moment before you play your first note — you take a breath and you just be in that place.
What goes through your mind when you play?
So much. I’m trying not to have too many thoughts bugging me and to be in that moment. That’s when I feel most in tune with the music and the band.
So, usually, in the first moment when I’m still trying to break the ice and get over the nerves, I’m just trying to connect with myself, connect with the audience.
And just connect with where I want to go. On the piano, I’ll be playing … trying to get into something rhythmic, repetitive and monotonous that can bring the rest of the performance to the fore.
How is the connection? Is it with your eyes, with the sound, with your body language?
Just an awareness. It’s not necessarily that I will look at people. I do connect first and foremost with the instrument and just, like, the space around me. So, I think more physical, but not like anything that I do, but just tapping in, feeling the space.
Seeing that there is a strong improvisation element to your music, how do you know when to stop a song?
The song knows when it needs to stop. It’s not like you’re saying I’m going for a 5k run, but it’s like if you’re going for a walk … to let off some steam or whatever. You know when you’ve got what you needed from the walk.
I think that’s the best way to put it for me. You feel it — you are just in tune with yourself and the body and the environment.
So, it’s not like you’ll say, “We’re going to do this for two minutes or five minutes.” It’s really dependent on that space, which is why even if we do prepare a set list of things that we’re going to do, it’s more a guide.
And it’s also helpful that I’ve worked with these musicians before because I know that, if I change my mind on the stage, they’ll be there with me, you know.
Do you sometimes change the set list?
I do. It’s often happened where I can feel that, like, I’ve started something and I’m not connecting with the audience. So, I’ll change it.
You were talking about nerves. When do the nerves dissipate? Is it the first time you touch the keys?
No, not the first time. It usually takes some time, because I think the nerves come from the fact that you’re the one who’s performing, you’re very self-aware that everyone’s looking at you, including the band.
So, it’s just that sense of it can be a few seconds into the performance. It doesn’t take much time because it’s something I’ve got so used to regulating within myself.
It’s just a regulation, breathing, and then it’s
done. Then I’m all good to go. I’m good to play.
What’s more important, the voice or the sound of the instruments?
I found that the voice definitely connects with people a lot more. I have found that I connect with people once I start singing. From my experience, and from my performances, I feel like that just ties everything in.
Talking about voices, how do you deal with talkers while you’re performing?
I have got talkers. I’ve just asked people to be considerate of the audience.
But I know that often we’ve played in jazz clubs, or whatever, where you can’t really expect people to keep completely silent.
They are getting drinks, they are calling a friend and it’s like, yeah, I’m parking at the back, so I’m not totally rigid about it, but if it does become a little bit much, I just ask the audience to tone it down.
But I’ve never had an issue where the audience becomes disturbingly loud for me.
What’s the best part of a live show?
My favourite parts — and they’re probably my favourite and the scariest moments — have been a few performances where I can almost feel like this isn’t me performing anymore … like, whoa, I didn’t know my voice could do that or I play things that I didn’t know I could play on the piano.
My other favourite moments are if I can feel a specific connection with an audience member, where I can feel that this is really doing something in that part of the room.
Yeah, I feel happy about that.
And I also get those moments with the band where I just lock into something… there’s lots of things that you can tune into, but there are times when I hear what the bass and the drums are doing. And I just find my place there.
The soloist is going and, yes, we can hear you solo, but we’re enjoying the thing we’re doing to carry the soloist in that moment.
And it’s not always just with the rhythm section. Sometimes, it’s maybe what a soloist is doing that I tune into.
Ultimately, I’ve said this word a few times, but it really is connection. I think that’s the part of music that heals everybody.
I think, even within audience members, as someone who’s been an audience member, the connection with another audience member, we both felt that at the same time. That’s a beautiful thing.
This set, is it going to be mainly based on Rainbow Revisited?
It will be mainly based on that, in terms of not necessarily the music, but of the approach. But it’s going to be music that’s from that album as well as from all the parts of my catalogue.
And other than the audience, who do you play the show for?
Yeah, that has shifted, you know, like having had a very spiritual background growing up. I’ve always focused on the divine. But the best thing to do is to do it for myself as well.
So, for example, in November, I was on tour and tours are very exhausting. We’ve been playing, playing, playing … And I think we were probably on our third-last show, and we had just driven from Italy to Germany. It was brutal and we went from a seven-hour drive straight into the gig.
I wanted to take a shower. There was no hot water … and it’s winter.
So, I was completely depleted. And then I just decided I’m going to play this gig for myself. Literally, this is just for me.
And that was actually my favourite gig on the whole tour. I also felt like we, we all kind of had a lot less energy, but we all really connected in a very different way.
So, it’s always evolving, and it always depends, but I would like it to be for all — and myself. Because I think when I do that, I really, really enjoy it and gain energy as well from the performance.
‘I’ve always focused on the divine. But the best thing to do is to do it for myself as well’