Press Article

2006 October 15   "Concord's good year"
Publication: City Pulse, City Press
Byline: Nokuthula Mazibuko

Concord Nkabinde is part of Mzansi’s exciting musical heritage. He has infused a range of musical experience to compose sounds that are rhythmically varied and experimental.
Concord Nkabinde is having a very good year. He is the Standard Bank Young Artists winner for Jazz, 2006, and his second album, this is my world is out. Nkabinde has travelled a long, but not on too bumpy a road, towards a life with music.
He says that although he still plans to grow his knowledge musically, he is pleased to finally release what he’s been working on. He says that: “It was a bit of a bold step to say this is my world. The title comes out of a process of self-discovery, which is a process that shouldn’t really end. But in terms of that process, this is where I am now… I’m discovering myself not just musically, but also personally.”

This is my world is an eclectic mix of jazzy, latin, gospel, mbaqanga and rock rhythms – fused to produce a 17-track album that is alternately playful, upbeat and serious. An embodiment of the skilful and gifted bassist that is Nkabinde.
Nkabinde’s foundation in music is solid. He was introduced to the artform early in life, through his father , who was a fan of gospel and choral music. When he started school, he continued to enjoy music, and sang in his primary school choir. By age 10, he was resourcefully learning how to play the guitar from a friend. In high school, again Nkabinde’s father contributed to his son’s musicality by starting a gospel group called The Searchlights, in which Nkabinde and his brother Chiliza sang and played guitar. Music was now a part of their daily existence. Nkabinde remembers getting into trouble with teachers at school because during break, and at every opportunity he could get, he would sit and entertain classmates with his guitar.
Nkabinde later switched from playing the rhythm guitar to the bass, as a result of an experimental jam session with his brother. “It was my brother’s idea, we took two strings off the guitar and converted it into some kind of a bass guitar. He would play the normal rhythm guitar and I would play this new kind of bass guitar. It was a little simpler because I was now playing single notes at a time, as a normal bass guitar would. Soon I realized how much I really liked playing the bass.”
Nkabinde also realized the power and influence on both harmony and rhythm that a bass guitar has, and says: “As a bass player, you are sort of in the background but you’re making quite a significant impact. It’s in line with my character and the person that I am. I like being in the background, but still making an impact.”

During his teenage years, Nkabinde joined a church youth club called Youth Alive Ministries. This is where he got more experience playing with different gospel groups. He also began composing music. “I started writing songs and the Youth Alive was just the perfect platform to try out things. Whenever I’d written a song, I’d go to one of our weekly meetings, and sing it. And people would give me feedback you know. It was actually a blessing to have a platform like that. I mean, how many kids who start writing songs at that age, have that kind of feedback?”

When the time came to decide on a career, Nkabinde made the obvious choice. One he had to defend because his teachers and his father were against his choice of studying music. However, he was determined. A chance conversation with fellow bassist Victor Masondo strengthened his resolve. Masondo convinced him to study music at his alma mater, University of Natal. Nkabinde promptly enrolled, and graduated in the mid-90s with a B.Mus degree, specializing in Jazz.
Among the first gigs Nkabinde played when he returned to Jozi after his studies, was playing in acclaimed muso Zim Ngqawana’s band. He played with the band for about three years, practicing what he learnt at school, and acquiring more experience and exposure. Of that time, he says: “Bra Zim was there for us young musicians, myself, Andile Yenana… He was there for us, he encouraged a culture of taking the music seriously. His interest in hip hop and other kinds of music made us aware that we need to broaden our horizons and listen to different styles.”
With Ngqawana’s band, Nkabinde traveled the world, and learnt even more about the value of infusing different worlds into one’s music. An aesthetic that comes across in both his albums The Time The Season(2003) and This is my world. The lessons from Ngqawana about the business of music clearly stuck, because both Nkabinde’s albums are released under his independent record label, Drocnoc Music. A feat he is extremely proud and passionate about. He says he would like to encourage more musicians to explore the creative freedom of self-publishing.

When he decided to record his music, Nkabinde was initially worried about expressing his voice, because he had absorbed so many influences. But he soon made peace with his range of expression. “I thought to myself why should I have to make such an effort to find a voice, I must within me have a voice and that voice will embody all the different experiences I’ve had with all the musicians I’ve worked with. So I decided to just relax in the process of creating music and suddenly ideas just started coming, that’s why my albums are broad in terms of sound.”

This is my world is indeed a brilliant and exciting fusion of different rhythms, rooted in African beats. Ko hae/Hayani, Song of forgiveness and Anginanto esandleni show that Nkabinde is firmly rooted in an African musical aesthetic, one that is open and really shares and incorporates influences from many cultures. The tracks weave African pop and Jazz effortlessly with Salsa beats. Talking to Nkabinde, there is a sense that he is comfortable and happy in the musical world he has developed.

For details on performances and where to get Nkabinde’s music, go to www.concordcreativity.com