Bhudaza signs Maitisong Festival off in style
Spira Tlhankane | Tuesday April 28, 2015 18:00
What started as a cool evening turned into a chilly Sunday night that did not stop local revellers from gathering at the Molapo Piazza to witness popular Lesotho jazz artist, Bhudaza Mapefane, after long absence.
Bhudaza performed alongside local bands, The Metrophones and CAFCA. Having performed in Botswana numerous times, Bhudaza as usual, was expected to thrill his followers who were mostly the elderly.
As it is customary with shows involving international artists, The Metrophones graced the stage with their soulful sounds.
The nine-piece band delivered a heart-warming jazz performance to the audience. With the new wave of interest for the younger crowd, The Metrophones mixed classic jazz with soul and blues to create an intimate night.
The band, which performs mostly at corporate events, proved that they are indeed a new generation of jazz and soul musicians.
Bringing more jazz to soothe the souls of delighted fans, committed artists for cultural advancement (CAFCA) performing alongside students from Kingdom Arts Academy entered the stage with their pure untainted saxophones.
All in unison, their fabulous rhythm section was enough to open anyone’s ears whether they are into jazz or not.
Apart from their individual signature tunes from the students, the sound was certainly unique, and it blended jazz-fusion with classical in an electrifying and fascinating way.
The night got even better when a local poet, singer and actress Leshie Lovesong serenaded the crowd with her amazing singing.
The former Exodus Live Poetry member said she wants to penetrate both the international and local markets.
Speaking to Showbiz after her performance, the Heaven Sent Productions recording artist said she mostly sings soul, but was grateful for having performed at Maitisong Festival again.
Then came the man everyone had been waiting for, Bhudaza, with his infectious and popular singing. Upon making it to the stage, Bhudaza got everyone dancing, bringing a fantastic finale to the four-day Maitisong Festival.
He then performed his title track Dikgomo that was released in 2009. There was a lot of improvisation from the Lesotho jazz saxophonist and next he played his song from the Mapefane album titled Koma Yaka. With his “hela hela” signature grunt, jazz lovers could not help but awe at Bhudaza’s performance.
He then performed Tjontjobina, the song everyone had been longing for since the beginning of his performance.
To bring old memories back even more, Bhudaza performed Bo-Mapefane, his titled track from the album that made him popular in 2003. In the end he dedicated his last song to everyone who does not go to church on Sunday. “This one also goes out to all the social media addicts,” he said. The song Glory Hallelujah, switched the mood from jazz to gospel.