Jazz legend Caiphus Semenya, sultry songbird Letta Mbulu and popular ‘Kasi Soul’ a capella group The Soil will top the bill at a one-night-only journey through Jozi Jazz on 5 July at Carnival City’s Big Top Arena. The hot tickets for what promises to be a magical journey through old and new will go fast as Caiphus Semenya makes a rare appearance with his wife Letta Mbulu on stage.
Semenya is one of South Africa’s foremost musical directors and composers. Most recently heard on the soundtrack of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Semenya’s feature film credits include an Oscar nomination for African music for the Steven Spielberg-directed Colour Purple. His compositions have been performed by overseas giants like Cannonball Adderley, Harry Belafonte, The Crusaders, Lou Rawls, and Nina Simone, amongst others. It is impossible to mention world jazz greats without mentioning this legend.
The audience is in for an unusual musical treat as Letta Mbulu joins her husband on stage. Letta Mbulu or ‘Ma Letta Mbulu’ as she is affectionately known by her fans across the globe holds her own in the world of music. Having worked with the likes of Cannonball Adderley, David Axelrod and Harry Belafonte and most notably providing the Swahili chant in Michael Jackson’s single, “Liberian Girl”, Letta Mbulu can best be described as Africa’s mother of “cross-over” and “versatility” with her velvety voice heard in the soundtracks of Roots, The Colour Purple, and the 1973 film A Warm December.
Offering a vibrant, energetic and youthful feel to the show will be the SATMA award winning acapella group, “The Soil” whose music can best be described as ‘Kasi Soul’ which is an eclectic mix of musical genres such as jazz, hip hop, Afro-pop and Afro-soul). With a platinum debut album which includes hits like ‘Inkomo’, ‘Sunday’ and the popular sing along ‘We are family’, the audience will certainly be left in high spirits.
Olusha has certainly scored a coup with the line-up for the first Jozi Jazz show and Chamane has more up her sleeve. Jozi Jazz will thrill Johannesburg, securing distinctive and revered musicians from different walks of life. “We’ll be bringing the distinctive sound of the city to discerning jazz fans through a series of must-see music events. We’d like to promote and develop a live music audience within the city of Johannesburg, offering very special concert presentations in the city’s finest spaces that bridge the gap between the “mature” jazz and the “new” jazz,” says Chamane. “I am so excited about this show. The line-up is a true reflection of how diverse we are as South African people and it highlights the journey of our young democracy through music.”
