national Arts Festival Banner

Friday, May 24, 2019

UKZN JAZZ PIANO SHOWCASE


(Obakeng Thamage)

The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music will present the UKZN Jazz Piano Showcase on Wednesday, May 29, 2019.

The UKZN jazz piano faculty is particularly excited by the current crop of students. The concert will feature a selection of students from 1st, 2nd and 3rd year and the programme will comprise original compositions, jazz standards and arrangements.

The first years participating are Sibusiso Ntenga who will do Molly Johnson’s arrangement of the well-loved standard Summertime and Phila Nyawuza who will play In my heart by Sibu Mashiloane. The 2nd year piano students will be bringing solo piano performances, the repertoire consist of a selection of South African jazz composers. Amongst many other lessons taken from the chosen compositions, one of the most important ones is for the students to understand what makes this particular music South African, gather tools to perform this music and learn to embrace their local compositions.

Some of the 2nd year participants and songs are Kimeshnee Lutchmiah - Little Boy (Abdullah Ibrahim), Talent Mlomo - Icamagu Livumile ( McCoy Mrubata) , Mdumiseni Ngcobo- Rain Makers (Afrika Mkhize), Yola Ndzabe - Rwanda (Andile Yenana) , Themba Nkala - Niza (Sibusiso Mashiloane), Sandile Nyanda - Lullaby of Birdland (George Shearing), Sibusiso Shabalala - Ngaliwe (Themba Mkhize), Nhlakanipho Zulu - Mhlekazi (Andile Yenana); Ndumiso khubisa - Yanini (Bheki Mseleku) and Sibonelo Nxumalo - Mountain shades (Moses Taiwa Molelekwa).

Tazlo Jacobs is a 3rd Year pianist from Mossel Bay currently doing his BMus Jazz Studies. He plans to major in Composition and Arrangement and begin his Masters in Composition abroad. He has been playing since he was 14 years old and has a cultured musical upbringing in classical, jazz and gospel music. Tazlo will play Dolphin Dance by Herbie Hancock and Passion Dance by McCoy Tyner. Born in a small town called Krugerdorp in West Rand, Obakeng Thamage who is also in 3rd year is a young adept pianist, composer and aspiring film scorer who exudes passion and discipline for music. He will perform My Romance and Tales Of A Young Man medley.

Musician’s Gearzone have kindly sponsored product awards to participating pianists. The sponsorship will extend to the rest of the student showcase concerts scheduled during the course of the year.

This concert will be a part of series of instrumental showcases that will ran over the course of the year to fundraise for the Ronnie Madonsela Scholarship.

The UKZN Jazz Piano Showcase takes place on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, at 18h00 (doors open at 17h30) at The Centre for Jazz and Popular music (CJPM), Level 2, Shepstone Building at UKZN Howard College Campus.R80 for general admission (R50 pensioners, R25 students). Contact Thuli on 031 260 3385 or email Zamat1@ukzn.ac.za for more details.