BOKANI DYER TRIO
Proud to celebrate his South African heritage, Bokani Dyer has established himself as a rising star on the local jazz scene. After illustrious beginnings, it was in 2016 that he officially founded his own trio with Romy Brauteseth, a popular double bass player from Port Elizabeth, and Sphelelo Mazibuko, who comes from a family of drummers from Newcastle (South Africa). Thanks to the resounding success of their debut album, Neo Native, which has since won awards at the South African Music Awards, the group is turning heads on a global scale (winning praise from the New York Times and the London Jazz News).
We find the trio in 2021 at the Festival Jazz & Classical Encounters Vol. 3, during a performance dedicated to Sibongile Khumalo and Andre Petersen, two veterans of the South African scene who were victims of the global health crisis. Bokani combines classical, African and even Latin influences. The trio demonstrates a contagious joie de vivre and is above all born from a deep sense of complicity. The desire to distance themselves from the conventional sounds of jazz leads them to unexplored horizons– those of a new wave of ethno jazz. The trio thus offers the experience of a unifying message, engaging melodies, and unparalleled creativity.
TROMBONE SHORTY
The Olympia hall is getting a breath of fresh air: backed by the band Orleans Avenue, Trombone Shorty performs a particularly effective repertoire. Renowned for his open-mindedness (he worked in the past with Lenny Kravitz and contributed to the soundtrack of the excellent television series Treme), the trombonist, saxophonist and singer from Louisiana begins with "Buckjump," a composition whose electric dimension stuns the audience. Endowed with a captivating technique, Trombone Shorty then delivers a performance influenced by the insane interjections of Joe Bowie, the leader of Defunkt, and by the thick rhythms of the not-so-distant "Zigaboo" Modeliste, the drummer of the Meters. This phenomenon is noticeable when listening to the formidable "Suburbia" and the catchy "One Night Only" or "Encore".
Captured in October 2013 by Samuel Petit, this gig full of soul and rock sounds also allows itself a few forays into blues and jazz lands as indicated by "St. James Infirmary," a standard already played by Trombone Shorty at the White House for Mr and Mrs Obama. Organic as hell (and what a groove!), these different tracks announce above all the albums of the prodigal trumpeter for Don Was and the legendary Blue Note label: highly recommended...
MADE AND FEMI KUTI
At the dawn of the 21st century, a decade after the death of the "black president," Femi was the first son of Fela to take up the paternal torch. Since then, albums, collaborations and world tours have kept this body of work intimately linked to the Kuti family alive. Everything is thus in place to immerse you, even convert you with this beautifully captured concert whose final "Water No Get Enemy" (great classic of the golden age) suddenly makes you regret not having bought tickets for that night.
MAKAYA MCCRAVEN
Drummer extraordinaire Makaya McCraven brought his trio to open the 2021 La Rochelle Jazz Festival on October 13. A strong representative of the vibrant new American jazz scene, McCraven shapeshifts his five originals he presents for this show, using samplers at times, and generally taking the drums to a new place in the jazz legacy. He’s an inventive drummer who flies beyond swing, using a percussive, hip-hop styled improvisational thrust to the music. He deals in a riveting drive and a powerful groove in this set that features saxophonist/flutist De’Sean Jones who also blows an EWI to accentuate the jazz/electronic mix.
The France-born, Chicago-based, University of Massachusetts, Amherst-educated McCraven was mentored by such jazz icons as Archie Shepp, Marion Brown and Yusef Lateef which explains why he became so free to stretch beyond the norm to become an original voice. He’s earned the nickname 'Beat Scientist'. By the end of the set finale, “This Place, That Place,” McCraven showed how he cooks up a mean jazz experiment.
