“After I heard Jacqui sing some impromptu jazz phrasings a cappella style at a company function, I knew I had to talk to her about forming a band.
“I approached her and eventually Moloi.Hesse was formed. We decided on a neutral name that does not link us to specific music genres. The collaboration worked beautifully as I was able to provide a steady rhythm section and soloists to complement her style, strong voice and stage persona,” said George Hesse.
Vocalist Jacqui Moloi said that in the past five years the band has experienced many highs, but unfortunately some lows as well. “Highlights definitely include the 12 monthly gigs we had at Stanley Beer Yard in Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg recently, as well as playing at the Durban Blues Festival. But, because of the type of music we play, as well as the current economic climate, we do not perform as much as we would like to. We find that solo artists and two-men ensembles are more popular than larger bands like ours,” she said.
The band has five members – Jacqui (vocals), George (electric bass), Andries Visser (drums and percussion), Kappie Kapp (organ and piano) and Antonio Orrico (guitar). “Over the years we have also collaborated with many other great session players on the local jazz and blues scene, including Marius Marais (keyboard), Phil Holder (saxophone) and Graeme Sacks (guitar), to name a few,” said Jacqui.
They do not have a compact disc for sale yet, but they use a disc for marketing purposes, titled Live Rehearsal.
The band mainly performs at clubs, corporate gigs and weddings in and around Gauteng. They have also performed at a number of country gigs in the Northern Drakensberg and the Free State.
Their future plans include continuing to play blues, have a blues disc released in America as well as playing at the Biscuit & Blues Club in San Francisco.
For more information on the band, contact George on 083 388 6207 or send an email to georgehesse14@gmail.com.
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