Mafikizolo, Orquestra Buena Vista Social Club, Zonke, Brand New Heavies, Pu2Ma, Chano Dominguez and Louis Moholo are some of the musicians who performed on Friday night to the thousands of people who thronged the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Friday was the first of two nights of unending music, constant shuffling between the festival’s five venues (Kippies, Basil “Manenberg” Coetzee, Roses, Moses Molelekwa and Bassline) and drink – lots of it.
By most accounts, British-based South African drummer Louis Moholo was the king of the night. Moholo was the drummer of the fabled group Blue Notes that had Chris McGregor on piano, Mongezi Feza on trumpet, Dudu Pukwana on alto saxophone, Nikele Moyake on tenor saxophone and Johnny Dyani on bass.
Combining a charming melodrama and an old style dexterity on the drums, this veteran of many sweaty sessions was the standout act. He was supported by Fany Galada on vocals, Herbie Tsoaeli on bass, Kyle Shepherd on piano (Moholo repeatedly called him “maestro”) and Sydney Mnisi on saxophone.
Earlier, in a gig under the banner Flamenco Sketches, Spanish pianist and composer Chano Dominguez had given Miles Davis a tortured Iberian interpretation. Dominguez fused his classical inspired textures with the visceral vocals (more like wails or chants) of Blas Cordoba and the resonant bass sound of Ben Street. He is from the hip-hop streets, it’s safe to say.
Saturday night promises to be a culmination of the weekend. Tickets are, to quote an old cliché, as rare as hen’s teeth. Among those billed to perform are Thandiswa Mazwai, Jill Scott, Kirk Wallum, Portico Quartet, the Robert Glasper Experiment, Gregory Porter and Jack de Johnette.