University Of Johannesburg Music Department

This platform will comprise a series of concerts intended to generate and develop audience access to some of Johannesburg’s leading composers and musicians in jazz, afro-punk and experimental music. The first half of the year sees this jazz offering taking shape within the Arts Centre Main Theatre, located at the Kingsway campus, with performances of The Wretched, as well as recitals from Ippyfuze and the Amandla Freedom Ensemble.

Inspired by the revolutionary writing of Frantz Fanon (in his seminal text The Wretched of the Earth), The Wretched, performed by jazz musicians Tumi Mogorosi, Andrei Van Wyk (Healer Oran) and Gabisile Motuba, is a space that experiments with notions of intertextuality. This sonic interpretation of the Fanonian text forms the basis of the ensemble’s philosophy, a multiplicity of sounds – cohesive but distorted – carrying this discourse into the performative space. The trio will be performing on the 25th of April.

Audiences can also look forward to performances from Siya Makuzeni, the 2016 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz (who is a professional trombone player, vocalist, lyricist and songwriter), and Siya Makuzeni, hot off the International Cape Town Jazz Festival stage, and performing with her band Ippyfuze on the 4th of May.

The Amandla Freedom Ensemble is scheduled to appear on the 1st of June, in a performance that will highlight the compositional material of band leader Mandla Mlangeni (trumpet), executed with impeccable dynamism by the ensemble (in the form of Tumi Mogorosi (drums), Ariel Zamonsky (bass), Oscar Rachabane and Nhlanhla Mahlangu (tenor saxophones)). Mlangeni’s quintet wraps elliptical melodies in three-part horn harmonies, rich with impasto, swinging like broken chandeliers.

There will also be a symphony orchestra performance by the resident Johannesburg Youth Orchestra Company (JYOC), an important anchor point in UJ’s already-established music programme.

Bookings for all events, unless otherwise stated, are through Computicket. For further information, to subscribe to UJ Arts & Culture’s mailing list, or for media and interview requests, please contact Lakin Morgan-Baatjies on [email protected]

Please note: Parking for all UJ Arts & Culture events is now in the Kingsway campus parking lot. Patrons are required to have their tickets printed prior to arrival for presentation to security at the entrances.

Tumi Mogorosi, Gabi Motuba and Andrei Van Wyk

Arts Centre Theatre, Kingsway Campus

25 April 2017: 19h30

Arts Centre Theatre, Kingsway Campus

04 May 2017: 19h30

Arts Centre Theatre, Kingsway Campus

01 June 2017: 19h30