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Straight No Chaser With Kesivan Naidoo

Straight No Chaser With Kesivan Naidoo

Author: Kasia Yoko
Date: 2014-05-09
Our recent visit to Cape Town was not just about great food and sublime wine; it was also about the live South African Jazz music scene. A good friend, Vinesh Naidoo, invited us to a special live music joint appropriately named, 'Straight no Chaser', which is owned by legendary South African Jazz musician Kesivan Naidoo.

Kesivan has been synonymous with the South African jazz music scene for almost three decades and he has some impressive awards to prove it. Kesivan has over the years played with great composers and musicians of this world such as Miriam Makeba, Selaelo Selota, Feya Faku, Bheki Mseleku, Jimmy Dludlu and Marcus Wyatt, and has shared the stage with, Abdullah Ibhrahim, Hotep Galeta, Zim Ngqawana and Steve Newman.

In 2000 Kesivan made headlines when he became the first youngest individual to win the SAMRO Overseas Scholarship Competition. With a scholarship to study abroad, the talented drummer, who also studied music at the University of Cape Town, went to India and enrolled at the University in Kolkata, studying under the guidance of sitar guru Sanjay Bandophadyah.

Even though Kesivan has a wide range of eclectic musical inspirations, his love for local sound is an important part of his career. It is this reason why every time he plays internationally, he does not forget to also spice up the performance with South African sounds because he believes in giving other countries a taste of South African musical diversity.

Speaking to the maestro at his venue in the heart of Cape Town, Kesivan had just found out that he will be performing live at the Carnegie Hall in New York with Madala Kunene. The track that had him chosen for the Carnegie Hall is a track inspired by Madiba's original speech on his release from prison. On the 30th of October Kesivan will play there as part of a South African '20 years of Democracy' celebration.

"I was ten years old when I watched Madiba doing the democracy speech." Kesivan tells me. "My uncle Marcus Solomon spent 10 years in jail with Mandela so the release and the speech was a big thing in our family." Kesivan performed that tune "The Bridge" at a gig at 'Straight no Chaser' not realising that the directors of the Carnegie Hall were in the audience a few weeks later the invite was delivered to him.

"My band is a beautiful representation of our rainbow nation, Feya Faku plays the trumpet, Justin Bellairs is on the sax, the twenty four year old Kyle Shapherd is on the piano, Reza Khota is on Guitar and Shane Cooper is on double base. We are however waiting for the right woman to join our team."

When asked when we can see him in Durban he looked puzzled, "Do you know the saddest thing is that I have strong connections with KZN and big family that lives in Pheonix, but I got to perform in Europe before I had an opportunity to come to Durban."

Sad indeed