Gabs Sunday Jazz has new address
Thalefang Charles | Tuesday May 26, 2015 18:00
The restaurant has recently started to host the Gabz fm’s Joy of Jazz Fusion with Uncle Shima Monageng every Sunday.
Last Sunday was the birthday jam session of Botswana’s legend guitarist, John Selolwane. Bra John, as he is affectionately called in the industry, turned 69 years on Saturday, which marked the christening of the new address.
The legend’s birthday jam had a fitting legendary line-up comprising of African jazz greats namely; Mbongeni Ngema of Sarafina fame, Sonti Ndebele, guitarist Zakes Gwaze, Banjo Mosele, Brenda Taukobong, Aubrey Woki, Clement Jackson, Women of Jazz, and bluesman, Thulani Manana. Pavilion resident band, Trans Kalahari Jazz Quintet, started off the live show after 6pm when the live crossing of Gabz fm Joy of Jazz Fusion with Uncle Shima ended.
The band is made of Lekofi Sejeso on keyboards, Zakes Gwaze - the old man that taught Bra John how to play a guitar - on lead guitar, the energetic drummer Makgwengwe Mengwe who is also the band leader, Brian Nyakurukwa on bass guitar and Dingalo Prince Mpolaisa on percussions.
Different jazz icons in Botswana paid tribute to Bra John giving testimony on how he contributed to their music careers.
Punah Gabasiane of Women of Jazz told the crowd that included Members of Parliament, ministers and Leader of the Opposition, how he rearranged some of her popular songs. Sonti Ndebele, wearing the diva-ish dashiki print dress, narrated how she met the legend guitarist in the early 1980s before she charmed the old man with a beautiful birthday song.
The birthday boy, in a white hat matching his white pants and blue shirt took up his guitar and paid homage to a departed blues legend B.B. King together with Manana, who improvised a sensual song about a beautiful woman that he ‘wanted to hold and touch’.
Sarafina legend, Ngema, came in late and moved the crowd with his classics. His iconic township love letter, Stimela Sa Se Zola rose the mature Pavilion crowd as they sung along and danced away.