IN association with Concerts SA, Durban-based ensemble Blvck Crystals will take their unique jazz and hip-hop influenced sound beyond the South African borders for the first time.
Blvck Crystals- five instrumentalists, two vocalists, and two rappers- will be involved in a whole array of activities in and around Maputo between 19 and 25 September 2017.
The group has its roots in jazz music and heavily influenced by hip-hop, Blvck Crystals will performing original music composed by band leader and pianist Jaedon Daniel.
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Band leader and pianist Jaedon Daniel said, “As a band we have been together for just over a year and a half. Our experiences shared thus far have changed our lives in several different ways. Each person in the band has taken something out of the band and grown in their own journey. We are so grateful to Concerts SA for giving us the opportunity to take our music to another country as our second tour as a band. We are looking forward to the journey and experiences we will come back with.”
In their Durban 2 Maputo Tour, the band will be doing four venue performances and two school workshops.
The band has secured performances at some of the best venues in town: Lounge Bar, Gil Vicente, Paddy’s Pub, and a special invite to perform at a slam poetry session at the Centro Cultural Franco Moçambicano on Friday 22nd.
Prior to these shows, the band will be hosting workshops at the Escola Secundaria of Matola and Colegio Arco Iris in Maputo. The band has also arranged a collaboration with local rapper Rage, who will be joining them for one of the school workshops and the gig at Gil Vicente.
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“Seeing everything coming together, from being an idea and wish to tour Maputo is amazing. We are eternally grateful to Concerts SA for believing in the vision of the band about the tour and the abilities of our music. We are all excited about the cultural exchange we will experience and see the beautiful city of Maputo,” said Tour coordinator and band member Nokwanda Nkala.
The members of Blvck Crystals are Nick Pitman (guitar), Nokwanda Nkala (clarinet and saxophone), Jaedon Daniel (piano), Jude Kenrick (drums), Dada Shiva (rapper), Seth Banda (rapper), Red Robyn (vocalist) and Victoria Raw (vocalist).
Freeman Nkululeko Gumede (bass) will be substituting regular bassist Dalisu Ndlazi, who cannot be part of this tour due to personal matters. Blvck Crystals’s Durban 2 Maputo Tour is supported by Concerts SA through the Music Mobility Fund, a funding mechanism which offers opportunities for South African musicians to undertake live music tours.
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