TWOSDAY

Exciting new music concept from Centre for Jazz & Popular Music at UKZN.

Senior UKZN jazz lecturer Neil Gonsalves introduces Twosday at UKZN’s Centre for Jazz & Popular Music, an exciting new music concept that will feature a collaboration between musicians who are fairly well-established in a particular area/discipline/style of music.

The idea is to encourage experimentation, teaching, learning and ultimately new work outside of accepted stylistic parameters. While Twosday suggests the collaboration between two musicians, it also refers to the meeting of two musical styles and the performance itself may include more musicians if so desired. The aim of the exercise is not necessarily to create a concert or even professional-level performance. Essentially it is an opportunity to learn, to stretch creatively and to communicate a shared musicianship.

The performance may also take the form of a lecture-demonstration where the audience is free to make comments and ask questions.

The idea is to create an environment that fosters a cross-cultural ethos that is closer to the edge of the musicians’ normal performance and composition experience. Given the fabulous array of phenomenally talented and trained musicians that represent the rich cultural diversity that exists in Durban, it is hoped to establish Twosday as an ongoing concert series, as is the cae with the successful Trios series every Wednesday.

The first Twosday takes place on September 15 from 17h30 to 19h00 at the Centre for Jazz & Popular Music (UKZN) and features two well-known Durban musicians: Pregalathan Singaram (mrdingam) and Sazi Dlamini (vocals & ugubhu, umakhweyane and umqangala Nguni musical bows, uqalo reed flutes, kalimba and the indlamu drum).

Pregalathan Singaram is a virtuoso Mridangam maestro whose mastery of this instrument is respected throughout South Africa and abroad. Sazi Dlamini has composed and recorded more than 50 original pieces of music employing self-made, indigenous Nguni and other African musical instruments. In 2008 he was commissioned by SAMRO’s Endowment for National Arts (SENA) to compose Inkwishi – for jazz big band in the maskandi style which premiered at the 2009 International Council for Traditional Music.

Sazi and Pregalathan previously teamed up together to record a TV documentary that was aired on SABC2 in 2008.

Admission is R20 (R10 students with cards) and there will be a cash bar. More information from Glynis at the Jazz Centre on 031 260 3385.