A Jazz Bridge to Greater Understanding

South African music and civil rights icon Madala Kunene performs Antonio García’s arrangement of the Kunene composition “Mfoka Zibhebhu” with students from VCU and the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa.

photo credit: Debbie Mari

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 



 

“A Jazz Bridge to Greater Understanding” was funded by VCU’s Global Education Office, School of the Arts, and Music Department initially towards one year of VCU Jazz’s cultural and musical exchanges with counterparts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa focusing on the history of racism, oppression, leadership, and healing in two cities/countries that shared so much in common. The initial year led to a two-year extension of the project, ultimately funded for nearly $200,000 total, resulting in multiple visits across continents, performing and recording in both countries, and a much deeper understanding of racism, democracy, healing, and hope in both the United States and South Africa. In its debut year of the three-year exchange, the project merited VCU’s Community Engagement Award for Research—a distinction typically reserved for projects in the sciences.

The focus of the exchange was indeed to use jazz to build a better bridge of understanding: to learn the history of racism, oppression, leadership, and healing in two cities/countries that shared so much in common. For example, students from both campuses received an historical jolt as they visited both the Kwa-Muhle Museum in Durban and The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar in Richmond. They found that the “Durban System” of segregation many years ago had become the basis for the policy of apartheid in South Africa—and of course learned the impact of Richmond’s role as the capital of the Confederacy in the American Civil War, heightening the dialogue on both campuses regarding civil rights. The two student delegations wrote music for each other, performed in both countries for the general public, and released a joint CD. They entered into dialogues and performances with South African folk music legend Madala Kunene and Richmond jazz icon Plunky Branch so as to raise awareness of the intersection of jazz and civil rights in the local and global community.

A full-page article in the October 2013 issue of Down Beat magazine highlighted this project, as did lengthy articles in the August/September and October/November issues of JAZZed magazine. You can read about the exchange in Down Beat, JAZZed, VCU blogs, and Electric Jive. You can view several performances from the VCU/UKZN residency online, including:

University of KwaZulu-Natal Jazz Storytellers Ensemble / Prof. Neil Gonsalves, director
Kwena Elvis Ramahuta (voice), Rogan van den Berg (guitar), Lungelo Ngcobo (piano), Dalisu Ndlazi (bass), and Jude Ganasen (drums), with Prof. Burton Naidoo (piano), & director Prof. Neil Gonsalves (piano)
World premiere of a faculty composition performed at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; Durban, South Africa.

UKZN Prof. Neil Gonsalves (piano), VCU Prof. Antonio García (trombone)

VCU Africa Combo / Antonio J. García, director
Trey Sorrells (alto sax), Doug Jemison (tenor sax), Roger Pouncey Jr. (guitar), Ryan Moses (piano), Jordan Mason (bass), and Cleandré Foster (drums), with director Prof. Antonio García (trombone)
World premiere of a student composition performed at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; Durban, South Africa.

VCU Africa Combo / Antonio J. García, director
Trey Sorrells (alto sax), Doug Jemison (tenor sax), Roger Pouncey Jr. (guitar), Ryan Moses (piano), Jordan Mason (bass), and Cleandré Foster (drums), with director Prof. Antonio García (trombone)
World premiere of a student composition performed at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; Durban, South Africa.

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