UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, JOHANNESBURG

Carlo Mombelli & The Prisoners Of Strange

Carlo MombelliCarlo Mombelli describes his music as: “Spontaneous Freestyle Chamber music”

“Carlo Mombelli’s music is that of a quintessential Prisoner of Strange. It’s visionary, emotional and experimental, in a society that doesn’t applaud artistry and integrity. His music sits on the cusp of sanity, where madness and brilliance share space, where true art resides. Mombelli has found in his music the expressive soul of the developing world mixed with the technical profundity of the classical world.”   The Sunday Independent

“The name Carlo Mombelli is considered to be one of the most prestigious on the South African music scene. Known for breaking moulds of composing and fusing the avant-garde with more depth-ful, soulful sounds, and minimalist lyrics that make one ponder, he is an artist whose talent has managed to sustain this artist’s reputation over the year”  -  The Citizen

Line-Up
Siya Makuzeni  - voice and trombone
Ilke Lea Alexander - flute and piccolo
Sydney Mnisi - tenor sax and flute
Clement Benny - drums
Carlo Mombelli - bass and mandolin
And special guest: Malcolm Nay - acoustic piano

SHORT PRESS BIOGRAPHY

South African bassist/composer Carlo Mombelli started his professional playing career in the band of one of South Africa’s most important jazz guitarists, the late Johnny Fourie. In 1985 Carlo started the group ‘Abstractions’ developing and performing his original compositions at weekly gigs in  downtown Johannesburg clubs like Jameson’s and Kippies, as well as a weekly midnight solo bass set at the Black Sun in Berea. His band Abstractions recorded for Shifty records.

Carlo has since recorded and performed at many festivals around the world, including the Rome International Villa Celimontana Jazz Festival, the Stockholm Jazz Festival, the Moers and the ‘Leipziger Jazztage’ festivals in Germany, as well as the Paris Banlieues Bleues Jazz festival, with amongst others, Egberto Gismonti, Lee Konitz, Mick Goodrick, Charlie Mariano, and the ‘Ethel String Quartet’.

Back home he can be heard as a bassist on many South African recordings with amongst others, Tony Cox, Johnny Fourie, Tlale Makhene, Zim Ngqawana, Marcus Wyatt, Simphiwe Dana, Sibongile Khumalo and Miriam Makeba. Besides the many ballets that have been choreographed to his music, he has also recorded several CD’s and DVD’s of his own works and has been nominated three times for a SAMA (South African Music Awards).

He has given composition and performance workshops around the world from the Munich Richard Strauss Conservatory to the ‘Berklee College of Music’ in Boston, USA. Carlo currently teaches jazz studies and composition at The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Johannesburg, where he received his doctorate in composition (DMus) in 2009.

For more info go to www.carlomombelli.com
09 May 2012
19h00
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Admission:

Atrium

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