Supported by the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) and the Nedbank Arts Affinity, Born To Be Black is intended to be a proclamative journey of musical meditation and healing. It’s a journey less travelled into musical territories where sonic realms are in constant flux. The production is like a canvas where colours are hues of an ascending melodic line or the crescendo of boisterous horns grooving to the syncopated rhythms of a new song. The assemblage of such diverse musicianship will attract a wide patronage of artists and aficionados.
Born to Be Black is the culmination of an endeavour to bring a journey of musical fireworks from an intergenerational dialogue between the intense piano improvisations of Andile Yenana and the extraordinary dynamic range of South African percussionist Louis Moholo-Moholo. Louis played a pivotal role in the influential community of South African exiles, who transformed the evolution of British jazz from the 60’s and who revered American jazz firebrand saxophonist and educator Prof. Salim Washington.
All three remain massive figures in the South African music landscape – this progressive collaboration of masters is also paired with the audacious and far-reaching musical musings of the Amandla Freedom Ensemble led by young trumpeter Mandla Mlangeni.
Amandla Freedom Ensemble (Picture by Solomon Moremong)
Veteran South African drummer Louis Tebogo Moholo-Moholo returned to his homeland in 2005 and will be revisiting the anthemic and freewheeling improvisations that will be delivered during September (Heritage Month) by an exceptional assemblage of young and old at sought after performance venues in South Africa and abroad.
Born To Be Black: A Celebration of The Conscious Soul is supported by the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) and the Nedbank Arts Affinity and is also the recipient of an ANT Funding Grant from Pro Helvetia Johannesburg financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
The journey of a unique musical offering between the Amandla Freedom Ensemble, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Salim Washington and Andile Yenana will be presented as follows:
- Thursday 1 September 18:00 at the Newtown Junction (Free)
- Friday 3 September 23:00 at The Chairman Durban (Free)
- Wednesday 07 September 13:00 Wits Great Hall Lunchtime Concert (Free)
- Morris Isaacson High School Sunday the 11 September 16:00 (Cape Gate Music School) featuring SkyJack CH/SA (R80)
- Saturday 10 September 13:00 UNISA Soshanguve Campus (Free)
- Monday 12 September 20:00 Bassline Newtown Monday Blues (R50)
- Saturday 17 September 19:00 Steve Biko Centre Ginsburg King Williamstown (R100)
- Sunday 18 September 16:00 Stirling High School Auditorium East London (R100)
- Tuesday 20 September 19:00 Guga’ SthebeLanga featuring Paul van Kemenade (Netherlands) Three Horns And A Bass (R100)
- Friday 23 September 20:00 Slave Church Long St Cape Town (R100)
- Sunday 25 September 16:00 Johannesburg Theatre (Fringe) special guest Paul van Kemenade Three Horns And A Bass (R150)
- Monday 26 September 13:00 Tshwane University of Technology Arts Campus (Free)
- Sunday 2 October 14:00 Rainbow Restaurant (R80)
The Amandla Freedom Ensemble has in recent years positioned itself as a musical tour de force with an original cultural identity and agenda of creating new music that speaks to both young and old. Described by the Jazz Times (USA) as an “urban arts ensemble which wraps elliptical melodies in three-part harmonies, rich with impasto, swinging like broken chandeliers.”
In 2015, the ensemble extensively performed across the SADC region and to date, they have participated at the Harare International Festival of Arts in Zimbabwe, the MTN Bushfire Festival in Swaziland and subsequently toured to Maputo, Mozambique. The Amandla Freedom Ensemble performed at several music festivals such as the Fete de la Muziq and the Standard Bank Jazz Festival in Grahamstown.
A successful CD launch and a subsequent nomination for Best Jazz Album has seen a deluge of collaborations and performances with many and diverse artists such as Afrika Mkhize, Herbie Tsoaeli, Mark Fransman and several other notable engagements, position the ensemble at the forefront in creating an original platforms to showcase new and original sounds. The Amandla Freedom Ensemble is steadily capturing the attention of many jazz patrons and new audiences wherever it performs.
Born To Be Black draws on an exciting and vibrant group of musicians with an appetite for different genres in a setting primed for all kinds of audiences.
Featured Soloists: Louis Moholo (drums) Andile Yenana (piano), Prof. Salim Washington (bass clarinet, flute and oboe).
Amandla Freedom Ensemble: Mandla Mlangeni (trumpet) NhlanhlaMahlangu (alto saxophone), Oscar Rachabane (penny whistle and tenor saxophone), Sisonke Xonti (baritone saxophone) GontseMakhene (percussion) Ariel Zamonsky (bass) TumiMogorosi (drums).
This project is supported through the Arts & Culture Trust’s Professional Development Programme funded by the Nedbank Arts Affinity. Open a Nedbank Arts Affinity-linked bank or investment account and support arts development in SA at no cost to you. nedbankarts.co.za.