Nobuhle Ashanti – pianist, composer, performer – hails from Cape Town. Her musical journey performing with various ensembles has led to her very own project, Ashanti Tribe. The project’s concept and compositions are brought to life by various Cape Town-based artists. For Ashanti Tribe’s performance at the First Thursdays Sessions on 5 March the band will consist of Jodi Fredericks (vocalist), Sean Bratz (bass guitar), Kurt “Kurt B” Bowers (drums and percussion) and Nobuhle on keyboard. We asked Nobuhle a few questions in the lead up to her performance at the Gin Bar. Read on to see what she had to say. 

What has your journey been as a jazz musician so far? Where did it all start? Over the past couple years, my journey in music has been a rewarding one. I’ve been extremely fortunate and blessed to have had many great experiences and opportunities leading me to where I am now. With music, I have been exposed to art in its most magnificent form, and the many beautiful people placed on my path because of it.

Where did it start? My earliest memory of music was Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable, With Love” album at the age of 5 (maybe 6). Obsession would be an understatement. Over the years performing at various festivals with local ensembles, the countless workshops, masterclasses, mentors’ guidance and the consistent listening to not only American but South African Jazz has been undeniably inspiring.

What is it like to be a jazz musician in Cape Town in 2020? And what would it be like if you could have it any way? It’s interesting being surrounded by musicians who respectfully tribute and celebrate the older generation of musicians and their music (Bheki Mseleku, Hotep Galeta, Chris McGreggor), as well as celebrate the moulding and evolution of the “New School”.

If I could have it any way, there’d be more venues for live music performances, where people are able to sit and listen, and artists are respected during a performance – not pegged as background.

How did you end up on keys? Or do you play any other instruments? My father, him being a pianist, started me off with a jazz standard “Blue Bossa”. He’d only ever teach me a new song once I’d gotten the first one right. So when he’d leave on tour, I’d practice till playing piano was the only thing I KNEW how to do. I picked up the violin around the age of 9 (It’s harder than it looks! And more rewarding than it seems).

If you could rewind a few years, what advice would you give yourself as a young jazz musician trying to break onto the scene? Practise! Not only your technical ability, but practise improvisation – the spontaneity and creativity of it all, practice the freedom jazz provides you.

Network. Walk up to the artist, introduce yourself. Even the smallest conversation helps show him/her you’re there and keen to work.

Who else is doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? Mandisi Dyantyis, Refentse Ramathlodi, Sean Sanby, Blake Hellaby, Digital Sangoma, Maya Spector, The Unity Band, Dylan Fine, Brathew Van Schalkwyk, The Pedestrians, Androgenuis and SO MANY MORE! These artists are incredibly inspiring and just genuinely dope at what they do.

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
Seba Kaapstad – “Tagores”
Solange – “When I get home”
James Morrison – “Undiscovered”
Bheki Mseleku – “Home at last”
Bob Marley and The Wailers – “Uprising”

Where can people follow your musical movements and find more of your music? In the meantime, my music can be found on Soundcloud and YouTube under “Nobuhle Ashanti”. And to follow my musical movements (and the release of our album) on Instagram: @nobuhle_ashanti and Facebook: Nobuhle Ashanti

Nobuhle performs with her band Ashanti Tribe at the March edition of the First Thursdays Sessions, presented by Grolsch. The performance takes place at the Gin Bar, 64A Wale Street, and is free to the public. The performance kicks off at 9pm sharp, followed by a DJ set by Illa N (JHB). Swing by from 6pm for Opihr Oriental Spice Gin tastings, and try one of the Opihr signature cocktails served up by the Gin Bar team.

Lee Thomson is a Cape Town based trumpet player who is well known for his cross-genre ventures and performances in bands like Hog Hoggidy Hog, Mix n Blend, We Set Sail, and Kesivan and The Lights, amongst others. He also sessions for Goodluck, Toya Delazy, Grassy Spark and many more.

Lee holds a degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Cape Town, and was a member of the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band. He regularly tours the world with his various projects, having played to audiences across Europe, India, Mexico, Reunion Island and South Africa.

We caught up with Lee to ask him a few questions in the lead up to his performance at the October edition of the First Thursdays Sessions.

Image by Laura Mccullagh

Let’s start at the beginning. Where did your love for music begin and what lead you to pursue the trumpet? I was always drawn to music as far back as I can remember, obsessed with choirs and the drums. My love for the trumpet started when I was lucky enough to see Hugh Masakela for the first time at Kippies in Joburg with my dad and my stepmom. That coupled with an opening trumpet slot when I was 14. My first teacher was Trumpet legend Ian Smith. He really inspired me to practice and take the instrument seriously.

You have a degree in Jazz Performance from UCT, but you’re also well known for performing in bands that fall outside of the jazz genre? How did the one lead to the other? For me music is music. If it moves me I aim to explore it. Jazz is definitely home base and has given me the tools to dive into all sorts of genres. I really do enjoy the variety both musically and culturally. From Jazz to Punk to Electronic music. I find being able to contribute across genres extremely satisfying.

Image by Gregory Franz

What is your experience of being a musician in South Africa right now? I love being a musician in South Africa. I get to play with world-class musicians on a weekly basis. I also get to play a lot of varied gigs which keeps things interesting. The jazz scene is thriving in Cape Town and there’s a real sense of community happening. You can see great jazz at least five times a week. I’m a full-time musician and don’t do anything else to make a living.

You recently came back from Europe where you performed at a bunch of shows and festivals? How would you compare playing abroad to playing locally? Going to Europe is as much about gigging as it is checking out new music and meeting new people. I look at it as an inspiration top-up. It’s different in the sense that there’s just more of everything. More festivals, more venues, more artists and more audience. Being there affords me the opportunity to check out my musical heroes and to collab with my peers. It also reaffirms that we have a world-class scene here in South Africa.

Image by Laura Mccullagh

What advice would you give to young jazz-influenced musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? Travel a lot, stay humble, practice and always be open to new things!

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? I’m really enjoying the Unity Band and really love what Mandisi Dynatyis is doing. If you haven’t checked them out please do! Really exciting stuff!

Image by Laura Mccullagh

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
Felix Laband – Deaf Safari
Pat Metheny – One Quiet Night
Dave Douglas – Poses
Bonobo – The North Borders

Where can people follow your musical movements and find more of your music?
https://www.instagram.com/leelips
https://www.facebook.com/leethomsonband

Lee Thomson will be taking the stage together with Jason Reolon on keys and Jonno Sweetman on drums at the fifth edition of the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 3 October 2019. The performance starts at 9pm, followed by a vinyl set by DJ Mighty from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street. The Spring season of the First Thursdays Sessions is presented by Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky and produced by Thursdays Projects.
 Event staging provided by LEVO Staging & Audio.

Tefo “Talking Drum” Mahola is a young up and coming multi-talented drummer, pianist, arranger, composer and poet in the world of music hailing from Gugulethu, Cape Town.

His ear for music, love for playing new ideas and constant hunger for pushing to newer levels brings about a truly fresh and cooking sound. His music career has barely started, having already done tours and festivals like Rocking the Daisies, Cape Town Jazz Festival, Oslo Jazz Festival and Muizenberg Jazz Festival to name a few, playing with many musical greats.

Tefo was recently chosen in a program by the EU called MAISHA, where 6 Africans and 6 Europeans were chosen in an intense 2 week collaboration between cultures and indigenous instruments with the end goal of putting together an album and performing live in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in May 2019. He has recently toured in Hungary with Fatime and her Kolibri in July, visiting all the cities in and around the country.

Although he plays in many styles and genres, his most enjoyed genre to play is jazz. His compositional work depicts that of jazz with all influences of music incorporated within. Tefo Mahola performs original music accompanied by poetry and stories.

We asked Tefo a few questions in the lead up to his performance at the First Thursdays Sessions.

Where did your love for playing music begin? And how did you end up on the drums? It all started in primary school when I started acting and doing dance, I later changed schools to one that focussed on music, where I discovered a piano. In high school, I auditioned for the piano and was asked if there was another instrument I’d love to try out, and little 13 year old me saw the drum set and it was love at first sight.

You’ve played at the First Thursdays Sessions before, with Keegan Steenkamp back in June. It’s always great to see jazz musicians popping up in different bands and projects. Who else do you play with regularly or what other groups or projects are you a part of? I play with bands such as MSMF, a fresh upcoming jazz quartet with my good friends, also with Thembelihle Dunjana, Malek and the THUNDERTONES to name a few.

The Talking Drum Clan is something a bit different – mixing jazz and poetry. How did the project come about? It was actually a sound I was looking for, and through life I’ve been grateful to come across and play with musicians who’ve helped me get to this point. I’ve also had a strong influence in my family with many poets, visual artists and musicians of all styles.

We hear you have some new music coming out soon. Can you tell us a bit more about that? Yes, I have an album that I am currently busy writing before hitting the studio with my 7 piece band. It’s all really compositions of mine that I’ve written this year, and it’s been a long time coming I guess since I’ve been writing and have tons of songs. I feel that the tunes I’ve already written will rather be released in forthcoming albums and rather have a beacon of where my life is this year, which is why I’ll be featuring new compositions.

What is your general experience of being a jazz musician in South Africa in 2019? It’s quite a lot. It’s a bumpy and happy sad journey filled with beautiful faces and experiences, and I’m grateful for the fact that I’m in this industry. This year has and is still promising a lot for Jazz and I’m excited to be a musician at this time.

What advice would you give to young jazz-influenced musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? Believe. Be grateful. Be positive.

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? Unity band is doing great, and lumanyano himself being a drummer and friend of mine is really inspiring me to get out and record, as he’s recently released his new album. Check him out!

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
Kind of blue – miles Davis
Brian Blade – body and shadow
Mama’s gun – Erykah Badu
John Coltrane – my favorite things
Christian Scott – yesterday you said tomorrow

The Talking Drum Clan will be taking the stage at the fourth edition of the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 5 September 2019. The performance starts at 9pm followed with a DJ set by ROASTIN’ RECORDS from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street. The First Thursdays Sessions are presented by Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky and produced by Thursdays Projects.


Shane Cooper is hands down one of the most progressive jazz artists in South Africa. His willingness to explore multiple musical landscapes within his recordings as Card On Spokes has become his very identity, drawing from his experiences as a double bassist and pulling them into music made for the dancefloor. The album Oscillations was awarded the 2014 SAMA for Best Jazz Album. In 2018 his new project, MABUTA, was launched with the album Welcome To This World.

Taking influence from hip hop, house and of course, his jazz roots, Shane has crafted a unique style that is constantly evolving. Card on Spokes has seen rapid success in the last few years, reaching #1 on YFM, getting airplay on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 6, as well as support from Gilles Peterson and Boiler Room debuts.

As a live electronic act, Cards on Spokes incorporates keys, electric bass, and controllers, often flexing out into psychedelic bass solo frontiers, atop a bed of heaving dancefloor-centric beats.

We asked Shane a few questions in the lead up to his performance at the First Thursdays Sessions.

Image by Alexis Dominguez

You’re involved in a range of great musical projects. What’s keeping you busy at the moment? And any other upcoming performances we can look out for? I’ve started writing for the next MABUTA album as well as a new Card On Spokes EP. I’m very excited for MABUTA to play at Endless Daze in November, and a bunch of other cool shows over the next few months. All my upcoming gigs are listed on www.shanecoopermusic.com

Image by Jono Jebus

Where did the love for playing music begin and what lead you to pursue the bass guitar of all instruments? I think my love for playing really started when I first picked up an acoustic guitar at age 12. I got into bass guitar through an opening in my high school jazz band when I was 14, which lead me to discover a passion for the 4 string bass and for jazz music.

What is your experience of being a jazz musician in South Africa in 2019? It’s a very creatively driven period for jazz music in South Africa, but at the same time it’s a very difficult country to tour within because of infrastructure challenges. It means we spend a lot of energy trying to get projects to tour abroad, and this is a mountain of a task due to flight costs, visas etc.

Image by Barry Christianson

What advice would you give to young jazz-influenced musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? It’s a cliché, but always be true to yourself. Study the work of your idols. Find mentors. Listen to as much music as you can. Build lasting friendships in music.

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? Bokani Dyer, Thandi Ntuli, Benjamin Jephta, Vuma Levin, Reza Khota, Siya Makuzeni, Nduduzo Makhathini, Marcus Wyatt, and many more.

Image by Jono Jebus

We hear you have some new music coming out soon. Can you tell us a bit more about that? I’m in the final stages of a new 5 track Card On Spokes EP, which is my follow up to As We Surface from 2016. It’s got several vocal feature tracks and some instrumentals as well. I’m very excited to finish it, and I’m hoping to release it this summer.

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
Radiohead – OK Computer
Oumou Sangaré – Mogoya
Thundercat – Apocalypse
D’Angelo – Voodoo
Any album by Fela Kuti

Image by Aidan Tobias

Where can people follow your projects online?
On instagram @cardonspokes
on my website www.shanecoopermusic.com

Card on Spokes performs at the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 1 August 2019. The event series is presented by Auchentoshan Single Malt Whisky, produced by Thursdays Projects, and hosted at The Gin Bar. The performance starts at 9pm sharp, with a DJ set by BÜJIN from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street.

The Unity Band has been making a name for themselves in the local music industry since the release of their debut album Fabric. The album beautifully captures the amalgamation of the band’s diversity as they explore elements of jazz, hip hop, poetry, salsa, funk and at its core, a contemporary African sound. We caught up with the band and shot them a few questions in the lead up to their show at the upcoming edition of the First Thursdays Sessions at the Gin Bar, 4 July 2019.

Tell us a bit about how The Unity Band initially came together The Unity Band met at the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town, where we were all in different years studying Jazz. In 2017 Lumanyano (who’s nickname is Unity) approached each of us individually and asked us to play for his performance class (which is a performance slot that students are allowed to fill and have performances every Wednesday, open to the public, showcasing some the work that they’ve been working on) which was the first one of the year. We hadn’t all played as a collective before so this was our first showcase. After the performance we had people asking us if we were going to perform anytime soon and eventually decided to book our first gig at the Great Wizoo. After those two performances we kinda thought “Hey, we’ve got something going here let’s see if we can make it work”, so we booked a few more gigs around the city and then decided to make it official and became a band.

Where did the love for playing music begin and what lead you to pursue the drums of all instruments? [Lumanyano Mzi] The love for playing began in my father’s house. My father being a bandleader and having all the instruments in the house made it possible for me to choose any instrument. I could have played any other instrument, however my heart fell in love with the drums. What led me to play drums is that whenever I’d go watch performances with my father’s band, I’d always be sitting next to the drummer of any of the bands playing in all the concerts and observing how they played. One of the things that I loved was the fact that they always seemed to be enjoying every minute of playing, and you could see that from how they smiled that they were having a lot of fun. Another thing is that they can always play even if there’s no electricity. I’m reminded of a power cut at a festival when I was 7 where the drummer just kept on playing in the dark and how it made the audience so happy.

What is your experience of being a jazz musician in South Africa in 2019? Being a jazz musician in SA is an exciting experience, there is always room to explore and grow and challenge yourself through the different styles that are found in this vast genre. One also learns to have a great work ethic and to learn how to hustle, because you need to constantly be looking for new opportunities to perform and earn enough for you to live well. We are all still quite young, but we are all doing various things in the industry to ensure that we have a long shelf life, and also still enjoy the process of making music along the way. It’s not always an easy journey because of how the arts are supported in our country, but we make it work and are grateful for all the opportunities we do get and the people who support us throughout our journey.

What advice would you give to young jazz-influenced musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? Explore as much music as you can. You never know where you will find inspiration. Work on your business skills too, as the music industry has evolved from only being handled by big businesses and labels. Independent artists are now at the forefront. The only way one can get to the point as an artist who travels the world playing festivals and so forth is to make sure you have all the necessities such as recorded music, biography, videos and live videos, a good social media following, and a fan base. Collaborate and find booking agents, not necessarily managers, but agents all around the world, that you can sell your product to. Most importantly support other musicians, network and build relationships that can also help your career. Have fun, and be true to the music. If you honour the music it will honour you.

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? From our peers, we would say Sean Sandby, MSMF, Thembelihle Dunjana, Muneeb Herman, Zoe Molelekwa and from our big brothers and sisters who have been in the game, Mandisi Dyantis, Mabuta, Saba Kaapstad, Youthphemism, Ronan Skillen, Reza Khota, Blake Hellaby.

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
The Unity Band’s Fabric (always), but if we’d have to exclude ourselves possibly:
Ancient Agents – Ancient Agents
Mrigya – World Harmony
Mandisi Dyantyis – Somandla
Bob Marley – Exodus
Jimmy Dludlu – Afro Centric

Where can people follow your musical movements and find more of your music? People can follow our musical movements and everything in between on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter all @theunitybandza.

The Unity Band will be taking the stage at the second edition of the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 4 July 2019. The performance starts at 9pm followed with a DJ set by Marmite Fox from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street. The First Thursdays Sessions are presented by Auchentoshan Single Malt Whisky and produced by Thursdays Projects.

Keegan Steenkamp is a Cape Town based trumpeter, composer and trumpet teacher from Muizenberg, Cape Town. At 17 he made his first appearances on the Cape Town music scene in the band ‘Khoitrans’ and at the famed Swingers Monday Night Jazz Jams.

Keegan has since gone on to perform at some of South Africa’s biggest stages including Rocking The Daisies and Cape Town International Jazz Festival, and has also performed in Istanbul, Beijing and Shanghai. Over the past 3 years Keegan has performed extensively with MSMF jazz quartet, and features as a sideman for many artists from all over the country.

We asked Keegan a few questions in the lead up to his performance at the First Thursdays Sessions.

Let’s start at the beginning, where did the love for playing music begin and what lead you to pursue the trumpet of all instruments? If we’re talking right at the beginning, probably through hearing a lot of good music from a young age, and fortunately having instruments at home to make noise on. Further down the line, my high school needed wind players, I had a choice between the trumpet and saxophone, and chose the trumpet ’cause the trumpet teacher there had a nice looking red trumpet.

What is your experience of being a jazz musician in South Africa in 2019? I can only speak myself here. So far so good. Lots of young musicians around my age are sounding great and keeping each other motivated. It also feels like somehow we’re creating more places and opportunities to play (not just jazz but music in general). Something Mandla Mlangeni was encouraging musicians to do a few years back. Speaking of which, there’s this star-studded generation slightly older than us doing amazing work and showing a way forward.

What advice would you give to young musicians looking to break into the local and international jazz scene? Practice! I think that if you sound good enough, the right people will notice. It helps if you’re in an appropriate place though. So go to as many jam sessions as you can, and then go overseas and go to as many jam sessions as you can. It’s something I’m still figuring out for myself but as I said, so far so good.

Who’s doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? Sean Sanby is getting some nice music together for an album recording soon. There’s a really nice weekly gig at Hanks on a Tuesday night, people in the audience just talk too much sometimes. Darren English also started a weekly jam on Thursdays. He’s someone I’d recommend having a listen to, and also someone I’d recommend young jazz musicians have a chat to.

Top 5 ‘desert island’ albums (of any genre)?
Only five!? For now, it’s:
Sonny Rollins – The Bridge
Wayne Shorter – Speak No Evil
Bob Marley – Kaya
MF DOOM – Mm.. Food
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

Where can people follow your musical movements and find more of your music?
Call me! Also Instagram, YouTube, and music streaming platforms in a couple of months.

The Keegan Steenkamp Trio performs at the First Thursdays Sessions on Thursday 6 June 2019. The event series is presented by Auchentoshan Single Malt Whisky, produced by Thursdays Projects, and hosted at The Gin Bar. The performance starts at 9pm sharp, with a DJ set by Holy Funk from 10pm. Upstairs at the Gin Bar, 64a Wale Street.