(Pic by Inge Prins: Derek Gripper)New Cape Records present Derek Gripper and Udai Mazumdar on tour.
South African guitarist Derek Gripper and Indian tabla master Udai Mazumdar began their collaboration with a spontaneous performance in a Basel (Switzerland) jazz club in 2009. They met again in 2010 to perform in the Western Cape of South Africa, and to record their CD Rising, an epic exploration of the possibilities presented by the combination of a highly original guitar style, and the language of the Classical Indian "tabla," a set of two drums played by the hands and capable of a wide range of pitches and sounds.
Their subsequent work together has initiated a cross-cultural dialogue of spontaneous music-making combining the complex rhythmic structures of Indian classical music with the sounds of Malian kora, African guitar, contemporary Brazilian music, Western Cape Koortjie, and the techniques of classical guitar. Udai's many years of study and performances with some of India's greatest musicians (including Pandit Ravi Shankar and Zakir Hussain), and Derek's "New Cape" guitar music make for an unlikely combination, but the musical affinity between these highly trained and perfectly matched musicians speaks for itself.
Their 2011 tour sees Derek and Udai collaborating with a diverse array of musicians at different points in their schedule. In KZN they play with acoustic guitar wizard Guy Buttery, in Johannesburg they team up with trumpet legend Marcus Wyatt, and in Pretoria they perform a double bill with Greg Georgiades and Ashish Joshi.
After duo shows in Swaziland, PE, Grahamstown, and Cape Town they will continue their collaboration with shows in Switzerland, accompanied by classical Indian vocalist and harmonium player Piu Nandi. The South African leg of Udai and Derek's tour is sponsored by Pro Helvetia with the help of Arts On Main.
The KZN tour includes a performance with Guy Buttery at the Holla Café at Collisheen Estate on April 8 at 19h30 (doors open at 18h30) Tickets R80 booked on 032 947 1465 or 083 234 0883.
Then follows two concerts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal: on April 9 at 19h30 when tickets are R60 (R30 students/concessions) booked on 031 260 3353, and on April 12 from 17h30 to 19h00 at the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music when tickets are R30 (R10 students and R5 music students) booked on 031 260 3385.
For more information and to order their CD visit www.newcape.co.za New Cape Records’ catalogue will be on sale at all shows for the discount price of R100.
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