Nnunu performs at Masuku�s birthday
Gasebalwe Seretse | Thursday September 11, 2014 11:24
Speaking to Showbiz upon her return, the songbird said that she felt honoured to have both made it on the guest list and performed at the event.
“As you know Dorothy Masuku belongs to a high ranking league of South African jazz legends and I was really honoured to have been invited by the star. It was a cherry on the top that I was given the chance to perform at the event,” said Nnunu, adding that she sang two of her songs namely Role La Tsie and Mmasonoko at the Orbit Jazz Club in South Africa.
The artist added that as far as Afro-jazz is concerned, Masuku belonged to the top class that includes the likes of Merriam Amoeba, Hugh Masekela, Dolly Rathebe, Abigail Khubekha, Letta Mbuli, Caiphus Semenya, Sibongile Khumalo, Mara Louw and many others who have since passed on.
When Showbiz quizzed her on how she got hand-picked by such a legend to perform at her birthday party, Nnunu said, “There is a beauty parlour in Gaborone which I normally visit and is owned by a close relative of Mama Masuku.”
“The owners also happen to be my fans and when they heard that I looked up to Mama Dorothy they hooked us up. It is apparent that she loved my music because she chose me among many other jazz artists to perform at the event,” she said.
She said that one of the highlights of the event for her was meeting Letta Mbuli who, together with her husband Caiphus Semenya, have been the crème de la crème of Afro-jazz in South Africa and the world over.
Nnunu revealed to Showbiz that the Orbit Jazz Club has shown interest in bringing her back to the club to perform.
According to the artist, the club is one of the biggest jazz clubs in the southern hemisphere.
“I have seen the wall of fame at the club and realised that only the best of the best have performed there so it would be a great honour for me to go back there,” she said.
The artist said Masuku asked her to do a ‘collabo’ with her. She pointed out that a jazz collaboration is very expensive as compared to those in other genres, as it involves live artists and a single recording session could easily cost P 30,000.
Nnunu travelled to South Africa courtesy of Streethorn and was accompanied by friend and promoter, Zenzele Hirschfeld.
Masuku was born on September 3, 1935.