Come and enjoy jazz with one of South
Africa’s finest electric and upright bassist, an educator, an academic, a
composer of note and a performer Musa Manzini at The Orbit Jazz – Home
of Jazz in Braamfontein this weekend. Saturday 14th will see Musa Manzini with his quintet unleash Musa’s new music performed for the first time in Braamfontein.
Musa Manzini was
born at Inanda, north of Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal. In 1986 he then moved
to Cape Town for high school and university studies. It was later in his
high school days that he first picked up the guitar just as a hobby,
but was hooked to it ever since.
“I was faced with having to choose
between music as a full-time career or becoming a lawyer which is the
career my parents had carved for me. At one point, I thought I could be a
lawyer who plays the bass”.
In
1995, while at UCT, he received the Prof Peter Klatzow Award for
composition and orchestration “It was a big challenge coming from the
township and being introduced to classical music at tertiary level,
having to analyse the music of Bach, Chopin, Mozart, Debussy, Schonberg
and other European composers”
After
graduating with a BMus degree, Musa spent three years as a part-time
lecturer at UCT instructing electric and acoustic basses, jazz theory
and improvisation to bridging course students, while at the same time
performing and recording as a session musician around the country with
musicians like Rene’ MacLean, Jimmy Dludlu, Jonathan Butler, Gavin
Minter, Nhlanhla Magagula, Kevin Gibson, Mark Goliath, Judith Sephuma,
Winston Ngozi, Sipho Mabuse, Menyatso Mathole, Selaelo Selota, Joe
McBride, UCT Jazz Orchestra and many other muso’s at that period.
Manzini’s
style and sound has been honed by the multi-facetted Cape flats music
scene, mostly the townships of Guguletu, Langa, Mitchell’s Plain and
Khayelitsha. Manzini plays the bass as a lead instrument pioneering in
the footsteps of Sipho Gumede, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and John
Patitucci. He is also well versed on the acoustic or double bass.
In
2000 Musa released his debut recording entitled “New Reflections”
through BMG Records Africa, and was at the same time introduced into the
film and television industry by Mfundi Vundla, where he worked on daily
drama series like Backstage and later Generations as film scorer and
musical director.
In
2002, Musa released his second album “Tributes and Memories” with Gallo
Jazz, which has received extensive airplay and recognition nationally
and internationally, at the same time saw the birth of Manzini
Entertainment (Pty) Ltd which would take ownership of his music and
facilitate the recording of other artists, as well as empowering them
with compositional and publishing tools thereby enabling them to take
control of their destiny in the music business.
Musa
has performed in many continents and countries which has enabled him to
be a well round musician, drawing experiences from these travels and
learning the different world cultures; North Sea Jazz Festival, New
Orleans, Joy of Jazz, Muscat, Jazzathon, Artsalive, Sao Paolo, Santiago
de Chile and Buenos Aires, as well as many other jazz club performances,
functions and musicians’ workshops and university master classes.
In
2004, Musa Manzini released “My Bass”, licensed through Sheer Sound
which today still continues to receive extensive airplay and popularity
as a contemporary urban style of music both locally and internationally.
He also embarked on part-time study towards a Post-graduate Diploma in
Marketing Management through University of South Africa.
In
2007, Musa Manzini released “Simply Life” with Sheer Sound Licensing
featuring the popular hit song “Esikhawini” and many more.
Musa
Manzini has survived two brain operations (craniotomy) to remove a
tumour, benign luckily, and is back on stage. ”Musa, one of South
Africa’s great bass players, is now back to the live music scene with a
bang. After his flourishing music career was temporarily inconvenienced
by two brain operations, fans can now look forward to his usual
thunderous bass performances”.
In
2010, Musa Manzini enrolled at Wits for a MA in the field of Film and
Television degree and is currently doing research on the state of music
in South Africa.
“Trust
In Love” is the new offering, to be released in 2013 and described by
Musa Manzini as showcasing his compositional and lyricist aspect within
the urban popular music. “A conversation between the voice, the bass and
horns”.
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