Musa
Manzini was born at Inanda, north of Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa in
1971 from parents Makhobane and Nomusa Manzini. He then moved to Cape Town in
1986 for high school and university studies. It was later in his high school
days that he first picked up the guitar just as a hobby, but was hooked to it
ever since. "I was faced with having to choose between music as a
full-time career or becoming a lawyer which is the career my parents had carved
for me. At one point, I thought I could be a lawyer who plays the bass".
After
high school Musa enrolled at MAPP Music Academy, an institution for musicians
from previously disadvantaged communities of South Africa. This introduced him
to the basic aspects of music theory and improvisation. He completed a Diploma
in Music and in 1992 he enrolled at the University of Cape Town where he
completed a Bachelor of Music degree, majoring in composition and arrangement.
In 1995, while at UCT, he received the Prof Peter Klatzow Award for composition
and orchestration "It was a big challenge coming from the township and
being introduced to classical music at tertiary level, having to analyse the
music of Bach, Chopin, Mozart, Debussy, Schonberg and other European
composers"
After
graduation, Musa spent three years as a part-time lecturer at UCT instructing
electric and acoustic basses, jazz theory and improvisation to bridging course
students, while at the same time performing and recording as a session musician
around the country with musicians like Rene' MacLean, Jimmy Dludlu, Jonathan
Butler, Gavin Minter, Nhlanhla Magagula, Kevin Gibson, Mark Goliath, Judith
Sephuma, Winston Ngozi, Sipho Mabuse, Menyatso Mathole, Selaelo Selota, Joe
McBride, UCT Jazz Orchestra and many other muso's at that period.
Manzini's
style and sound has been honed by the multi-facetted Cape Town music scene,
mostly the townships of Gugulethu, Langa, Mitchell's Plain and Khayelitsha. In
2000 Musa released his debut recording entitled "New Reflections"
through BMG Records Africa , which earned him a SAMA nomination for Best
Contemporary Album, and was at the same time introduced into the film and
television industry by Mfundi Vundla, where he worked on daily drama series
like Backstage and Generations as film scorer and musical director. In 2002,
Musa released his second album “Tributes and Memories” with Gallo Jazz, which
has received extensive airplay and recognition nationally and internationally.
Tributes and Memories was also nominated for Best Contemporary Album at the
2004 SAMA awards.
Musa
has performed at North Sea Jazz Festival, New Orleans, Joy of Jazz, Muscat,
Jazzathon, Arts Alive as well as many other club gigs, functions and musicians'
workshops locally and abroad. The peak of all performances was sharing stage
with four bassists during the North Sea in 2001, myself, Marcus Miller, Sipho
Gumede and Victor Bailey.
Musa Manzini has released a brand new album entitled "My Bass" in
2005 and got on the road for the first time introducing the bass to the people,
as well as studying towards a Post-graduate Diploma in Marketing Management
through University of South Africa.
Manzini
continued working extensively in the television/film industry as music director,
composer and producer for Thetha Msawawa II, broadcast on SABC and recently the
popular Magic Cellar, an animated children's series which has already scooped
27 Awards Internationally. He released his fourth album entitled "Simply
Life" in 2006 featuring the popular hit song "Esikhawini" and
many more. The album was nominated for 2 SA Music Awards.
Musa
Manzini has just survived two brain operations to remove a tumour, benign
luckily, and is back on stage. Musa, one of South Africa’s great bass players,
is now back to the live music scene with a bang. After his flourishing music
career was temporarily inconvenienced, fans can now look forward to his usual
thunderous bass performances. The prolific bassist has now fully recovered from
the two craniotomies which had left him temporarily paralyzed and lost the use
of his left hand. He has gone through lengthy physiotherapy programs and had to
relearn everything which was lost through the operations.
Watch the gig schedule and become friends on facebook to chat and be constantly
updated with other events.
