Press Article

2006 June 27   "Flying below the Jazz Police radar"
Publication: Tonight, The Star
Byline: Dianne de Beer

Music is a tool for breaking down walls, says bass guitarist Concord Nkabinde. With his travels as a member of Johnny Clegg’s band he discovered world music but even before that, Concord knew that he liked his music to be as far-reaching as possible.

After his BMus Jazz studies at the University of KwaZulu Natal, he had to make a decision on whether he was going to be a jazz musician or simply a musician. Musician it had to be. Concord doesn’t like the restrictions of any genre and he gives a wry smile when I ask about the Young Artist Award for Jazz. “I’m sure the jazz police are not too happy,” he says.
But for Concord, music has no boundaries and when I talk about the accessibility of his last CD, The Time, The Season, he is thrilled. The more people he can touch, the happier he is.
Resigning from the Johnny Clegg band a year ago, his solo career is in the forefront. But he’s played for artists as diverse as Clegg and Theuns Jordaan and he’s looking at a collaborative concert with Afrikaans poetic singer Laurinda Hofmeyer.
His second CD appears next month and there are concert at Grahamstown.

“It’s such a special thing to be honoured,” he says. He decided to invite one of his favourite artists, Gloria Bosman, as his guest artist. They often work together and Concord is adamant that he needs to build a relationship with the artists he works with.
When writing new music, for example, for his upcoming CD, he writes with particular musicians in mind. “Duke Ellington used to do that, which meant he could write to their strengths and weaknesses,” he adds.
But with Gloria, it’s more than just the intimacy. He loves what she brings to a performance. As a musician he knowns it is important to give people space on stage.
“They are not programmed. They need to express themselves,” he says.
And then it’s the way individuals take charge that thrills him. More than anything with Gloria, she reacts musically in performance. “We need to have that on the night,” says Concord, “that freshness that she brings.”

They will be performing a few Gloria songs as well as music from his two albums, the latest of which is titled This is my world.
And here this independent artist also has strong feelings. Young musicians need to know their options, he believes. “They must know what they are signing on that dotted line,” he urges. “It is very important that we take care of our creative processes. I’m jealous about who’s hand I place my vision in.”

But his award concert on July 7 & 8 with Gloria and with his regular band in the Guy Butler Theatre is not his only performance. Earlier in the week on Saturday he will be paying tribute to some of his influences, including South African pop classics. He will, for example, be doing a medley Mannenberg and Freshly Ground’s Doo Bee Doo.

Concord is looking at the influence of Cape Town musicians and personally he was influenced by Abdullah Ibrahim. Now, Freshly Ground is one of his favourite outfits. “There’s something these musicians capture that is so uniquely South African,” he believes. They all form part of a bigger movement of musicians who are all trying to find a South African voice. Talking to Concord, while he loves traveling and speaks many languages from across the world which he picks up on his tours, his heart beats strongly South African.
And as part of his concerts, he will be distributing a short version of the South African constitution. When he recently went to Constitution Hill he was amazed when he was introduced to the finer points of what he describes as one of the most revolutionary constitutions in the world. “I was so surprised by how protected I am,” says Concord.
“Next time I make my cross during an election, I’ll remember it.”
He’s right, but also in a position to do something about it. And he will. He will be handing out shortened versions at his concerts in Grahamstown. “It’s important for the youth to know,” he says.
But more than anything he is excited by the concert…and nervous. “There is some anxiety,” he says. It’s all about people being able to catch his drift. “I need to breakdown the walls,” he says.
Concord sets his own rhythms. He knows it is the route less traveled, but this is the only way he knows how to survive as he learns all about life – all of the time.