LIVE: BURNT FRIEDMAN AND TLALE MAKHENE and SOUND MIND LAB: MPHO MOLIKENG
On tour in sub-Saharan Africa, pioneer German electronic musician Burnt Friedman teams up with South African percussion legend Tlale Makhene for a one-off concert – a feast of rhythmic experimentation that will explode the boundaries between electric and acoustic, traditional and experimental, texture and melody. Other dates of the Burnt Friedman Tour in sub-Saharan Africa: 04/10/2013 Lagos, Nigeria 07/10/2013 Nairobi, Kenya, with Otieno Wakake 10/10/2013 Kampala, Uganda, with Hakimu Kiwanuka Burnt Friedman is one of Germany’s most established and highly rated electronic musicians with a career spanning almost 40 years. Born in Coburg, Germany in 1965, he has lived in Berlin since 2009. After initially being a student of art in Kassel in northern Germany, Burnt started to focus exclusively on music from the late 1980s onwards. He went on to attend the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne as a postgraduate student and began to publish his musical works along with his studio productions in 1979. He also began performing live around the same time, and soon attracted the attention of the Cologne electronic music scene. From there he progressed to various notable music collaborations throughout the 1990s on projects with the likes of Jaki Liebezeit, Hayden Chisholm, Root70, Mark Ernestus, Steve Jansen, David Sylvian and Atom™. In 2000 Friedman launched his own record label, Nonplace, with 35 releases to date. Working under the solo artist name of Burnt Friedman, he sought to address public prejudice at that time regarding the authenticity of programmed music. His studio and on-stage partnership with Jaki Liebezeit, the former drummer of CAN, now dates back 13 years; the two musicians have developed pioneering electronic-acoustic music over that period. On the strength of their craft and universal musical vocabulary they have consciously distanced themselves from the traditional formulas of Western European and Anglo-American music. Burnt Friedman’s work has been critically acclaimed by the international music press. Data Transmission in the UK described his recent album release with Jaki Liebezeit as “destined for cult success“. After carrying out a tour in sub-Saharan Africa in association with the GoetheInstitut, Burnt Friedman will be releasing a new album in November 2013. www.burntfriedman.com Born in Soweto, Tlale Makhene moved to Swaziland at a young age and began drumming at the age of four. Today, he is one of South Africa’s most remarkable drumming talents, often referred to as “The Groove Master” because of his amazing practical and conceptual skills as polyrhythmic percussionist. Highly regarded by musicians and musical fans alike, he has been featured in and produced more than 300 jazz and world music albums and is a much sought after indigenous music teacher, musical director, session...
MUST DO: Jazz lovers get to CTIJF
Jazzinista’s we hope you’re planning ahead to catch the broadly diverse line up at this year’s CTIJF taking place in less than 3 weeks! Ranging from some of SA’s hottest current bands like Goldfish, 340ml and Siphokazi, then showcasing some of the less commercial but deeply intriguing South African jazz cats like Carlo Mombelli & The Prisoners of Strange and McCoy Mrubata… through to two of our favourite international bands – acid jazz group Incognito from the 90s (still a friend of mine!) and the AMAZING Congo-Belgian all-girl group Zap Mamas (call me!) – And smoothly topped off with an edgy hiphp touch – Mos Def feat The Robert Glasper Experiment (to name but a few), it’s gonna be shaking in Cape Town! Surely this range of talent must put the festival on the global lists of ‘must attend’ jazz festivals. Here is the full line-up. Just added to this list is the young and fabulous Zaki Ibrahim, read all about it below: 340ml; Carlo Mombelli & The Prisoners of Strange; Goldfish; Kyle Shepherd Quartet; Magic Malik Orchestra Napalma; Ndumiso Nyovane; Pete Philly & Perquisite; The Robert Glasper Experiment; Shakatak; Siphokazi; South Paw; Stewart Sekuma; Al Foster Quartet; Arturo Lledo; Dave Liebman Quartet; Dianne Reeves; Emily Bruce; Freshlyground; Hugh Masekela; Incognito; Jonathan Rubain; Kyle Eastwood Band; Loading Zone; Maceo Parker; Maurice Gawronsky feat. Feya Faku; New York Voices; Peter White; Ringo Madlingozi; Rus Nerwich’s collective imagination; The Stylistics; Zap Mama; Jonathan Butler with special guest Dave Koz; Dr. Malombo Philip Tabane, “Opera Meets Jazz” Mike Del Ferro, Sibongile Khumalo, and Shannon Mowday; Abigail Kubeka, Cape Town Jazz Orchestra, McCoy Mrubata and Special Friends and Mos Def feat The Robert Glasper Experiment. To complete this year’s lineup, organisers of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival revealed that Zaki Ibrahim will join the other thirty-nine acts that appear on 03-04 April at Africa’s Grandest Gathering. While she refuses to categorise her music, what Zaki dishes out is a fusion of hip-hop, earthy soul, deep house, broken electro-acoustic beats and jazz-inflected vocal intonations. Still in her 20’s, the Toronto-based South African singer has taken up as her mission, the creation of smooth hip-hop. Born to an exiled South African father and Scottish mother, Zaki spent her early years shuttling between Cape Town and the city of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island in British Columbia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia> , Canada. She was drawn to hip-hop at early age and started to perform when she moved to British Columbia ’s largest city, Vancouver. Explaining the pull of hip-hop on her, the singer who has been living in Toronto since 2001 describes how as a child he listened...
Represent Review: Jazz at Moratele Park
Reuben ‘The Matrix’ Malema kicked back at a highly entertaining day of jazz at Moratele Park last weekend in a warmer Tshwane. Obviously The Matrix had a ball, but he just couldn’t quiet a nagging question – ‘Who will replace the Jazz greats when they’re gone?’ See our photostory from Represent’s supertalented photographer, Nkateko Siweya, by clicking here. Friday night – 29 August 2008. The Newtown Cultural Precinct. Rejoicing in the mellow tunes of jazz is the prevailing mood and yours truly is taking it very slow. Jazz, like all other things which are so blissfully fulfilling, demands that one graciously savour it in bite-size portions lest you spoil the encapsulating experience that is so full of delight. The organizers of this year’s colossal event left nothing to chance. Enthused fans and all visitors had to park their vehicles at the Old Johannesburg Train Station located adjacent to the Market Theatre on Carr Street. The entire area of the Event was fenced off and fully equipped security personnel tirelessly scoured the populous venue. Creative décor and free-flowing performing arts unfolded unhampered as the entire venue was transformed into a Kofifi/ Marimba cultural village of yesteryear: Sofiatown. Flute and harmonica tunes taunted the mind to imagine a place that mostly exists in the National Archives of South Africa’s past cosmopolitan glory (or the Drum magazine archives – Ed 😉 ). The eyes couldn’t help but swiftly teleport the mind into the world of the unison dancers of the smash hit: Sarafina! I found myself uncontrollably whistling away to the familiar harmony : “O tla utlwa bo-tsotsi ba re: a re yeng ko Meadowlands! Meadowlands, Meadowlands, Meadowlands Sithandwa sam’ !” Priceless! The Event At 19h00, yours truly and Mr. Siweya enjoyed the exemplary performance of local artist Mark Fransman at the Dinaledi stage. The Market Theatre played host to the Classic Jazz Masters followed by the charming Simphiwe Dana (If only wishes were horses). 20h15, by this time my partying mood had reached fever pitch, with the least intension of slowing down. We headed for the Mbira stage to catch the fantastic showcase of artistic skill and unlimited ease of the Nigerian born ‘Asa’. 21h15 still at Mbira, I was plunged (head first!) into a whirlpool of romantic ballads by Ringo Madlingozi, my sense of imaginary infatuation was completely and utterly drenched into a soapy mess!! The Spinners from USA skillfully breached the fun between Dinaledi stage and Bassline where Joshua Redman (USA) twirled us about with his ingenious saxophonist melodies. I thought this event was totally fabulous. Thank you Standard Bank for taking us down the Sofiatown history timeline and...
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