Renowned bass player and vocalist Tebogo “Aus Tebza” Sedumedi will be joining a selected line-up of local and international artists at Africa’s grandest gathering of the most celebrated musicians at the two-day Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF).
This year, the festival celebrates 21 years and is to take place on March 27 and 28 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The festival will bring an array of stellar artists from as far as the UK, the US as well as Mzansi.
Following the two confirmed cases of Covid-19, the CTIJF management was working closely with the provincial and local authorities and the convention centre to compile protocols to be implemented at the event.
Ausi Tebza said she would also use the festival to share new music from her upcoming album Motheo, which means foundations, that follows her debut album Make a Difference.
“Motheo is 100% Tswana-influenced because I believe it’s always important to preserve your identity and what better way to do it than through music because it is such a powerful medium,” said the musician.
“I am taking people on an experience of nostalgia. Some of the songs on the album are songs I used to play when I started music, so there’s a whole lot of memories, culture and tradition into that sound. It’s also a way of showing people how I started, what shaped me and I’m quite excited about this,” she said.
The musician’s journey started in Mahikeng, North West, where she enrolled at the Mmabana Cultural Centre to learn music and took up playing a guitar, and later bass guitar when her band was looking for one.
She went on to play with the likes of late hip hop artist HHP, Kelly Khumalo, Swazi Dlamini and Laurie Levine, among others.
But at the risk of not only being known as just an instrumentalist, she went back to her singing roots, to further forge a solo career.
“Although this is my second album, I feel now is the time to share the foundational music to the people and that is the beauty about being a creative. Where you are able to take people on different journeys and times and don’t have to follow the normal but can start at the end if you want to.
“The first album was solely about where I was, the music I was listening to at the time, and now in Motheo there is more reflection, and also indicates my confidence to release whatever I feel is great in my spirit,” she added.
Ausi Tebza will share the stage with the best local and international music icons, including Jonathan Butler - with special guest Candy Dulfer from the Netherlands, Kwetu Trio (featuring Aaron Rimbui, Herbie Tsoaeli and Ayanda Sikade), Lira, Mandisi Dyantyis, MF Robots from the UK, and Nduduzo Makhathini.
Festival director, Billy Domingo said, “Over the last 20 years, we have shown the world that this festival is about more than just live music. The CTIJF is passionate about developing local talent and the 2020 festival promises an unforgettable line-up of top local artists, alongside their international contemporaries.” @AmandaMaliba