The Sunday News
AFRO-JAZZ musician Jeys Marabini is pleased with the response he and his backing group, Kozekulunge, have so far received in their debut Austrian tour as a full band.
Jeys, aka Majahawodwa Ndlovu, said their shows had been well attended with a lot of people showing great appreciation for their music.
He has performed at festivals while also holding workshops with music students at different universities and colleges.
In an interview in Austria, Jeys Marabini said the tour had proved to be an eye-opener as they have been treated with spectacular professionalism by their hosts.
“The tour is going on well and as a musician there is nothing as good as attracting full houses to your shows and receiving appreciation from fans and that is what has been happening here in Austria.
“Songs from my latest album, “Silo” have been well received and its pleasing people appreciate my work,” he said.
Jeys Marabini travelled with the five members of his band to Austria, they include Mzingaye Ndlela (percussion), Mthabisi Moyo (lead guitar and second acoustic), Dumisani Nkomo (vocals), Kelvin Ndlovu (bass guitar) and Trevor Mnaphi (drums).
While the past two years has seen Jeys travelling to Austria as a solo artiste, this time he took along members of his group and he has no regrets.
“On past two occasions I was here, fans asked me to come with the full band instead of hiring session musicians and I am glad the group has proved popular and we have already started making plans for coming back next year,” he said.
The group began the tour on 16 June with a workshop and concert with students at VS Haibach and Pfarrheim Rohrbach, they then went to Feldkirchen and Arnreith the following day, before conducting a workshop and an unplugged concert for students in HS Rohrbach and played at an evening concert in ARENA Aigen on 18 June.
The band also featured at the Chiala Africa Festival in Graz on 20 June and the following day they teamed up with two other groups from Zimbabwe, Iyasa, who are on tour in Austria and Insingizi, who are based in that country, for a blockbuster performance in Djungel Wien, Vienna that saw them showcase local art at a packed concert.
They are waiting for their final assignment on Saturday at the Kusumama Africa Festival in Moorbach Harbach before heading back home.
Jeys has rubbed shoulders with various international acts that include Black Wizards Acrobats (Kenya), Kofi Qaurshie (Ghana), Mamadou Diabate (Burkina Faso), Garifuna Collective (Belize), Routes Radicals (Germany), Pangea Projects (Austria) and Maffeu Kamdeau (Austria).
