Boleseng Shines

By Lekopanye Mooketsi
Correspondent | Monday May 19, 2008 00:00

 

The reputed sax player and his band held revellers spellbound with their breath-taking performances. Lister and his boys were blowing a storm over the past two weekends.  They had assembled a variety of instruments, which they put to good use.

After a marvellous show the previous weekend, Lister was at the weekend back at the Gaborone West jazz joint by popular demand. This time he also left a lasting impression to his followers with yet another remarkable show. Radio Botswana (RB) personality, Thusoski, who is also a great admirer of local talent, was impressed by the shows.

Thusoski jumped on the stage to applaud the group for their brilliant performance. But everyone who attended the shows could have been touched.

Lister performed on Friday and Saturday to appreciative and admiring audiences. His shows are always well attended. Lister's followers do not mind to attend his next show even if they had seen him performing the previous evening. They just could not resist him as witnessed over the weekend shows. 

During the Friday show, music lovers who were delighted to watch him, doing his own thing, crowded the dance floor. Eyes were glued on the stage as Lister and his band strutted their stuff.

But it is not difficult to decipher why people are always swamping to his concerts. The guy is just magic on the stage. When he is performing, patrons are forced to stop dancing and just watch. There is no doubt about it; Lister has become one of the local artistes in great demand. He is the man of the moment. His band is almost engaged every weekend. 

Since he released his acclaimed album, Life's a journey, his fan base has grown ten-fold. The award-winning album has been taking him places. Unlike other artistes of his genre, Lister has his own style of music and is not trying to emulate anyone.

On Friday night he started his show at 11.00 pm and the crowd was already swelling by then. Revellers take efforts to come early so that they could not miss any of his sets.  Lister has become so versatile that none of his shows becomes the same. 

He does not only dish out songs from his album but also plays a variety of music by other artistes. He gives the people what they want and this is what makes his concerts more interesting. He could be doing Hugh Masekela's Motlalepula and from there he would turn to Mhlatini. The next item would be a piece by the Manhattans and he could do it so perfectly.

During another show, he was doing some old beats previously known as msakazo. This is the kind of music that his audience dig and you could see some oldies reminiscing over the good old days. Then he would delve more into his stuff. 

He would take you onto a musical journey through his home village of Serowe as he chants: 'Ko ga Mmabesi ba re sengwe le sengwe ke ditlhogo'. 

This is a place where a lustful uncle demands everything. But his niece pleads that she would see him the following day. There is also a favourite track where he warns a young lady not to play tricks with love. Lister also has his own version of Kulenyane.

After many years of apprenticeship, Lister has graduated into a music giant. He is now a master of his density. Every time when he signs off the stage, revellers cry out for more. 
One of the reasons why Lister's show are so perfect, could be due to the dedication that he gives to his music. He does not leave anything to chance. 

Lister has jammed and worked on music projects with many local top artistes, including another legend, Ndingo Johwa. He is a long time member of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) band. In fact it was at the BDF where he honed his skills since his younger days.  He was also sent for musical training abroad. 

Lister is a soldier by day and a musician at night. But you can tell which profession he really belongs to. Music is a calling to him. Actually his followers are looking forward to the day when he would quit the army and concentrate on what he knows best - music.

For a musician who has done so well, Lister is still level-headed. The fame that he is enjoying has not gone to his head as it is the case with other celebrities. He does not treat himself like a prima donna, who is always throwing his weight around. 

He is quite an approachable person even to strangers. When he is not on the stage, he could be seen chatting and mingling with his admirers. If you do not know him you might not even realise that he is able to play the saxophone. 

Lister is also a clean living artiste who does not smoke nor take alcohol. He could be a role model to the youth to show that to be successful in showbiz, you do not have to be a slave, drug-addict or alcoholic. 

Lister's band is also up to scratch. These guys do their rehearsals before they go on stage. It is due to the ability of his backing artistes that they have always held brilliant performances. 

The band members are skilled and accomplished individuals in there own right. Some of them are Lister's colleagues in the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) band.

Taking care of the drums is veteran drummer Enock Mbewe, who hails from Malawi.  Mbewe boasts of a wealth of experience in the industry, having played for many local groups. 

There are also upcoming youngsters in the band.  Even jazz DJ Prince Dingalo, an enthusiastic musician, could be seen at times doing percussions for the group. But the group needs a female voice in the line-up just to add that magic touch.