Legendary jazz muso Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse is set to dazzle music fans at the Legends Tribute concert meant to relaunch the iconic Jabulani Amphitheatre, an outdoor theatre near the Soweto Theatre in Jabulani on September 25.
The tribute forms part of the 10th, also known as the tin, anniversary, of the Soweto Theatre, a day after Heritage Day.
The Jabulani Ampitheatre, the home of jazz in the 60s and 70s, also hosted music and theatre productions, including Welcome Msomi, isiZulu version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, popularly known as Umabatha.
It was also the venue for the funeral of 1976 Soweto students’ leader Tsietsi Mashinini, who led the uprising against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction at black schools as well as the memorial service of assassinated SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani in 1993.
The historic entertainment venue has been refurbished into a 6 000-seater open-air theatre for outdoor concerts.
The Legends Tribute concert features all-time greats, including Abigail Kubeka, Babsy Mlangeni, PJ Powers, the Soul Brothers, Pappa and Blondie, who will reflect on the history of the theatre and the country’s music.
“The Jabulani Ampitheatre is where most of the veterans performed and made a name for themselves and so there is no better way to relaunch this space than to bring the olden sounds live in performance,” said Mabuse.
“This space represents part of the South African music history, and it is just a wish that all of us would have been here to see this moment come back to life. Unfortunately some have passed on and the budget is not fit enough to have all legends
performing.”
The veteran musician said the concert was a great opportunity and a moment to remind the industry where South African music began and remind everyone that the older artists are still performing so that they are offered gigs.
Mabuse said the recognition of their good ol’ sound was important to preserve the music history and culture of the country and he was proud of the new artists who have sampled their olden beats to ensure growth and relevance of the old sounds.
“The old and the new need each other to keep our music growing. South Africa has great artists. It is just up to all of us and the media to help make the sound famous so we can be compatible to international music, instead of promoting their music more than our own in our land.”
Mabuse said ignoring the thin line between old and new was self-sabotage and would lead to old artists believing they are irrelevant today.
“Stay relevant and supportive of young people’s dreams, agree when they feature, and remix the golden sounds and you will stay relevant and in demand.
“We need to keep the bridge between legends and new artists open for references and advice.
“We need each other,” Mabuse said.
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