Sundowners with music legends

WHEN in Durban, do as most Durbanites do – just chill out!

That’s exactly what people of this hospitable city and their upcountry visitors are doing this festive season as they relax at the popular Sundowners concerts at the Playhouse. An added bonus is that admission is free. It’s the perfect way to end the work week or kick-start the weekend.

Music fans have a special treat in store for them this week Friday, 20 December from 4pm when a special Sundowners concert features some of the country’s biggest names in jazz and Maskandi music on the same stage. Topping the impressive line-up is the acclaimed South African musician and song writer, Nibs van der Spuy, whose virtuosic acoustic guitar style and inimitable whispering voice have attracted a worldwide following since he started his career 25 years ago.

Widely acknowledged as the king of this indigenous genre is Zibokwakhe Johnstone Mnyandu,better known to his many fans as Phuzekhemisi, which loosely translates as “drink the medicine”. Widely travelled, he is credited with having exposed the Maskandi style of music to a global audience, yet locally, he is hailed for the sometimes controversial songs he composes which draw attention to the social ills of people in his community.

Joining him on stage will be another home-grown talent, Madala Kunene, who graduated from busking on the beachfront with his “cooking-oil tin and fishing gut guitar” to becoming an internationally recognised musician and song writer. His music has been described as a combination of blues and soul with African folk which enjoys huge popularity at the annual Splashy Fen Music Festival where he has performed eleven times. Kunene has played together with such legends as the late Sipho Gumede of Sakhile fame and Jabu Khanyile of Bayethe – and it’s hard to get better than that.

Adding to that already formidable line-up is someone who certainly needs little introduction to music aficionados – one of the country’s true music legends, Steve Fataar, who won early fame with his band, the Flames (“For Your Precious Love”) and has remained a firm favourite at concerts and clubs locally.

It’s hard to come across such an illustrious array of talent of local jazz and Maskandi on the same stage, so pencil in the date – December 20 at The Playhouse. It’s sure to chill you out.

A cash bar is available as well as light refreshments on sale at the Playhouse coffee shop. For more information, contact 031 369 9409.