251AFRIKA
A Journey Through Music
SHORT BIO
Behind the Music
251AFRIKA, a well-renowned Jazz Band, is made up of a talented team of creative musicians. Based in Katlehong, they have a storied history of live performances, musical arrangements, and professional recording sessions. They pride themselves on their technical abilities and musical versatility, breaking boundaries with their unique sound.
ABOUT
251Afrika
Formed in 2017, 251Afrika is a Johannesburg/Katlehong based African Jazz Band, playing hypnotic fusions of African jazz, Traditional Music, Blues and Umbhaqanga. Influenced mostly by African styles of music has enabled the band to develop a new sound and genre which they refer to as "African Spiritual Jazz".
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In their three-years history, They have played in well known venues as well as big music festival such as the Moretele Park Tribute Concert, Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, Maropeng Cradle Colour Festival to mention a few, and have been continuously writing new material with the view to release their first Single in May 2020 and EP in June 2020.
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251Afrika’s songs are fresh and familiar at the same time, with absolutely addictive melodies. A fusion of what is gone before, yet a unique melange of what is right now.
251AFRIKA
The band
Coming together to form a professional Jazz Band back in 2017, the collaborative efforts of 251AFRIKA were born out of a strong desire to make a living doing what they loved the most: playing music. Since then, they’ve turned their passion into a success by seamlessly adapting their talents to the musical collective 251AFRIKA - a creative whole greater than the sum of it’s parts. Get to know the Band members below:
SIMO SIBIYA
Founder, Band Manager, Composer, Alto Saxophonist and Pianist
LUNGA G GUBELANA
Founder, Tenor and Alto saxophonist, Composer and Music Director
BRIAN SOMERS
Trumpeter
TSHWEU TSOTETSI
Percussion
THATO MOLOI
Drummer
THEMBA SEBEA
Electric Bass guitar
TUMELO MAHOA
Pianist, Arranger and Composer
BANDILE MKHWANAZI
Song writer, Lyricist and Vocalist
MPUMELELO MOLETSANE
Trumpet, Flugel horn, Arranger and Composer
LUCKY MOLETSANE
Trombone and Music Arranger
MPHO TSWALE
Composer, Arranger and Pianist
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PERFOMANCES
Past Events
CRADLE COLOUR FESTIVAL (MAROPENG)
September 2018
Cradle colour festival is a fun event, celebrating our heritage and promoting the spirit of unity & humanity in Colour at an iconic & richly historical venue.
MORETELE PARK TRIBUTE CONCERT
September 2018
Moretele Park Tribute Concert is a spectacular music event hosted in Moretele Park on the east of Pretoria. The event takes place annually, end of August.
MOSHITO MUSIC CONFERENCE
September 2018
Moshito is an annual music conference and exhibition that takes place in South Africa. The event is a partnership between, primarily, the Department of Arts and Culture, and Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition.
Moshito is underpinned by a commitment to giving South African music industry stakeholders credible business intelligence, enabling them to make informed decisions that will enable them to build a defendable competitive advantage in the marketplace for their companies. This it does in order to strengthen the South African music industry's global competitiveness.
UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG, RHYTHM OF THE BANDS WEEKEND OF JAZZ
August 2019
The Joburg music-loving audiences are in for a treat this August with UJ Arts & Culture’s second iteration of the UJ Weekend of Jazz taking place at the UJ Arts Centre on the Auckland Park Campus in Johannesburg from 23 -25 August.
Curated with the young and young-at-heart in mind, the programme nods to the ‘nostalgia’ of the genre and area, while offering new ways to experience the magic of music. With the UJ Arts & Culture theme #FollowYourHeART at the core of the programme, the weekend’s line-up, curated by the Jozi Unsigned, is set to offer something for all UJ Arts & Culture audiences – UJ staff, students and alumni, and of course, the Joburg public.
STANDARD BANK JOY OF JAZZ, SBJOJ22
September 2019
Takes place in Johannesburg, Africa’s greatest city; a bold and pulsating metropolis. The people work hard and play hard, they immerse themselves in the finest music at the Standard Bank Joy of
Jazz.
Features 90% JAZZ and 10% sub-genre of jazz.
You can hear Straight Ahead Jazz, the various African Jazz sounds –
Kwela and Marabi, avant-garde jazz, R & B, Acid Jazz, World Music and everything in between and around.
AND MANY MORE.
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