Featuring acclaimed jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and Grammy-nominated pianist Chris Pattishall, Incwadi celebrates the rich musical heritage of Sotashe’s home country, South Africa. The program includes traditional folk songs in Zulu, Sepedi, and Xhosa, choral works by Michael Moreane and Bheki Mseleku, and originals by Vuyo Sotashe, all presented in fresh arrangements for voice, piano, and strings by Chris Patishall. Incwadi explores connections between American jazz, South African traditional music, and European classical music, moving fluidly between traditions in a spirit of exploration and joy.
Repertoire
Sylvia (1960) - Michael Moerane (1904-1980), arr. Chris Pattishall
Mus'ukundilahla Nkosi - Trad. Xhosa, arr. Chris Pattishall
Iyanetha - Princess Magogo ka Dinuzulu (b. 1900), arr. Chris Pattishall
Hosana Enyangweni - Trad, arr. Chris Pattishall
Madlamini (2015) - Vuyo Sotashe (b. 1989), arr. Chris Pattishall
Through The Years (1993) - Bheki Mseleku, Abbey Lincoln, arr. Chris Pattishall
Seliyana (2004) - Victor Ntoni (1947-2013), arr. Chris PattishallAbantu (2020) - Zoe Modiga + BandaBanda, arr. Chris Pattishall
Chris Pattishall is a pianist and composer known for his stylistic breadth, sense of detail, and surrealist inclinations. His debut album Zodiac was called “a startling achievement” by the New York Times. He is a featured performer on a number of film scores, including Everything Everywhere All At Once and Knives Out and he co-composed the score to Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Vuyo (Vuyolwethu) Sotashe is an award-winning New York-based jazz vocalist and composer, originally from the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Since moving to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar, Sotashe has performed with jazz legends including Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jimmy Heath, Al Jarreau, and Winard Harper. He has appeared at Montreux Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and Newport Jazz Fest, and was the first male vocalist to place in the finals of the Thelonious Monk Institute competition.
Photo: Yoon S. Byun