UKZN Centre for Jazz and Popular Music and iSupport Creative Business in proud association with Casio will once again present three musicians this coming Wednesday 17 June.  The online performance will feature guitarist Cebo Ngema, pianist John Edwards and the Nelson Mandela University Jazz Quartet as well as vocalist Mbuso Khoza.  All three artists will present the audience with a 20-minute set each.

Cebo Ngema

This Durban guitarist, composer, songwriter and poet plays jazz, maskandi, gospel and African music.  He previously enrolled at UKZN and obtained an access to the Jazz and Popular Music Diploma.  His inspirations are George Benson, Jimmy Dludlu and Allen Kwela.  He has worked with many artists including Sisanda Nelson, Bheki Nqoko, Scelo Gowane, Xolisa Dlamini to name a few.

He has performed at various festivals including Ugu Jazz Festival, Jazz in July and Hazelmere Dam Jazz Festival.  Ngema has worked with various bands including Fiso Fakude, Gospel Choir, DimDep Musical and has also recorded a live DVD with them.  He plays the guitar for the In Blood Musical by African Sinakho which is a disability theatre.  Cebo is a Musical Facilitator at The Bat Centre.

John Edwards and the Nelson Mandela University Jazz Quartet

He is a jazz pianist/composer and educator.  Originally from Durban, he was a student of Darius Brubeck at UKZN and graduated in 2004 with a Masters (cum laude) in Jazz Performance and Composition.  Although his preferred medium is acoustic jazz, his musical versatility has enabled him to perform, compose and record in numerous musical contexts including jazz, pop and rock bands, jazz/classical fusions, dance productions and cabaret and cruise ship engagements.

Edwards has been a lecturer in Jazz Studies at the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth since 2010 and he is still active as a performer.  His creative outputs are channeled through a parallel career as a jazz performer and he works extensively with local Eastern Cape-based musicians in this regard.  In addition to this, he has performed with nationally and internationally renowned musicians including, amongst others, vocalists Natalie Rungan, Titi Luzipo and Melanie Scholtz, saxophonist McCoy Mrubata, trumpeter Feya Faku, guitarist Shawn Phillips, bassist Lex Futshane and drummer Ginger Baker.

The Nelson Mandela University Jazz Quartet has performed to full houses at several venues in the Eastern Cape in recent months and has enjoyed an excellent response from the audiences.  The band is excited to be part of the online ‘Music Unlocked Sessions’ that are currently being hosted by the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music at the UKZN.

Mbuso Khoza

Khoza is a vocalist and songwriter with a rich and unique sound, and a genre defying voice.  His music is referred to as delicate mix of deep traditional Zulu music infused with jazz elements.  This particular sound separates him from his peers, with an ability to reach down to long gone memories.  His sound is out of this world yet he reaches beyond this world.

In 2012 Khoza successfully released his debut album “Zilindile”.  He has since been occupied with composing, rehearsing and recording music and with lots of performances around KwaZulu Natal, South Africa and the world.  He has also been commissioned by the Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini to teach schoolchildren about Amahubo – traditional Zulu hymns and war chants.  He is taking it further and is planning to record an album of these hymns with an orchestra.

The minimum charge to watch the concert is R40 and tickets are available on Webtickets.  The full contribution of the audience will go straight to the artists to support and sustain South Africa’s beloved musicians through this testing time.  Musicians can submit a video that is created especially for the concert, which is likely to be a solo performance or minimal ensemble in this period of social distance.  You can also submit previously recorded videos that are not widely available on the Internet, and are part of your archive.

Get your ticket at www.webtickets.co.za where you can get a monthly concert pass and donate.  The link will be sent at 6pm and the audience can watch at their convenience.