Asher Gamedze

In 2023, South African drummer, composer, historian and activist Asher Gamedze, part of Angel Bat Dawid's Tha Brotherhood and a companion of pianist Nduduzo Makhatini, released "Turbulence & Pulse", a stroke of genius inspired by Charles Mingus' sound of the early 60s and taking up the political impulse of the mid-sixties - a rhythmically complex reflection on the meaning of time, movement and heartbeat in music and history, and what this has to do with the present: "Turbulent times call for extreme measures!", it says in the opening track. His debut "Dialectic Soul" from 2020 already appeared in many annual best lists. His music draws on South African sounds, free jazz and fire music; it has an awareness of the social contexts of artistic activity - for Gamedze, jazz is memory work and utopia. He sees his pieces as a basis for creating magical moments in a collective.

And the magic happens live!