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The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Tutu Puoane returns home to celebrate Lebo Mashile's poetry through jazz
Renowned jazz vocalist and Pretoria native Tutu Puoane is set to grace stages across South Africa with her much-anticipated tour, showcasing her current project, Wrapped In Rhythm . Puoane reveals that this award-winning double album is a heartfelt homage to the evocative poetry of South African poet and activist Lebo Mashile, featuring a unique blend of jazz, soul, and singer-songwriting that resonates with audiences both locally and internationally. Since relocating to Antwerp, Belgium, in 2005, Puoane explains that she has found herself profoundly inspired by Mashile's anthology, In A Ribbon Of Rhythm . For nearly a decade, the book accompanied her, stirring emotions that encapsulated her experiences as a young Black African woman navigating her identity amidst the complexities of living away from her homeland. 'Ten years ago, this book had me in a chokehold. I often find things about my country so difficult to express; it all feels so strange after being gone from home for so long, and yet I still hold a very deep connection to the land and people. The poems of Lebo helped me feel and express things I couldn't express myself.' This tour will also see Puoane performing two larger concerts in Gauteng with her full band, featuring Ewout Pierreux on piano, Shane Cooper on bass, and Sphelelo Mazibuko on drums. Following these performances, she will partner with Pierreux for intimate duo concerts in Durban, Cape Town, and Gqeberha, aiming to draw audiences close to the essence of her music and Mashile's powerful words. The full orchestral Volume 2 of Wrapped In Rhythm featuring the renowned Metropole Orkest is scheduled for global release on September 19, but concertgoers will have the distinct advantage of purchasing limited physical copies of the album on CD and vinyl at the shows. Puoane invites her audiences to experience the concert not just as a performance, but as a shared moment of connection and reflection. 'For this upcoming SA tour, I really want people to come, sit down, turn their cell phones on silent, and really drink in these words and this music. I will, of course, play some of their old-time favourites, but this is a chance for my South African audience to experience/remember the magic of Lebo Mashile's powerful 'In A Ribbon Of Rhythm.' Her excitement to return to South Africa is palpable as she expresses her love for performing in front of those who understand her cultural nuances. 'The South African audience, MY audience, is by far the best audience in the world. There's nothing like singing Sepedi to people that truly comprehend every word you're saying. It uplifts a part of my soul I don't get to feel often when I perform for an EU audience. I really would love to come home often to sing, not only once a month at a huge festival. I love singing in smaller intimate gatherings as well, so I'm really hoping that people will come out and support these few dates I have lined up.' Lebo Mashile further echoes the sentiments of their connection, recalling how Tutu's interpretation of her poetry felt like the merging of timelines during the isolation of the pandemic.' 'When Tutu started sharing her experiments online during the pandemic, and when I first heard what she and Ewout were doing in their home studio, it felt like multiple timelines were collapsing and converging at once. Across continents, in the isolation of lockdown, on social media, I felt intimately connected to Tutu's imagination of these poems and seen and affirmed in a way that no artist has ever made me feel before.' Puoane's South African tour dates are set to be Aug 1 - Market Theatre, Johannesburg; Aug 2 - State Theatre, Pretoria; Aug 6 - UKZN Jazz Centre, Durban; Aug 8 - Youngblood Gallery, Cape Town; Aug 10 - Guga S'thebe, Cape Town; and Aug 15 - The One Room, Gqeberha. [email protected] Saturday Star
Mail & Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
Diary: Tutu Puoane to tour in South Africa, Cold Chinese Food set to release new album in July and The Capitec handmadeAFRICA at Decorex
Take 2: Tutu Puoane has returned from Belgium to perform in the country's major cities in August. Tutu Puoane's 'Wrapped in Rhyth' comes alive Jazz vocalist Tutu Puoane returns to the country this winter for a six-date tour that brings her award-winning double album, Wrapped in Rhythm, to life. Rooted in the poetry of Lebo Mashile's In a Ribbon of Rhythm, the project is a powerful musical interpretation of post-apartheid identity, longing and connection. Raised in Pretoria and now based in Antwerp, Belgium, Puoane performs with her full band in Johannesburg (1 August) and Pretoria (2 August), and in an intimate duo setting with Belgian pianist Ewout Pierreux in Durban, Cape Town and Gqeberha. Fans can expect a soulful blend of jazz and storytelling, with limited edition CDs and vinyls of Volume 2 of Wrapped in Rhythm — featuring the Metropole Orkest — available ahead of its September release. Puoane invites audiences to sit still, listen deeply and feel the pulse of Mashile's words, wrapped in rhythm, memory and sound. Cold Chinese Food to release 'Vital Ital' Joburg-based underground hip hop duo Cold Chinese Food is ready to serve up their long-awaited debut album, Vital Ital, on 30 July. The 13-track offering is a genre-bending sonic journey through food, sound, people and place — rooted in the global experiences of childhood friends and collaborators Sam Turpin and Illa N. Raised on a diet of Rastafarian values, anti-apartheid legacy and an eclectic record collection, the duo channels that heritage into an experimental blend of hip hop, jazz, Afrobeat and fusion. Vital Ital is both an ode to the vitality of clean living and a lyrical celebration of travel and cultural memory, featuring Boskasie, Sipho the Gift, ByLwansta and UK-based drummer Joshua MckNasty. With two singles already out — Ethiopian Coffee and Airport Yaoundé — fans have had a taste of what's brewing: textured, thoughtful, boundary-pushing sound. The Capitec handmadeAfrica Pavilion at Decorex Africa on display: Aaliyah Makoni's homeware is distinctive and bold. Photo: Daniel Webber The Capitec handmadeAfrica Pavilion debuts at Decorex from 24 to 27 July 2025 at the Sandton Convention Centre. Curated by Alan Hayward and Garreth van Niekerk, the event brings together the best of contemporary African design. Creative works range from BambiZulu's Chela broom to the beadwork of Monkeybiz and LRNCE's ceramics. Highlights include the debut of Luminaire d'Afrique's high-end lighting collection, sculptural furniture by Leatile Mosime and oversized 3D-printed chrome sculptures from Kind Kid. The Pavilion expands into the two-floor Design MRKT, where a curated retail experience, African DJ sets and the Rising Star Awards promise a celebration of African innovation.
