The Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) celebrates South Africa’s rich and diverse cultural history with the staging of three concerts during Heritage Month.   The series of concerts include the JPO Symphonic Jazz Festival featuring Marcus Wyatt and Karendra Devroop, and the epic ‘iNkosi uShaka: Umbono, Isizwe, Isiphetho’ (‘King Shaka: A Vision, A Nation, A Destiny’).

Friday 20 September, 19h30– Linder Auditorium

SA Symphonic Jazz Songbook (Chapter 2)

To celebrate South Africa’s jazz heritage, the JPO, in collaboration with the ZAR Jazz Orchestra led by celebrated South African trumpeter, conductor and SAMA Award winner Marcus Wyatt, will be presenting the SA Symphonic Jazz Songbook (Chapter 2).

The ZAR Jazz Orchestra was founded in 2015, after Wyatt was approached to perform in the Living Legends series.   What followed was a gathering of some of South Africa’s finest young jazz musicians, from all corners of this very dynamic and exciting scene.  The music on the programme is a collection of some of the most iconic and important South African jazz songs from the last half a century.

The Songbook is orchestrated for a full orchestra with big band and rhythm section and the setlist contains compositions from some of the country’s most influential and globally renowned jazz musicians, including Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Abdullah Ibrahim, alongside the young giants such as Feya Faku, Benjamin Jephta and Wyatt’s own ZAR Jazz Orchestra.

The concert features Siyabonga Mthembu and Siya Makuzeni, and special guest vocalist Tutu Puoane.   The line-up of the ZAR Orchestra is impressive and appealing, featuring Bokani Dyer on piano, Mike Bester on guitar, Romy Brauteseth on bass and Marlon Witbooi on drums, alongside an all-stars seven-piece brass section.

Sunday 22 September, 15h00 – Linder Auditorium

Devroop Jazz Quintet

The second concert of the Symphonic Jazz Festival is a collaboration between the JPO & the Devroop Jazz Quintet, conducted by Eddie Clayton.

Karendra Devroop has performed with most of South Africa’s jazz, classical and POP artists and has collaborated with a notable list of artists from across the world. Karén has eight full length albums to his credit. His most recent performances include various festivals across Europe in the past two years.   The Devroop Quintent includes Karendra Devroop on Alto Sax, Roland Moses on keys, Mageshen Naidoo on guitar, Romy Brauteseth on double bass and Rob Watson on drums.

“The JPO is proud to be performing with the ZAR Jazz Orchestra and the Devroop Quintet to celebrate our jazz heritage and pay tribute to the legendary jazz musicians who have made an indelible mark on South African music.   These collaborations expose the beauty and power of this music and pay tribute to the contribution it has made to our social and political history”, says Bongani Tembe, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the JPO.

Tuesday 24 September, 15h00 – Linder Auditorium

‘iNkosi uShaka: Umbono, Isizwe, Isiphetho’ (‘King Shaka: A Vision, A Nation, A Destiny’)

We conclude our Heritage Month concerts with this monumental work for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, which has been conceived on the grandest of scales, and forms a proud new edition to the growing symphonic literature dedicated to the proud heritage of the Zulu Nation. As its title indicates, it centres around the iconic person of the mighty warrior-king, Shaka kaSenzangakhona (1787 – 1828), also embracing a coterie of other historic figures such as his ruthless aunt, Mkabayi kaJama (dubbed ‘The King Maker’), and the beautiful Queen Nandi, Shaka’s adored mother.

The concert will be conducted by Daniel Boico and narrated by Ntokozo Ngcobo.    Soloists include Andile Dlamini – bass-baritone, Siphokazi Nonzwakazi Maphumolo – soprano, and Rheinaldt Tshepo Moagi – tenor, accompanied by the Gauteng Choristers, recognised for their excellence in choral and operatic singing.

“Often, historical narratives have neglected or distorted the stories of these iconic characters and their accomplishments.  Through my symphonic pieces, I have striven to tell the fascinating and inspiring accounts in a way that is truly relevant, authentic, and uplifting and maintains the integrity of South African history and culture”, says Bessey.   “Hopefully we will come to understand King Shaka, Queen Nandi, and Princess Mkabayi in a new way, appreciating the unique place they occupy in the context of our struggle to redefine ourselves as South Africans.  I pray that we are joined by a love for music and its power to transform us, and that, in this uniquely South African moment, we can experience a form of true social cohesion through the arts”. 

Tickets for the above concerts are available through Quicket.

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Further information:

Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra

rosie@jpo.co.za / 083 266 2367

NOTES ON MARCUS WYATT

Marcus Wyatt is a SAMA award winning South African trumpet player, composer/arranger and bandleader. He is known for his numerous collaborations has performed and worked with an array of musicians, from Miriam Makeba, Abdullah Ibrahim, Manu Dibango and The Metropole Orkest, to Maria Schneider, John Faddis, Bheki Mseleku, Lionel Loueke and Steve Turre. Wyatt runs multiple projects, including heritage ensemble The Blue Notes Tribute Orkestra, Afro-Balkan sensation Bombshelter Beast, as well as the celebrated ZAR Jazz Orchestra, who have recently performed alongside Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at the Lincoln Centre Orchestra. He has directed both the South African National Youth Jazz Ensemble and the South African National Youth Orchestra, is a frequent mentor for The South African Field Band Foundation and runs a development brass band (Brass Roots). 

NOTES ON KARENDRA DEVROOP

Karén Devroop has performed with most of South Africa’s jazz, classical and POP artists. He has collaborated with an impressive list of artists from the USA, Netherlands, France, Germany, Venezuela, Canada, Italy, Thailand, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Karén has 8 full length albums to his credit. His most recent performances include the Festival Darte (Italy), Musica d’ Estate (Sardenia), Nancyphonies (France), Festival Sinfornico (Italy), Ost-West Musik Fest (Austria) and Velia Festival (Casal Velino) in the last 2 years. He is one fo the artists for the 2024 Joy of Jazz Festival in September. As a lead alto saxophonist he has performed/recorded with the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, Carroll Bailey Big Band, Marcus Wolfe Big Band and Unisa Big Band. He has appeared as a side stage act for Cedar Walton, Earth Wind and Fire, Jill Scott, Chicago and Queen Latifah. He has  also performed with South Africa’s leading artists from Sibongile Khumalo and Vicky Samson to Feya Faku, MICASA and Jesse Clegg.

NOTES ON COMPOSER – Warren Bessey

Bessey is a composer, a writer, a producer of music (both symphonic and for a wide variety of media, including radio, television, advertising, and film), and a behaviour change communication specialist, a children’s author, a publisher, and a lecturer.    A graduate of North Texas State University where he focused on Music Education, Performance, Jazz Education and Composition, Bessey has lived in South Africa since 1987.

For more than 25 years, using intellectual and creative talents, he has produced numerous radio dramas and other behaviour change communication programmes (as commissioned by South African Government and donors) to provide key public health and development messages that are accessible and entertaining to reach audiences which relate culturally to storytelling and drama.  

Bessey is also the writer and producer of a well-loved road safety education programme for children in isiZulu, ‘Ungqimu idada no Siyaza idada’, which set road safety rules to music and aired each Saturday morning for three years on South Africa’s uKhozi FM.  Most recently, he produced the first publication based on the life and works of iNyosi BM Mdletshe, poet, and official praise singer of the Zulu Monarchy for the past 22 years.  The printed literary work (also in eBook, and audio book forms) spotlights Zulu royal history and the cultural and historical contribution of BM Mdletshe and those of his ancestors who served the Zulu Monarchy for more than 200 years.