(Thulile
Zama, Nobuhle Ashanti, Tracey Johannes, Rebekah Doty & Arianna Carini)
iSupport Music Business in partnership with
Concerts SA presents the Cape Town – Durban collaboration tour of all-female
jazz band Heels over Head. The band will be in Cape Town for various concerts
from July 13 to 15, 2018, as part of the celebration of the band’s 10-year
anniversary this year.
From winning the Yamaha Young Talent Award
in 2010 to independently releasing two music projects and being nominated for
the SAMA Awards (2011) Best Contemporary Jazz Album early on in their career as
a band. Heels Over Head has kept their footing firmly on the ground, with new
compositions touring within the South African borders and the Southern African
region, connecting and building a fan base. The hard work sometimes can go
unnoticed, but sometimes opportunities are made to present themselves through
the band continuing to persevere, soldiering on with the music. Recently, they
got an opportunity to go to the USA in New Orleans for the 2017 Essence Music
Festival. This has only added to the enthusiasm that fuels their passion for
music.
The band aims to empower women in this
industry and have a history of effectively doing this. Many members that played
in Heels over Head in the past now have successful solo careers. The members
individually are also all involved in motivation of young female musicians
through teaching and mentorships. “The girls”, as they are affectionately
known, were booked for their first performance in August 2008 when they entered
the music industry as young upcoming jazz band consisting of music students
from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Today, this is 10 years ago and the ladies
organised a collaboration tour to celebrate, the girls aim to celebrate their
10 year anniversary and want to, at the same time, keep offering stages for
young talents in jazz. This is why this tour is an exchange between female
musicians from Cape Town and Durban. Vocalist Thulile Zama and drummer Doty
from Durban will be joined by Cape Town based Nobuhle Ashanti on keys, Tracey
Johannes on bass guitar and Arianna Carini on guitar.
For vocalist and founder Thulile Zama, one
of the highlights of their career is the fact they managed to stay together for
10 years. “There are not so many bands who have survived over the years,” she
says. “We have worked for many years to create opportunities for ourselves. It
has been a great experience, at times enriching and at times humbling and we
are planning to continue working on offering platforms for female musicians.”
Drummer Rebekah Doty adds: “We want to be an example to other female musicians
and show them that everything is possible. We have performed for so many
different audiences throughout the years. Still being together after 10 years
is a great motivation to keep the band going.”
Heels over Head Cape Town Tour is supported
by Concerts SA through the Music Mobility Fund, a funding mechanism which
offers opportunities for South African musicians to undertake live music tours.
Additional support is provided by Yamaha South Africa.
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