Leslie Kleinsmith has been performing on the South African Cabaret and Jazz for a whopping 38 years.
The consummate entertainer is these days known by his stage name of Leslie K Smith.
Due to the fact that it is very difficult to make a career as a musician in South Africa, Leslie has had to find a way to continue his musical career.
Thankfully he has made a name for himself on the international cruise-liner entertainment industry, and as a result, the local music scene still enjoys the talents of one of the Cape most-talented performers.
Mister Entertainer. Leslie performing on the Costa Pacifica (Pic: Flory Turcu on FaceBook)
I have scoured the internet and could only find the following short bio of Leslie Kleinsmith:
Sophisticated, eloquent, and absolutely entertaining are the only words that can describe this crooner. After 38 years in the South African Cabaret and Jazz music industry Leslie K. Smith has deservedly earned the title of Grand Performer.
When he’s not busy in the studio, Lesley is most at home with live intimate performances exuding a stage presence, voice and charisma of performers such as Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, jnr, all of whom where influences in his formative years. His voice, now a sculpted tone of contra-alto leaning toward golden tenor evokes a warmth and pliability that turn great songs into personal innovation of love.
His most memorable performances include a lead role in District 6,
And wowing international stages of the Edinburgh Arts Festival in Scotland and the 1992 Miss World Contest where 600 million television viewers got to see him perform.
His ability to bring true emotion to music goes well with audiences who enjoy romantic inspiration, but it’s almost as though you can get just about any kind of soulful vibe from this “living jukebox”.
Over the next few Sundays, Howzit-HongKong.com will feature a YouTube clip of one (or more) of the musicians and their sounds who have influenced and shaped South African and specifically Cape Town music as part of what we like to call The Victoria Harbour Sundowner Sessions. I am fortunate to be living right next to one of the most stunning working harbours in the world… Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. I often find myself staring across the Harbour at night, with the lights dimmed and one of my favourite musicians from home over the speakers. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do…
Unlike before, where the annual Chinese New Year Night Parade extended all the way to East Tsim Sha Tsui, the Parade will this time around be limited to Tsim Sha Tsui.
The Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade is one of the best-loved events of the entire Chinese New Year celebrations and certainly a must-see on my family’s list.
The theme this years is World City, World Party and as always the parade features illuminated floats accompanied by spectacular international and local performing groups. In previous years some South African troupes were flown in, although I don’t remember any Saffas taking part last year.
There is always a carnival atmosphere as festive crowds line the route around Tsim Sha Tsui to watch the colourful parade pass by, but if you don’t want to be in those throngs, you can always purchase a ticket that will guarantee you a great vantage point from a raised platform.
Tickets will go on sale from Saturday 22 January at HK$350/ $300/ $220/ $180 per person. These are for spectator stands with seating at Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, Canton Road, Nathan Road and Salisbury Road.
The Night Parade is truly an international event in that it doesn’t only include Chinese culture and performers. My favourite international act is, of course, the cheerleaders from the good ol’ US of A!
Here is your invitation to this year’s Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade:
This is what happened at the Night Parade last year:
Despite all the international acts, the Chinese cultural acts are THE draw-card for the crowds!
Cape jazz is a genre of jazz, similar to the popular music style known as marabi, though more improvisational in character, which is performed in the southern part of Africa. Where marabi is a piano jazz style, in the beginning this music grew (though not exclusively) from instruments that can be carried in a street parade, such as brass instruments, banjos, guitars and percussion instruments.
The Cape part of the name, refers to Cape Town, South Africa. The leading exponents of this style are pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and saxophonists the late Basil Coetzee and Robbie Jansen. These three, together with bassist Paul Michaels, drummer the late Monty Weber and sax man Morris Goldberg, recorded the seminal Cape Jazz song, “Mannenberg” in the early 1970s.
One of the main inspirations behind Cape Jazz comes from the folk songs sung by people descended from the former slave communities living in the Western Cape, known loosely as the Cape Coloured or Cape Malay people.
A street carnival parade or Mardi Gras (also called the Coon Carnival) is held each year peaking on the 2nd of January. This event is the culmination of months of musical and dance rehearsal and community-based competitions, by various mostly mix race folk, and was known as Tweede Nuwe Jaar (Afrikaans). The performers known as Klopse, borrowed the painted faces and bright consumes of the minstrel show style of New Orleans (now USA) and combined this with African and European music which was to be heard in the taverns and night clubs of the port city.
Some of this music is also more recently known as Goema, or Ghoema Jazz, referring to a particular wooden barrel shaped Asian style drum (also known in the Cape as a Ghomma) played by the revelers in the troupes in the aforementioned parade.
During Howzit-HongKong.com’s visit home in 2009, we were fortunate to attend the 60th birthday party of the late Cape Town saxophonist Robbie Jansen at the G-Spot venue in Epping (Cape Town). In conversation with the great man that evening, we arranged to return this year to record his take on the Cape Jazz story. Sadly, that will not happen as Robbie passed away late in 2010.
The Jansens: Robbie and Michael at the G-spot in 2009 (Pic: Mike Jansen)
Here are some of the pictures we took:
We are going to be referring the the terms “Cape Jazz” as well as “Ghoema” over the next few weeks, so without any further ado…. here’s that seminal Cape Town anthem:
The Victoria Harbour Sundowner sessions #22: Mannenberg
Over the next few Sundays, Howzit-HongKong.com will feature a YouTube clip of one (or more) of the musicians and their sounds who have influenced and shaped South African and specifically Cape Town music as part of what we like to call The Victoria Harbour Sundowner Sessions. I am fortunate to be living right next to one of the most stunning working harbours in the world… Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. I often find myself staring across the Harbour at night, with the lights dimmed and one of my favourite musicians from home over the speakers. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do…
After a brief intermission for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, The Victoria Harbour Sundowner Sessions make a welcome return to Howzit-HongKong.com albeit in a slightly different guise and on a different day.
Where we celebrated South African musicians and their music in the previous 20 features, this time around we’d like to change tack and celebrate the music and the musicians who have influenced South African and, in particular, Cape Town music.
As we’ve said before, as a harbour city, Cape Town and it’s music have been fortunate to be influenced greatly by the sounds, beat and the instruments of the peoples who visited our shores . As a consequence, Cape Town music developed as a unique genre, retaining little bits of all these influences.
Howzit-HongKong.com’s Victoria Harbour Sundowner Sessions will, over the following few Sundays, pay tribute to some of these musicians… their sounds and their beats. We will also feature some of the classic old skool tunes that shaped our collective memories.
I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.
Peace.
Mister motormouth… Al Jarreau’s version of the classic Take 5
The Victoria Harbour Sundowner Sessions #21: Take Five
Three different versions by: Dave Brubeck, George Benson/Sadao Watanabe, Al Jarreau.
Over the next few Sundays, Howzit-HongKong.com will feature a YouTube clip of one (or more) of the musicians and their sounds who have influenced and shaped South African and specifically Cape Town music as part of what we like to call The Victoria Harbour Sundowner Sessions. I am fortunate to be living right next to one of the most stunning working harbours in the world… Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. I often find myself staring across the Harbour at night, with the lights dimmed and one of my favourite musicians from home over the speakers. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do…
When I decided to start this category on Howzit-HongKong.com, I spent some time wondering just where to start. Not wanting to make it an academic topic, I decided to just start somewhere and see how it develops, and where it takes me. Besides, the aim is really to introduce readers to the rich and varied musical styles and sound that come from our country.
I decided to just go with with it and use one of my all-time idols (Bra) Hugh Masekela to tell you where he came from musically.
Also:
As I’m from Cape Town, the city’s beat (I dare say ‘heartbeat’) stems from it’s historical global position as a refreshment station for the old Dutch East Asian Company, which started a refreshment station in the southern-most tip of Africa for shipping companies rounding Africa en-route to India (for spices).
As Mac McKenzie (in the video below) will tell you, Cape Town was a confluence of all the nations of the world… right there in the Cape. That’s is also where my favourite genre originated… Cape Jazz: a mixture of all the “blood of the world” as per Mac McKenzie.
Lastly, I’ll play you a video of one of the foremost exponents of Cape Town Jazz, Abdulla Ebrahim (previously known as Dollar Brand) playing his famous song “Manenberg.” The song is named after a suburb of Cape Town where coloured people/people of mixed heritage were forcibly removed to during Apartheid.
I hope you will take this journey with me as I tell you about South Africa… through it’s music.
Here’s Hugh Masekela:
Cape Town music according to Mac McKenzie:
Abdullah Ebrahim’s Manenberg:
Of course South African music is not limited to only these two genres. There are also Afrikaans music, kwaito, rap/hiphop, pop music as well as many others.
News24 today reported that the 2010 FIFA World Cup will kick off with a huge music concert featuring both local and international musicians.
Control Room, the world’s leading producer of global music events, and FIFA have announced the first group of musicians confirmed to perform at the FIFA World Cup Kickoff Celebration Concert.
Alicia Keys, Amadou & Mariam, Angelique Kidjo, Black Eyed Peas, BLK JKS, John Legend, Juanes, Shakira, The Parlotones, Tinariwen, Vieux Farka Touré, and Vusi Mahlasela will perform at the historic event taking place the night before the first match at 8pm local time on June 10 at the newly-renovated Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
“We in South Africa are blessed to be hosting two first-time events,” said Lucas Radebe, former South African football international and participant in the Kick-off Concert. “The first FIFA World Cup held on the African continent and the first FIFA World Cup Kick-off Celebration concert.”
“I believe these historic events will go a long way towards uniting the people of our rainbow nation in South Africa as well as further strengthening our relationships with our brothers and sisters on the African continent.”
“After all, this is an African World Cup being staged in South Africa. Music and sports are the lifeblood of African culture, so to combine those in this historic event will be a true celebration of African Culture.”
FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke added: “We are thrilled to have a concert of such magnitude and performing talent (to) raise the curtain on the first FIFA World Cup in Africa. It is testament to the universal and unifying power of football and music, and will start the competition off on the right note – of celebration.”
Executive-produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Kevin Wall and his company Control Room, in partnership with local promoter Showtime Entertainment, the event will feature musical performances by major international superstars and popular African artists collaborating with one another.
There will also be special appearances by past and present football legends with all proceeds to benefit “20 Centres for 2010″, the Official Campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Billed as the greatest entertainment event to date on the African continent, the event will be televised to millions worldwide.
Music fans around the world can purchase tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime concert online at www.computicket.com or via phone on (27) 083 915 8000. Concert tickets are priced at R450 (Outer Circle standing), R650 (Inner Circle standing), R850 & R950 (Upper Level seated), R1150 (Lower Level seated). Ticket prices include VAT, Computicket Charges and Park and Ride for all ticket holders.
On a personal note, The Parlotones is one of Howzit-HongKong’s favourite local outfits and thoroughly deserve their place on the world stage. While we adore Laurika Rauch (and even Koos Kombuis’) version of Lisa se Klavier, we love what the guys have done with this Afrikaans classic. Here is one of our favourite Parlotones tunes:
Cheers to my good friend Mark Anderson who introduced me to Afrikaans music (and Meyers Rum) way back in Taiwan. I still have your signed copy of Laurika Rauch’s CD. 谢谢 Xie Xie Ni Mark.
