Braamfontein is a trendy, inner-city suburb which is part of a cultural arc that includes Newtown, Wits University, Constitution Hill and the Civic Centre and, central to it is an exhilarating urban music scene.
The Orbit Jazz Club and Bistro, which plays host to an array of live bands, has for the last three years found itself as an integral part of Braamfontein’s identity, according to co-owner, Kevin Naidoo.
“The Orbit really started out of a love for jazz and for Johannesburg. A number of jazz clubs had closed down in the area and we wondered where all the jazz musicians were playing and that’s how The Orbit started,” Naidoo told City Buzz.
For patrons visiting the lively venue, who look to be treated to more than just the customary music experience, is a wide selection of gourmet meals, delicacies and drinks. The music fanatic will also be left feeling spoilt for choice as live performances are staged five to six times a week.
City Buzz caught up with a frequent live performance act at the venue by jazz musician, Siya Makuzeni (34), amid rehearsals for one such performance. “Jazz has a long tradition essentially, which is something amazing to delve into because once you start realising its history, especially in South Africa, where it goes as far back as the 1930s, it’s actually quite amazing that we can have such a story to tell,” she said.
Makuzeni, who boasts collaborations on at least 40 projects alongside the likes of Tema Mkhize, 340ml and Sibongile Khumalo among others, believes that today, with the industry having evolved, it is just as accommodating to the younger jazz artists.
She said, “There are way more young voices in terms of the industry that are really making it out there, and for me, their music is extremely groundbreaking because they’re not scared to [fuse] genres, which is actually something that I do quite a lot.”
And it’s with the idea that jazz music is thriving that Makuzeni, 15 years on, continues to grace the stage of an equally thriving venue in a bustling Braamfontein.
Read: Government gives go-ahead for medicinal cannabis
