Newport Live and Norman Bird Sanctuary present South African jazz legend McCoy Mrubata, in a performance with his Quartet, on their last date in the US before returning to South Africa. The show will be held at 7:00 PM on Friday, June 16th at Norman Bird Sanctuary as part of the Third Annual Summer Outdoor Series at 583 Third Beach Avenue in Middletown. Tickets are available through EventBrite and via Newport Live and Norman Bird Sanctuary website.
Thanks to Newport Live, we have a pair of tickets to give away to this show. E-mail Ken Abrams at mrabrams11@gmail.com by 5PM on Monday, June 12 for your chance to see the McCoy Mrubata Quartet at Norman Bird Sanctuary on June 16. We’ll notify the winner on Tuesday June 13.
More about McCoy Mrubata:
Called “A living legend of South African jazz” by Jazz Times, McCoy Mrubata was born in 1959 in the township of Langa, Cape Town, South Africa. He was surrounded in childhood by many African hymns, from the sounds of Zion churches to the brassy music of the Merry Macs band who rehearsed opposite his home. With the difficulty of living under the apartheid government and the 1976’s uprising, McCoy left school and followed his music passion. His instrument then was flute, which he studied informally under Madoda Gxabeka, the Ngcukanas, Winston Ngozi, Ezra and many Langa greats.
While touring in the 1980s, he was spotted by bandleader Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, who helped him make Johannesburg his home. Mrubata engaged with many other bands, leading to the opportunity of a recording deal by producer Koloi Lebona with a British-based record company named Zomba Records in 1988. The following year Mrubata released his debut album Firebird and went on to form Brotherhood, a band with names such as guitarist Jimmy Dludlu, pianist Nhlanhla Magagula and Lucas Khumalo winning the Gilbey’s Music for Africa prize in 1990.
In 1992 Mrubata joined Hugh Masekela’s Lerapo and toured the world, playing alongside guitarist Lawrence Matshiza and pianist Moses Molelekwa. In the mid-1990s, he made the first of a series of albums as a leader, with Face the Music winning the 2003 South African Music Award (SAMA) in the Traditional Jazz category.
Besides his international musical journey, Mrubata also did some scoring work for South African productions about journalist Bloke Modisane and in 2001 starred in a Norwegian production based on the life of John Coltrane. In June 2007 Mrubata traveled with Paul Hanmer to Congo DR and Kinshasa to participate in conducting music workshops with Belgian and Congolese musicians for a local jazz festival. In 2008, he won his third SAMA in the category Best Traditional Jazz Album for his album The Brasskap Sessions Volume 1.
Bring a picnic to the Norman Bird Sanctuary, under the stars, by the sea. Beer and wine for sale by our friends at Ragged Island Brewing and Newport Vineyards. Click here for tickets.
