Events

In Collaboration with the Centre for African Studies

A Touch of Blues and Jazz from Bygone Times — with the urgency and presence of today.
Piano, horn, and vocals: this is the recipe of the
early dance music that arose in the 1930s townships of South Africa, shaped by American jazz, ragtime, and African traditions. This style, known as Marabi, developed in a time of rapid urbanization and proletarization when a great number of people moved to the mining towns in search of greener pastures. Rapidly, Marabi became the soundtrack of a new urban culture marked by illegality, joy of life, and the search for sociability in a repressive socio-political climate. The great Miriam Makeba and her Skylarks rose to fame in this context and are emblematic for this period. With their new album “Echoes of Marabi”, pianist Yonela Mnana and saxophonist Benedikt Reising pay tribute to this past. At the same time, the project reflects the current challenges of South Africa, turning its gaze toward hope and resilience, and highlighting the relationship between music and society. The Soultee Sisters from Katlehong, as harmony trio, enrich the compositions with additional colours, moods and atmospheric depth.

In cooperation with the bird's eye jazz club and the Centre for African Studies