Jazz In The Key Of Freedom

Kesivan Naidoo is one of the most highly regarded jazz musicians of his generation. His masterful drumming style, which can switch from laid-back groove to all-out intensity at a moments notice, is the stuff of legend.

Hes shared stages with greats such as Miriam Makeba, Bheki Mseleku, Winston Mankunku, Abdullah Ibrahim and Louis Moholo-Moholo. And hes done everything from winning the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Jazz to playing a sold-out show at the historic Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Born at the tail end of the Seventies, Naidoo made his on-stage debut at the tender age of 14 at the Hogsback Arts Festival in the Eastern Cape, playing with the Webster Jazz Quintet.

That was in 1993, the year before South Africa would hold its first democratic elections, so the story of Naidoos musical journey has moved in lockstep with that of a free, if not always fair, South Africa.

Now based in Switzerland, Naidoo created a show to commemorate 30 years of SAs democracy and performed it in Basel to a rapturous reception. Now, hes bringing it home with a series of performances starting at the music festival Journey to Jazz in Prince Albert in May.