Sun is out for Durban Jam for Peace tour

IN association with Concerts SA, young world music band The Sun Xa Experiment will deliver a musical engagement with Durban’s artistic community through their innovative tour called the Jam 4 For Peace Tour.

Produced by Digging Thoughts, the Durban tour runs until 7 November, covering venues like Jazzy Rainbow (Morningside), Retro Bazaar (hosted at the Cool Runnings), Khaya Records (presenting a vinyl event and digital performance), the Side Bar, and Issy Geshen Home for the Aged.

The Sun Xa Experiment is a musical circle that originally comprised of Blaq Faith, Page, Bunjoyi, Ras Irie and Oath. The original idea was to sample and produce beats from African sounds. The journey was redirected when Blaq Faith and Page – both producers and beat makers – picked up Ndikho Xaba’s Sunsets, studied and sampled it, and then presented it live with Oath playing keys and Bunjoyi adding vocals.

Later they were joined by percussionist Ras Irie, Gee Soul on saxophone, Lerato Seitei on electric guitar and Bopha Blackman on drums, Joel Masobe as the sound engineer, Sifiso Mabaleka in photography and Dumisani Radebe their content manager which summed the whole Sun Xa Experiment.

The meaning of Sun Xa was taken from the Khoi San origins where G! Xa Maq means “Breathing the soul” in bushmen lingo. So Sun Xa Experiment simply means: “The Sun is Out” – a true fresh start of positivity.

The band aims to teach about the significance of preserving our history and re-creation, embracing our history and culture in revisiting our elders work within the broad artistic field, from fine arts to music to storytelling.

The Sun Xa Experiment tour is supported by the Music Mobility Fund, a funding mechanism administered by Concerts SA which offers opportunities for South African musicians to undertake live music tours.

Concerts SA is a joint South African/Norwegian initiative housed under the auspices of the Stakeholder Hub within the SAMRO Foundation; it receives financial, administrative and technical support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the SAMRO Foundation and Concerts Norway. Working with musicians, promoters, venue owners and audiences, the project aims to support live music in South Africa by finding and implementing ways to create a vibrant and viable live music circuit.

It also aims to develop an interest in and appreciation of live music by showcasing music performances and conducting workshops at schools. For more information visit https://concertssa.co.za, follow @ConcertsSA on Twitter at twitter.com/ConcertsSA or like the Facebook page at facebook.com/ConcertsSA.

Catch The Sun Xa Experiment:

• Side Bar at 200 Florida Road, on Thursday, 3 November at 7pm. Entry is free. To book, call 071-633-5526 or email sarah@spiga.co.za.
• Khaya Records 63 Lilian Ngoyi Road on Friday, 4 November at 5pm. Entry is R50. To book call 071-633-5526 or email paul@khayarecords.com.
• Jazzy Rainbow at 93 Smiso Nkwanya Road, Morningside, Durban on Saturday, 5 November at 8pm. Entry costs R80. To book call 082-069-1313 or email jazzyrainbow@mweb.co.za.
• Khaya Records at 63 Lilian Ngoyi Road, Durban on Sunday, 6 November at 3pm. Entry costs R50. To book, call 071-633-5526 or email paul@khayarecords.com.
• Issy Geshen Home for the Aged at 2342 Ndlwana Road in Durban on Monday, 7 November at 10am. There is no cover charge. To book, call 031-469-0247 or email geshen@mweb.co.za