The first concert, organised in collaboration with UKZN’s Centre for Creative Arts and Centre for Jazz and Popular Music, will take place at Alliance Francaise in Durban on Saturday, December 18.
Doors open at 6pm and tickets are available on Webtickets for R60. The second concert will take place at The Luthuli Museum in Grotuville on Sunday 19 December, doors open at 2pm and tickets are available on Webtickets for R40.
Kgethi Nkotsi is in Durban to release his debut project titled Maswitsi consisting of his original compositions. Maswitsi is a colloquial name for sweets. Nkotsi’s music concentrates on the township lifestyle, township childhood games, humour, children, colours and sweets. Joining Nkotsi on stage will Leon Scharnick on alto saxophone, Blessing Thwala on bass, Zibu Makhathini on piano and Sun Zondi on drums
Kgethi Nkotsi is a South African trombone player based in Tembisa, Johannesburg. He started playing the Trombone at the age of 16. Ever since then his first love has been for the Trombone because of the wah-wah sound it makes (a sound by the Trombone when one slurs the note. He has never looked back. He first started playing the Trombone at the Moses Taiwa Molelekwa Arts Foundation under the guidance of Jerry Molelekwa, the father of the late Moses Molelekwa.
A year after he started playing the Trombone he was awarded the opportunity to go to Makhanda for the Standard Bank Youth Jazz Festival where he would be part of several workshops.
Consequently, he moved to Durban in 2016 to pursue his music career and study music at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. He has been exposed to a lot of musicians that he has looked up to, and has been fortunate to have played with them and jammed with them too. The likes of Salim Washington, Andlile Yenana, Khaya Mahlangu, Billy Harpe, Steffon Harris, Leon Scharnick and many more. He has shared a stage with the legendary Trombone player Steve Turre.
Also featured as part of the concert at Alliance Francaise is isiZulu writer and performing poet Mbali Malimela. As a founder of a poetry brand called Bantu Origin, she has a strong passion for restoring the love and use of language through poetry. Mbali has been a part of numerous poetry platforms including Poetry Africa (2018) and the first Artfluence Festival.
She has had her writings published in the most loved journals including the Sol Plaatje European Union Anthology and Fundza literacy. Mbali has more of her work visualised on her YouTube channel.
These concerts are made possible by The SAMRO Foundation/Concerts SA. Concerts SA is a joint South African/Norwegian live music development project housed under the auspices of SAMRO and managed by IKS Cultural Consulting. Concerts SA receives financial, administrative and technical support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SAMRO and the SAMRO Foundation.
Working with musicians, promoters, venue owners and audiences, and providing support to the sector through research and skills development for music professionals, the project aims to build a vibrant and viable live music circuit in southern Africa. It also aims to develop an interest in and appreciation of live music by showcasing music performances and conducting workshops at schools.