Zoe Molelekwa is a young South African pianist and composer who is deeply passionate about the cultural heritage of his home and is committed to the power of music. He is an exciting new addition to the growing scene of jazz musicians keeping the culture alive.
In recent years, Molelekwa has been steadily working on his own compositions as a band leader, performing between New York - where he is based, and South Africa.
For the performance, Moleklekwa shares stories and sounds of South Africa’s post-apartheid (Bornfree) generation rooted in his own experience of growing up. The band, often a quartet, presents music that is always interpreted in new ways and the changing band personnel naturally means new life is breathed into the sound. The same sounds translate differently in a trio, or solo performance, configurations which Molelekwa is very comfortable in approaching.
On stage, the music is a jubilant and sometimes nostalgic but progressive cacophony of modern sounds, fused with the variations of South African township jazz and traditional music, which Molelekwa was exposed to from an early age, all put into one to produce a new experience.
While yet to release his debut, Molelekwa is fond of composing and has numerous compositions which he stretches out in new ways through each live performance.
To his credit, Molelekwa has been mentored in various stages of his life by an impressive cohort of South African pianists including Themba Mkhize, Afrika Mkhize and Nduduzo Makhathini. As a sideman, he has accompanied artists like Mandla Mlangeni, Siya Makuzeni, Salim Washington,The Brother Moves On and many others.
He recently featured on the critically acclaimed jazz compilation record Indaba Is with the band Iphupho L'ka Biko, released via Gilles Peterson’s UK-based Brownswood label, and also on the UK-SA collaboration On Our Own Clock, released by Total Refreshment Centre in London and Mushroom Hour Half Hour in Johannesburg.
Molelekwa is studying at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York, supported as a Hugh Masekela Heritage Scholar. There he has had the privilege of studying with some of the masters of the music by the likes of Buster Williams, Chris Rosenberg, Dayna Stephens, and Jeremy Manasia since arriving in New York.
Zoe Molelekwa is a remarkable young man who is flowering and rising like the fabled phoenix, from the fertile grounding and legacy left by his late iconic father, Moses Taiwa Molelekwa, and mother - domineering cultural figure, Florence Mthoba.This young pianist and composer has traveled quite some journey, and has overcome serious adversity to have become the exceptional artist he is today.
28 сен 2024
