Even though The Metrophones Band, a local upcoming Jazz group delivered a sterling opening performance, Sibel Köse Trio, who were the main acts of the day, brought life to the event with a variety of Jazz songs from different Jazz maestros across the world.
They later invited a young local drummer who is also a member of The Grow to Black CollectiveJ Dylan Lebekwe to perform with them. The young man, who evidently enjoyed performing along the Turkey stars, gave the performance his all which left the audience thrilled.
The trio includes; Sibel Köse, Kaan Bıyıkoğlu, and Çağlayan Yıldız. The three musicians had been playing for many years and their live performances revealed the special rapport and interplay that they developed through knowing each other for a long time. According to their profile, in addition to many performances in Turkey, they performed together as a trio in 2019 at the Vientiane Jazz Festival in Laos, and concerts at Living Room-Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit (Bangkok/Thailand) and at the Turkish Embassy in Bandar Seri Begavan (Brunei).
The unique interplay of these three Turkish musicians is witnessed through a rich repertory of Jazz standards, including songs from the Great American Songbook by composers like George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, and a variety of selected pieces by Jazz masters such as Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Benny Golson. Their repertory also showcases tunes from different parts of the world, including Turkish folk songs, Bossa Novas from Brazil, Tangos from Argentine, and Chansons Françaises. Later that evening, The Grow to Black Collective band also mesmerised the audience with beautiful performances.
The Grow to Black Collective is a live Jazz-Fusion band by Laone Thekiso (composer, pianist) with drummer Lebekwe, and bassist Ronald Chikwase. Fusing Jazz with aspects of other musical styles, their goal is to lead their audience through an unforgettable sonic journey, built on structure, realised by improvisation.
Their soon to be released debut album, ‘Nexus’ contains a diversity of tunes. The title tune contains musical elements which recur in other tunes. Co-founding DJ and engineer Maleho “Lex” Makgothi described the band’s experience as “classical music in form, but with a lot of improvisation.” He said the music was a collection of vast, exploratory, piano-led musical canvases, which flow through Afro-Jazz, contemporary neo-soul, and cool Jazz. The band was formed in 2019, where its first offering, was an EP called “Tosa: Dian Echo”, was produced by Another Tuesday record store and mixed by Makgothi and Thekiso. The EP featured bassist Pako Musa, guitarist Bruno Smet, drummer and producer, Leroy Nyoni, and saxophonist Mopati Molosiwa.
On the other hand, according to their profile, The Metrophones stand as the premier choice for corporate entertainment, infusing events with a dynamic blend of musical excellence and charismatic performance. It further states that the band was founded by Metropolitan Botswana as their corporate social responsibility project, with a vision to invest in musicians and enhance the music industry in Botswana.
