Luvuyo Kakaza
I was late, like an African. But there was no sound of a tinkling piano or a saxophone blowing away the chilly wind at Kippies Jazz International in downtown Johannesburg. The Youth Performance Development Project had not yet begun.
Students from Fuba School of Music in Newtown were nervously preparing to perform with Afro-jazz maestro Hugh Masekela. Patiently we waited, puffing cigarettes and ordering tots of Jack Daniels. What else would one do in a venue that breathes cold air up your trousers? Order more whisky and pretend to exchange words of wisdom.
In the midst of chatter, band members came and went. Masekela mingled with the audience, laughing and joking. Suddenly on stage Sanka Diamond (lead guitar) stroked a high note and started playing. Lesego Nkonyane (saxophone) sailed into a soul rendition of Ntyilo Ntyilo, the song made famous by Miriam Makeba and the Cuban Brothers in the 1950s. Masekela joined in with his flugelhorn. The audience was impressed and they applauded.
The second song, Masekela’s Thanayi, got the blues singer Thandi Klassen off her chair. By now it was evident that, given a chance, the students would rock any club.
The Youth Performance Development Project was initiated by Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, bringing together music students to perform with established musicians. Through sponsorship of R50E000 from the National Arts Council and R15E000 donated by the South African Music Rights Organisation, the project has already hosted many students.
Launched on June 16 to coincide with Youth Day, the project will run for the next month. Already, students from Manu Technical College in Soweto have performed with Iconoclast quintet members Khaya Mahlangu (saxophone), Vusi Khumalo (drums), Victor Ntoni (double bass) and Hilton Schilder (keyboards). The hoarse-voiced “Village Pope”, Tshepo Tshola of Sankomota fame, and piano star Moses Molelekwa worked with Thuli Mdlalose, a student at the Pretoria Technikon.
The project was started to encourage music students to play South African jazz standards. In this way, Mabuse hopes students will become proud of their musical heritage. “It is through South African music that students can mature and establish themselves as professional musicians. They have to do what they know best to conquer the world,” he says.
The performances follow successful workshops held with top South African musicians in musical institutions. Mahlangu spent three days conducting performance workshops with students at the Manu Technical College. “Studying music is not only about the academic studies – students need to learn performing techniques and management skills,” says Mahlangu. “Working with these students I’ve gained a sense of pride. They take jazz music seriously and it’s the genre, with its diversity, that will help them develop to play any kind of music.”
The idea developed after Mabuse was approached by a group of students who wanted to perform at Kippies. “It has been hard to host amateurish performers, as the demand was to keep the club’s reputation and to uphold the legacy of Kippie Moeketsi,” says Mabuse. Today he is proud that music students can play South African material alongside top stars. “We hope that new performance groups will be established and the young and old musicians will be able to embark on recording deals.”
It is not surprising that top musicians have embraced the project – they learned the hard ways. Most were self-taught, with little support. Lack of venues meant they had to beg to play with established stars. “In those days we could jam with top musicians, but playing for a reasonable audience and at nice venues was rare,” says Mahlangu.
The Youth Performance Development Project session on July 7 features Barney Rachabane performing with his daughter Octavia at Kippies Jazz International from 9pm.
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