Times Of Swaziland: BATEF Jam Session a success

BATEF Jam Session a success
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BY ZWELI DLAMINI  on 27/08/2013 02:15:00


MBABANE – The second instalment of the Sunday Jam Sessions was a great
success.
With local poet The African Seed as the Programme Director his entertaining
character kept attendants in stitches before he shared two poems that got
patrons snapping their fingers in enjoyment.
The African Seed then introduced the very impressive duo Temdzabu who wowed the
audience with abstract and a very modern yet very traditional way of performing
blended with their incredible ‘Luvengo’ blowing talent which is a way of
blowing a pipe releasing a flute like sound controlled by the finger to give out
different sounds.
Performances
The two acts were very abstract in their performance and seemed to have no stage
fright whatsoever regardless of the fact that the Jam Sessions are their first
few performances in the presence of a live audience.
They were joined by the amazing Ralph Smit who is a music theory graduate who
will soon be leaving Swaziland to study African Music.
One of the things that really stood out with his performance was the way he
would flawlessly loop a music tune and creatively make it a full beat similar to
what was witnessed at the annual MTN BUSHFIRE Festival during South African
musician Jeremy Loops’ performance. He was also joined by hip hop artist
Psycholution who in hip hop terms ‘murdered it’ as he joined Ralph and
spontaneously performed one of his verses along with Ralph Smit’s beat.
“Though a lot of times I have tried and failed, I fail not to try,” said the
much celebrated Musa The Poet as he recited one of his very emotional poems.
Talented
Also stepping to the centre stage was the very talented and cautious rapper
Soldier Within who got the crowd glued to him as he shared creative verses which
revealed his underground hip hop influence “I’ll bring you close to me like
gravity,” he said as he kept the audience nodding and clapping away
captivating their undivided attention in the process.
“Njengesigulani nasishaya intwana I’m dropping sick flow,” said
Psycholution as he made his way to the stage. Together with pianist Nhlonipho
Psycholution also performed ‘Pen Pusher’, as well as ‘9 months’ and also
invited Soldier Within to share a verse with him during his performance.
The Nahr8tah also made an entry and as much as he started his performance with a
few glitches hehe eventually got on the right track and left patrons yearning
for more. “He who doesn’t bend will break,” said the Nahr8tah.