Live Report:
South African folk, pop, blues and jazz, blended with rock. The music of Freshlyground mirrors the group’s members, who come from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe: modern and mixed.
Freshlyground came about due to a simple story that one hardly dares to dream of, a story of a meeting and of natural alchemy.
In the early 2000s, Zolani Mahola made the acquaintance of Aron Turest-Swartz at the University of Cape Town. One day, while attending a concert given by Aron and by Simon Attwell, a friend of his, she went up on stage and improvised a few pieces. They complemented each other ideally. Zolanis voice, Simons flute and Arons piano blended perfectly. Freshlyground was born. Now, a few years later, the ground has become one of the greatest representatives of Afro-fusion.
Several other musicians gradually came to round out the picture: Peter Cohen on drums, Kyla-Rose Smith on violin, Julio Sigauque on guitar and Josh Hawks on bass. Starting with traditional African musical styles, they added blues, jazz and indie rock influences.
In November 2002, when their first album, Jika Jika, had just come out, they performed at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in Cape Town. Few people then were betting on their success. However, three years later, when Freshlyground returned to the botanical garden for a new concert, things had changed. This time, the line stretched endlessly to get one of the 8,000 seats for the show. The group was able to prove that, in a country where musical tastes often reflect social origins and skin colour, it is possible to overcome these cleavages. For the groups members, from South Africa, Mozambique or Zimbabwe, being part of Freshlyground goes beyond music. It is more an expression for each of them of the different ways of being African.
Starting with the groups first album, the popularity of Freshlyground is a fact. Early in 2004, they performed before President Thabo Mbeki at an event marking the 10th anniversary of democracy in South Africa. That same year, they took part in several festivals au Zimbabwe, South Africa and Italy, and they recorded their second album, Nomvula, that included their optimistic Doo Be Doo and their tender I'd Like. In 2007, the group brought out its third album, recorded in Cape Town, Ma' Cheri.
Learn more about Freshlyground at
freshlyground.com
Learn more about Nuits D'Afrique at
festivalnuitsdafrique.com
Photos by
HeatherLWeimer.Com
