Pianist Burton Naidoo Shares Music From Upcoming Release ‘Sometime Before

iSupport Creative Business, supported by Concerts SA, presents performances by pianist Burton Naidoo and poet Luleka Mhlanzi.

This concert is organised in collaboration with UKZN’s Centre for Creative Arts and Centre for Jazz and Popular Music, will take place at Alliance Francaise in Durban on Thursday 27 January. The doors open at 6 pm, and tickets are available on Webtickets for R60.

Pianist, Composer, Arranger, and Educator Burton Naidoo is proud to present brand new music – Sometime Before. The compositions reflect a life ‘Sometime Before’ the Covid 19 pandemic, during which most, if not all of us, long for normality. We miss simple gestures like hugs, handshakes, and meetings without masking. The music is groovy, edgy, celebratory, and nostalgic.

‘Sometime Before’ will be released as an album in March 2022. Naidoo is joined by an incredible band featuring Riley Giandhari on Drums, Trevor Donjeany on Bass, and Martin Sigamoney on Saxophones.

Also featured as part of the concert is published and performing poet Luleka Mhlanzi, who has written, read and performed her poetry at many national and international festivals and events. Mhlanzi, the author of Confiscated Identity, is a change agent. Her footprint is spotted in various African youth change programs such as Gold Peer Education, Enke Youth Forum, PACSA, and Activate Change Drivers. She is currently a youth programmes facilitator at Heartnet, curating poetry sessions. She has been listed as one of Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young 2021 and has done commission work on a global campaign, A Letter To Nature for C40 Climate Leadership Group.

Luleka established a project called Beauty Revised that responds to a stereotype about beauty standards set by society. Growing up, she was bullied about her dark skin colour and was deemed ugly. This project seeks a return of confidence to little girls and women excluded by society.

Background Burton Naidoo

At the age of 6 years old, Burton Naidoo started piano lessons with Simon Kerdachi at the Simon Kerdachi Academy of Music. He took a keen interest in jazz from an early age. In 2001 he enrolled on UKZN’S jazz program and spent four years under the wings of Mr Darius Brubeck. He was also awarded a scholarship to study at the University of Artisten, Gothenburg, Sweden, where he took lessons with Anders Perrson and Peter Burman. In 2005 he won the SAMRO Piano Competition and received funding for further international study. He has performed at The Rendezvous de ‘lerde Festival in Nantes, France, The International Association for Jazz Educators Conference in Los Angeles, Nefertiti Jazz Club Sweden, numerous World Music Festivals in Mozambique, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Morocco. Locally he has played The Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Oppikoppi, Splashy Fen, Woodstock, Emerentia Festival, to name a few. Burton has and continues to perform with some of South Africa’s finest musicians across all genres. He recently collaborated with legendary South African musicians Sonny Pillay and Hugh Masekela for a series of concerts which would sadly have been one of Hugh’s last public performances. He has written and performed a large body of original music.

These concerts are made possible by The SAMRO Foundation/Concerts SA. Concerts SA is a joint South African/Norwegian live music development project housed under the auspices of SAMRO and managed by IKS Cultural Consulting. Concerts SA receives financial, administrative and technical support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SAMRO and the SAMRO Foundation. Working with musicians, promoters, venue owners and audiences, and providing support to the sector through research and skills development for music professionals, the project aims to build a vibrant and viable live music circuit in southern Africa. 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, please visit our website http://concertssa.co.za, follow @ConcertsSA on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ConcertsSA or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ConcertsSA.