The Chronicle
Simba Jemwa, Showbiz Reporter
Blues, jazz, and summer. Get ready for a day of fun this afternoon at the Spring Feelings Jazz Concert where Sama award-winner and saxophonist, McCoy Mrubata is headlining a star-studded coterie of jazz aficionados!
Wine glasses will clink and friends will share laughs as the sunshine beats down onto the scenic Country Side Resort this afternoon.
Country Side Resort is the place where Mrubata and company will be jazzing up the Spring Feelings Jazz Concert with the merrymaking expected to begin at noon.
Mrubata arrived in the country yesterday where he was received by local media and was taken to the venue for a mini tour. As the hubbub of their entry on the stage dies down, Mrubata could play a smooth solo on saxophone before the bass and drums kick in a few bars later.
A wave of applause will surely follow and before long, people in the front row will be up and dancing.
Until Covid-19 hit the world, the Spring Feelings Jazz Concert was a regular concert that saw some of Africa’s best musicians take the stage. Following a strict Covid-19 lockdown in Zimbabwe, the jazz event is restarting this afternoon.
Some of the country’s top jazz musicians will share the stage with Mrubata, including young local musicians who are claiming the space and inserting themselves into Bulawayo’s jazz narrative which, for decades, has been tailored to the older generations.
This list comprises the Cool Crooners, Bulawayo Combined Jazz band, Abby Ncube, Hudson Simbarashe, Ash Bass & Friends complete the list of performers.
When he spoke to local media on arrival in Bulawayo, Mrubata said he is looking forward to performing at the event in a city where he has performed before.
McCoy MrubataHe said he brought with him a band that includes a new generation of youthful maestros who have come to the fore, showing that the love of jazz is for the young and old.
Mrubata said young Zimbabweans who are used to hearing their parents and grandparents mention the names of their favourite jazz musicians with reverence may conclude that this genre of music is “for old people”. But the genius of Mrubata suggests otherwise.
To Bulawayo, he is accompanied by fine young cats like Wandile Molefe on piano, Bernice Boikanyo on drums and vocals, and Neville Nhlanhla Radebe on bass.
McCoy Mrubata with pianist Wandile Molefe at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport yesterday“My band has a fusion of young and old, bringing together two generations bound together by their love for music. I think it’ll be a very lively concert. These days, it’s much easier for young musicians from the townships to network with older musicians, thanks to the evolution of music in general,” according to the saxophonist.
“When I landed, I was reminded of the early jazz days when we came and performed in Bulawayo. The audience was very vibrant – they even interacted with us afterward,” said Mrubata.
The South African jazz saxophonist was recently awarded a South Africa Music Award Lifetime Achievement gong for his over 40 years of work in the genre. – @RealSimbaJemwa
Article Source: The Chronicle