African and European sounds merge at concert
The concert will showcase cream of the crop of South African musicians including Paul Hanmer on keys, Thembinkosi Mavimbela on bass guitar and Bernice Boikanyo on drums, who will be backing Mrubata on tenor saxophone and flute and Hauser on alto and soprano saxophone.
A FRIENDSHIP forged in Switzerland, when musicians McCoy Mrubata and Mark Hauser were introduced by their mutual friend, Mark Roth resulted in a collaboration tour, The Mrubata/Hauser Project.
The two saxophone players hit it off immediately and over the years set up a project that looked at ways to exchange the music of the two continents – Africa and Europe.
This concert is jammed with heavy hitters and the band features the cream of the crop of South African musicians including Paul Hanmer on keys, Thembinkosi Mavimbela on bass guitar and Bernice Boikanyo on drums, who will be backing Mrubata on tenor saxophone and flute and Hauser on alto and soprano saxophone.
Reedman McCoy Mrubata grew up with the sounds of African music, the soulful hymns of the Zion Church, the chants and rhythms of traditional healers and the brassy jive of the Merry Macs band who rehearsed opposite his home.
In 1987 McCoy was spotted by bandleader Sipho Hotstix Mabuse who helped him make Joburg his home. In 1988 he joined PJ Powers’ band and also that year McCoy was spotted by veteran producer Koloi Lebona who offered him a recording deal with a British based record company, Zomba Records.
Mark Hauser is a Swiss musician who plays alto, soprano, tenor, baritone saxophone, clarinet and the transverse flute is a band leader, composer and music teacher. He began his musical career from the age of 15 as a saxophonist. After two years at the St. Gallen Jazz School, he studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA and graduated in 1993 with a major in performance. He spent further years studying with Kenny Garrett, Joe Viola, Hal Crook, George Garzone and Jerry Bergonzi. Furnished with a scholarship, he continued training at New York’s Manhattan School of Music, where he refined his repertoire and became a professional musician.
Catch the KZN leg of the The Mrubata/Hauser Project tour on Wednesday, 8 February at the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music, UKZN at 6.30pm on level 2 Shepstone Building at UKZN Howard College Campus.
Tickets are R70, R45 pensioners and just R20 students. Call 031 260 3385.
