Bulelwa Hoala
This past weekend, Kaya 959 partnered with the Absa Jazz Sessions at Marble for the third installment of the premier event, featuring the renowned jazz legend Herbie Tsoaeli.
The performance was simply unforgettable.
The invite-only experience aims to unite icons of music, industry, and cuisine for a truly bespoke evening.
Held at the award-winning upscale Marble restaurant in Rosebank, the curated event began with a beautiful sunset moment as the music gently welcomed the guests.
Affectionately known as uMalume Groove, Herbie delivered a performance that was both spontaneous and deeply grounded, echoing his pre-event conversation with Brenda Sisane on The Jazz Standard.
“The repertoire stays all the time awaiting because the songbook of African time in accordance with music is so vast there… there are many songs that I wish people can hear.”
“Everybody follows the ancestors when we get into that space. I call it African time, so we get caught there, the vibrations and all the sonics of the universe. That’s what I would love to project,” Herbie said.
Listen to the full interview on the podcast:
What made the session even more special is that it marked the start of his birthday month.
Flanked by Muhammad Dawjee on tenor saxophone, Professor Mnana on keys, and Sibusiso Mkhize on trumpet, Herbie, who likens his bass to a firmly rooted tree, said he chose a band that “know the music,” puts effort into it, and “listens to each other.”
The performance had all the makings of a main act: Herbie’s distinct township swing, spiritual energy, and deeply ingrained African sensibility.
Above all, it was a fusion of captivating storytelling, delivered to an audience dedicated to listening and joining the musical journey.
Speaking to Brenda Sisane, Absa Group Executive Sadika Fakir emphasized the power of narrative as the inspiration behind Absa’s investment in the jazz sessions at Marble.
“At Absa, we believe in the power of storytelling. Your story matters. You would have seen that in our ‘We See Your Story’ campaign. And jazz, more than any other genre, really is all about storytelling. It’s provocative, it’s exciting, it’s spontaneous, it’s improvisation layered with emotion. It tells you where someone’s been, it tells you where someone is going, and that’s really the formation of any story.”
Image: Nondwe Maqubela
As the perfect visionaries they are, Marble provided the ideal backdrop.
With owner David Higgs and Head Chef Jandri Niemand at the helm, the custom menu and sommelier selection were curated to the highest standard.
Through this series, Absa continues to showcase its ability to not only preserve heritage but also to invest in stories that matter.
In the words of Fakir, the Absa Jazz Sessions are ultimately about “making a stake in creativity and investing across the continent as a Pan-African bank.”
See the pics in the image gallery below:
