ONE of the most versatile and talented South African trumpet players, Marcus Wyatt, will open this year’s season of the iWayAfrica Jazz Rendezvous concert series with a performance at Alliance Française on March 1.
Report by Munya Simango
The series of live jazz concerts, which was launched in October last year, is a collaborative initiative of Alliance Francaice and iWayAfrica. Wyatt has been blowing the horn since 1983.
He is a rarely gifted trumpeter with a technical competence and flair that has earned him favourable comparisons with jazz legends Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard.
Wyatt’s music is a seamless blend of tradition and progressive thinking that combine contemporary ideas and free improvisation.
His unique versatility allows him to easily migrate from a clearly South African jazz tradition to a more international style. His warm, wide sound has earned him the respect of his fellow musicians, fans and critics.
He has performed around the world and worked with an impressive array of musicians including Courtney Pine, Manu Dibango, Abdullah Ibrahim, Miriam Makeba, Sibongile Khumalo, Winston Mankunku, Jimmy Dludlu, Vusi Mahlasela, Judith Sephuma and Bheki Mseleku.
Wyatt has released four solo albums that have received critical acclaim and a host of South African Music Awards nominations.
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He has toured extensively across the world with a performance schedule that has taken him to Malaysia, Taiwan, Germany, Austria, India, Switzerland, Belgium, Lesotho, Swaziland, Seychelles, Bolivia and Mozambique.
The iWayAfrica Jazz Rendezvous, which brings Wyatt to Harare for the first time, is fast emerging as a popular jazz concert outlet. The concert series has live performances scheduled to take place once every six weeks.
