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.

Sean Sanby headlines the February 2020 edition of the First Thursdays Sessions jazz programme. Sean has been performing on the Cape Town jazz scene for a number of years – playing with artists such as Mandisi Dyantyis, Zoe Modiga, Frank Paco, and Mandla Mlangeni. For the past year Sean has been on tour with the international tour of Matilda the Musical, having recently returned to release his new album, coming out on 5 March. We asked Sean a few questions. Read on to see what he had to say.

What has your journey been as a jazz musician so far? Where did it all start, and how did you end up where you are right now? I had always done music in school, I played in the big band and almost every other ensemble that I could get into. I think I first encountered jazz at the Grahamstown Jazz Festival. It exposed me to a whole range of music and different approaches to playing – I was hooked. I went on to study jazz performance at SACM, UCT. I loved being immersed in the music. Being surrounded by musicians and lectures all the time pushed me to become familiar with playing and performing music as well as understanding what I was doing. I think in this way I was able to start developing my own sound. Composing has always been a huge part of music for me. I’d always end up trying to practice something and get distracted by other ideas which would then develop into songs. This past year I have been playing bass and traveling around with the international production of Matilda the Musical. It was a big change and an even bigger learning experience coming from a jazz/session world. But it gave me the chance to record and put together my album, which I’m excited to be releasing this March.

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? I think it’s a great time to be in jazz right now. In Cape Town we’re surrounded by so many great musicians, some fresh out of studies and some veterans of the scene, and they’re playing all over Cape Town every week. Something I’ve also noticed is how much original music is coming out of Cape Town and how important and special that is. If I could have it any other way I’d just want more venues and spaces to support live music culture, which is why I’m so happy for this opportunity to play this First Thursdays!

You’re principally a bassist. To the layman, explain the difference between an upright bass and a bass guitar, specifically in the realm of jazz music. Upright bass, is an older instrument but still used today, you’ll often hear it in the early jazz years of swing and bebop. Electric bass is the more modern version heading to funk, rock etc. – it’s what most would think a bass guitar would be. Both of the instruments still play a fundamental role in jazz and African music, but each have their different strengths in sound and what they add to the music.

If you could rewind a few years, what advice would you give yourself as a young jazz musician trying to break onto the scene? I’d say just play, play as much as you can. Practicing is great and it’s always the aim to make the instrument less of an obstacle and more of a voice. That said, playing and sharing concepts with others helps you grow so much as well.

Who else is doing interesting stuff on the local scene that you’d recommend checking out? Oh wow so much at the moment! Mandisi Dyantyis is a fire that if you haven’t already found, you’re missing out on! Michael Bester just released a beautiful album, Blake Hellaby as well, Keegan Steenkamp, the Unity Band, as well as Nobuhle Ashanti. I could go on, but I think the list would get too long… Real Wired Music is a great place to follow for gigs going on in the scene as well!

You’ve got a new album coming out soon. Tell us a bit about that. So in the middle of last year I had some down time on tour and decided it was the right time to record, and I knew who I wanted to play with. The music had already been written and slowly worked on through my years at college. The guys did such an amazing job just throwing themselves into the music and afterwards working with Blake Hellaby through the mixing process, I can say it’s something I’m proud of and extremely excited to share.

Top 5 desert island albums (of any genre)?
Malibu – Anderson. Paak
Kind of Blue – Miles Davis
The Second – Derrick Hodge
Stone Flower – Antônio Carlos Jobim
Undercurrent – Bill Evans

Where can people follow your musical movements and find more of your music? You can follow me on Instagram (@san_seanby), Facebook (/SanbyMusic), Youtube and as well all streaming platforms!

 

Sean performs at the February 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 Aaron.P (The Other DJs). Swing by from 6pm for Opihr gin tastings.

The performing band includes:
Jesse Julies – Tenor Sax 
Brathew van Schalckwyk – Piano
Sean Sanby – Bass
Damian Kamineth – Drums

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.