Music takes off in southern Africa

Cre8 is a fresh and vibrant music project, which has been launched in various countries across southern Africa. Established in 2009, Cre8 aims to encourage new musicians, and offers existing musicians an opportunity to experience music of a high standard. Through a series of workshops, masterclasses and performances, young musicians cover a mixed genre of styles exposing audiences to both new music and old classics.

The importance of music in societies has long been a topic of both interest and debate. Whilst in some areas it is encouraged and nurtured, in others it is removed from syllabuses and paid little attention to. By offering the younger population an opportunity to experience music in any form, you are sharing with them that music as a career can be sustainable – in effect you are stimulating a future. Within everyone lies the desire to create and awaken the soul through some form of art. Music has always been significant amongst humans as a way of evoking emotions and listening to music can offer an incredible experience, allowing one to become lost in the foreign world of sound. Unlimited musical genres, styles and composers from around the world prove that we cannot escape from including music in some form in our lives, and that there are many ways of interpreting this different language.

Music becomes very worthy in education, supporting so many skills necessary to expanding and developing minds. As a musician at any level, the student must learn self-discipline, expression through sound, enhance technical motor skills, further develop problem-solving skills, learn how to cooperate and collaborate with others and learn how to ignite the creative and critical mind. Most importantly, the student can come away understanding that music offers all those qualities in addition to the enjoyment in listening casually or with great attention. Anyone who is educated in music learns these skills whether they know it or not. People who do not make a career in music but have studied it will take these skills and apply it to their everyday lives and career. Communities both within and outside schools are brought together by the unifying powers of music, the effect music has on our daily lives cannot be measured but can only be recognised by the constant desire to include it in every area of our existence.

In order to try and connect with as many of those interested as possible, Cre8 runs at least two tours annually, which currently include visits to Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In November, as part of Cre8’s second tour this year, Chez Taylor (saxophone, flute, vocals and clarinet) and Chris Francis (piano and guitar) travelled to Gaborone, Harare, Lusaka and Ndola and the Zambezi river to share new ideas and share their incredible talents. Chez and Chris are both currently living in London where they both perform on a regular basis with a range of bands and ensembles. As well as performing, Chez mixes her time with teaching and composing, an example of how many opportunities the music industry can offer. Chez was commissioned by Cre8 to compose a three-movement work for the tour. This would become a piece that would become attached to the project, as an example of how two continents can inspire each other, and another way of encouraging musicians to explore other areas in music.

Written as a musical interpretation of what Chez and Chris anticipated from their first trip to Africa, ‘Notes to Africa’ is layered with rich colours and sounds, using the soprano saxophone to create an ambience that is soulful yet charismatic. With strong influences from the American composer, George Gershwin, and irregular, catchy rhythms, there was a confident fusion of Western and African elements that captivated audiences. In Lusaka, local dancers choreographed movements to this work which were then projected behind Chez and Chris at each performance. By mixing both visual and performing arts for this work, audiences and musicians are encouraged to constantly look for new ways of presenting their work and that composing can be another way of making music a sustainable profession.

Audiences were taken through a journey of time and soulful style in each of Chez and Chris’ performances. With a set opening of Liszt’s ‘Liebestraume no. 3’ and Rachmaninoff’s powerful ‘Vocalise’, a beautiful and serene atmosphere was created. Swiftly moving into the more modern well-known traditional jazz standards, and switching between instruments, Chez ended the first half with Gershwin’s emotive and powerful ‘Rhapsody in blue’. With a more modern second half, focusing on the aesthetic interpretations and aimed at a younger audience, there was a range from foot-stomping and funk, to two of Chez’s own compositions, and ending with ‘Notes to Africa’.

In many areas that Chez and Chris visited, there is limited access to both live music and teachers. Here Cre8 lends more focus, offering technical and practical advice to the students they come across. Chez and Chris were greeted with excitement and a constant stream of talent, evoking an energising atmosphere for students to comprehend the knowledge surrounding them.

Ndola is based in the north of Zambia, the home of Zambia’s copper mines. With a small but eager population, there was an overwhelming response to Chez and Chris’ visit. Playing to over 200 children at one venue, followed by masterclasses and workshops with over 60 more, Ndola displayed a strong and confident musical future. The students we met here were focused and determined, with many being self-taught due to the lack of teachers in the area. By interaction with both the musicians, they have come to realise that there are ways of continuing their passion with help from Chez and Chris’ supporting advice.

Halfway through the tour, Chez and Chris visited the Zambezi river, where they experienced not only one of the many beauties of Africa, but also worked with children from Chiawa village. With a focus on making music with no instruments, Chez and Chris attracted over 50 children of all ages to take part in their rhythmic games, singing and dancing. In turn, the children were able to share some of their musical traditions and games, which will be taken back to London classrooms.

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* Cre8 is a non-profit project that is currently run by volunteers. If you would like to become involved in Cre8, or would like to know more about the project and our future plans, please visit www.cre8music.org.
* Cre8 is very grateful to Kenya Airways for making this tour possible and supporting the continued drive to develop the arts within Africa. Kenya Airways operates daily overnight and additional weekend daylight flights from Terminal 4 London Heathrow to Nairobi with over 50 onward connecting services throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Please visit www.kenya-airways.com or call reservations on 020 8283 1818.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at Pambazuka News.