(Kyle Shepherd. Pic: Timmy Henny)
The National Arts Festival has named an unprecedented
eight young South Africans winners of the prestigious Standard Bank Young
Artist Award, bringing to 125 the total number honoured since Standard Bank
began sponsoring the Awards three decades ago.
The Award is made annually to young South
African artists who are either on the threshold of national acclaim, or whose
artistic excellence has enabled them to make international breakthroughs.
“Celebrating excellence, innovation and a refined technical skill and artistry
rests at the heart of the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards. Each of this
year’s winners represent the vibrancy and sophistication with which South
Africa’s artistic and cultural legacy continues to be enriched” said Festival
Artistic Director, Ismail Mahomed.
Capetonian
pianist, saxophonist, composer and band leader – Kyle Shepherd – is the 2014
Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz.
Shepherd’s
family is quite musical, so he has been around classical and jazz musicians –
and their music - from a young age. He started studying (classical) violin at
five years old but recalls watching a concert by Abdullah Ibrahim as a 15 year
old, and deciding that he wanted to be part of music-making in that way;
switching to the piano, jazz and his own compositions as a result.
Despite
having recorded four albums and toured playing his own music in concerts in 15
countries through Africa, Europe and Asia; he remains very proud to walk onto
the stage at every concert in every country; but holds dear a number of
particularly special musical memories: “In February of 2013, I played a solo
piano concert at The Sendesaal in Bremen, Germany, which is the same venue and
stage that the great Keith Jarrett played and recorded in 40 years ago, and my
concert was also recorded and broadcast on national German radio.” he
elaborates.
The 26
year old pianist, saxophonist, Xaru (traditional mouth-bow) player, vocalist
and poet is regarded as one of South Africa’s most influential and accomplished
jazz musicians. Shepherd strives to make music that says something personal and
has forged a compositional and performance concept that pays homage to his musical
influences and collaborators, while continuing to push boundaries musically.
He has
many inspirations - some musical and some non-musical – and finds that life
influences music a lot more then directly musical things do. “I’m most inspired
by people that think creatively in whichever field they are. It could be a
musician, a poet, a chef, a racing car driver… someone that changes the game
and goes against the norm,” he says.
A long
association with jazz in Grahamstown includes having played piano in the
Standard Bank National Schools Jazz Band in 2003 and 2004. A concert he
attended as a student at the Standard Bank Youth Jazz Festival is the moment
that he credits with “changing my life and music”, when, at 17 years old,
Shepherd saw Zim Ngqawana perform with his quartet. Ngqawana would go on to
become his teacher and friend, and recorded on the album South African History !X.
Shepherd
regularly performs as a solo pianist, while also leading his Trio with Shane
Cooper (double bass) and Jonno Sweetman (drums), and his Quartet featuring
Claude Cozens (drums), Benjamin Jephta (bass) and top South African tenor
saxophonist Buddy Wells. He has released three critically acclaimed albums to
date namely, fineART, A Portrait of Home
and South African History !X, and has
earned South African Music Award nominations for all three of his album
releases, in the Jazz Category. His first solo piano album, recorded in Japan,
is set for release in 2013.
Shepherd
has performed with many great musicians, including the likes of the late Zim
Ngqawana, Louis Moholo-Moholo, the late Robbie Jansen, Errol Dyers, Hilton
Schilder, Mark Fransman and Ayanda Sikade, all from South Africa, as well as
Saadet Türköz (Switzerland), Marc Stucki (Switzerland), Seigo Matsunaga (Japan),
Sebastiaan Kaptein (Holland) and Ole Hamre (Norway). Notable concert
appearances have taken place at The Bird’s Eye Jazz Club (Switzerland), Der
Sendesaal (Germany), Reformierte Dorfkirche Kleinhüningen (Switzerland),
Klubschule St. Gallen (Switzerland), Shikiori (Japan), The Aarhus Jazz Festival
(Denmark), Jazzwerkstatt Festival Bern (Switzerland), The Cape Town
International Jazz Festival (South Africa), The Tianjin International Jazz
Festival (China) The Riverboat Jazz Festival (Denmark), a nd L´Onde Theatre
(France).
He performed
the world premiere of Xamisa, a
compositional work he was commissioned to write by Festival d’Automne à Paris,
at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris, France in September 2013.
Shepherd,
who practices and writes music most days, says “The Standard Bank Young Artist
Award is a great honour, and a testament to the hard work that goes into being
a solo artist. This will allow me to continue with my mission, and I greatly
appreciate the accolade.”
For more
on his work, see: www.kyleshepherd.co.za
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