Youth is a word seldom associated with jazz, a genre of music where era and age define success. The understanding of jazz music is left to an epic relationship spanning decades or even eternity itself, but three ‘spring chickens’ defy all the rules and share with Flamingo why jazz appeals to their young senses.
Namibian music, jazz in particular, has come a long way from when there were only a handful of individuals enjoying and making use of the genre. Although there is now some room for jazz on the Namibian music roster, very few musicians are taking the leap to use this medium to express themselves. Its intrigue, however, has caught the imagination of Cizelle, Florence and Lilani.
Florence Stanley //Garoeb was born to own the song. The gifted instrumentalist is well acquainted with both the bass and the keyboards. He says his love of jazz stems from his love for his late father, who was also a respected musician in his day." I love this music. By playing it I feel close to my father," he says.
He took an early interest in the music due to his exposure to it as a child. The self-taught musician says that not owning any of the instruments he plays hasn't deterred him from elevating himself to become one of the country's hottest jazz properties. He plays in the four-member Boys Jazz Band and gained a wealth of experience in the industry by playing with well-established musicians, some of whom are former mentors.
David Bezuidenhout scholar, Cizelle, is one of two roses amongst the new breed of mostly male musicians. The sultry-voiced teenager began her promising music career two years ago with a performance at a function for fellow youth achievers. She hasn't looked back since.
Her singing was discovered by her aunt when she was a five-year-old belting out tunes emulating Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. Since then, she has developed an affinity for music, and been inspired by her mother to love jazz. "My mum introduced me to jazz. She made me feel that it’s OK to listen to jazz, although I was only 11 at the time. A lot of my friends don't listen to jazz even now, but with her encouragement and support, I became comfortable with the genre."
Growing up, Cizelle listened to rhythm & blues and pop, but due to her mature and laid-back personality, her interest veered in the direction of ‘more meaningful’ sounds, including soul, neo-soul, conscious hip hop and various forms of jazz. She counts Jimmy Dludlu, Aaliyah, Musa Manzini and Sade among her favourite artists and aspires to follow in their footsteps.
Lilani Kisting is a focused and spiritually rooted young woman. At just
19, she has already made gurus of the music industry sit up and not
just listen to but also admire her soulful voice.
The extroverted youngster hails from a religious background. Her father
is a pastor and society leader. She excitedly explains how her break
came about. "It all started in the church when I was just seven. I grew
up with a very strong musical background. My dad always plays jazz when
we travel, so I learned to love the music. He is my biggest
inspiration," she concludes of the man who made a notable contribution
to youth choir music.
The pastor’s daughter impressed several music heads, amongst others
Jonathan Allen of Swart Baster fame. "I had the chance to work with
Swart Baster, who taught me many things. He is a big contributing
factor to my place in the industry."
Lilani is fast making a name for herself and is excited about her
future prospects. "The industry is so adventurous! Meeting people I
admire so dearly is the most exciting part."
The bright-eyed members of the trio are in unison with regards to the
lack of interest from peers of their chosen genre. Lilani says that
jazz has an important role to play in educating and enlightening
Namibians on the availability of various music forms. She singles out
lack of understanding as one of the reasons why many haven't yet
benefited from the wonders of jazz.
Cizelle agrees, adding, "People should just widen their horizons a
little and expose themselves to this amazing form of escapism. As Louis
Armstrong puts it, “It's a wonderful world." Cizelle and Florence both
performed at the recent Klippenberg Festival in Karibib and feel the
need for more exposure to this kind of music. Florence joins the
chorus, "It’s clear that as young people performing jazz, we have a lot
cut out for us if we want to encourage more youth participation. But
the task is not that impossible, because we really love what we do."
Florence, Cizelle and Lilani are just a few of Namibia's jazz-inspired
freshmen, but hope to engage the rest of the college, if not the entire
nation, into a celebrated jazz frenzy. And if their talent, commitment
and passion are anything to go by, their dream of turning Namibia into
a jazzing nation will soon be a reality rather than just a faraway
fantasy.
