Concert at House on the Hill
Sydney Mavundla
Sydney Mavundla – Trumpet
Afrika Mkhize – Piano
Amaeshi Ikechi – Bass
Here is a “track list” copied from the description of the video:
00:08 – Makabongwe
08:16 – Lockdown Jam
16:48 – Dirge for our Fathers
24:00 – My Rhythm
32:04 – DR NB Thusi
43:16 – That Night (Of the 11th of May 2010)
46:06 – Scullery Department
My South African Jazz Connection
Sydney and Afrika are musicians I performed with in 2016, on our last trip to South Africa. I performed with the Afrika Mkhize Big Band and Sydney was one of the other trumpet players in the band.
This was a truly wonderful experience for me. I am not exaggerating when I say that these guys, Sakhile Simani, Sydney Mavundla and Lwanda Gogwana were the friendliest trumpet section I ever worked with.
The band performed mostly arrangements that Afrika wrote. At least, that’s how I remember it.
While I was in Grahamstown for the jazz festival, I also had the opportunity to sit in at a jam session where Sydney Mavundla was leading the house band. Here’s a photo that I took before they opened the set up for people to sit in.
I consider it a great honor to have been able to make music with these two fine gentlemen. I am sharing this video as a jazz trumpet listening assignment simply because the virtual concert was such a treat for me. These guys are great jazz musicians and we don’t hear much about them because they live on the other side of the world.
My connection to South Africa is through my wife, Pearl, who was born and raised in the Eastern Cape. When we travel to South Africa, we try to reach out to the music programs at schools and to the local musicians. That’s what eventually lead to me getting invited to play at the jazz festival.
And it was my good friend, Leonard Brandt who I have to thank for that, mostly. Leonard is a trumpet player and teacher at one of the top music Schools in South Africa (Stirling High School in East London). Leonard and I met on my third trip to South Africa (first time back with Pearl as my wife). We have been good friends ever since.
I often tell people that trumpet is cultural because music is cultural. And culture is people. Sydney Mavundla and Afrika Mkhize are good people. You can hear that in their music in this video.
