Kalahari Roses, a group made up of six of some of Botswana’s finest musicians put on a spectacular show this past Friday night at Botswana Craft much to the delight of jazz lovers. The afro-jazz maestros have embarked on a tour to Germany for the launch of their new Tswana/German/Irish collaboration album dubbed Tales from Botswana which was recorded in 2012 at Botswana Craft.
The team comprises of Nnunu Ramogotsi, Kearoma Rantao and Letso Motshediemang on vocals, Kabo Leburu on guitar, harmonica and vocals, Kabelo Tamukate on bass guitar and Wynton Senwelo handling the drums. The Tales from Botswana album launch is a result of their collaboration with the European band, Celtic Fusion. The idea of this potent collaboration was born when German national and Celtic Fusion member, Nobert Volker approached Leburu after one of the latter’s performances at a Tlokweng jazz spot, Eros Garden.
Jazz lovers who came out to support the Kalahari Roses crew despite the chilly weather in the city were treated to a night of musical wonders as the Kalahari Roses crew gave out their best in a relaxed environment. The crowd turnout was fairly good and the show was a overall success, attracting a mature age group which comprised mainly of couples.
Joanna Finch, an American national who was in attendance shared with Time Out; “I am not a big fan of jazz but I quite love the voices of these artists. The voices are so powerful and the music is touching, touching in a good and happy way. I had no idea what the lyrics of the songs mean, but let me tell you something, I danced my butt off!”
Ramogotsi said, “the whole point of the show was to give Batswana a taste of what we will be sharing with the Europeans. Batswana are, after all, the people who made us and we appreciate the love and support shown by our people tonight. We have worked really hard on this album and hope that the Europeans will be blown away by our music.”
This historic musical collaboration saw the birth of 11 new songs which are a fusion of ingredients from the Afro-jazz, pop and folk music. The recording sessions saw many talented local musicians including Shanti Lo, Puna Gabasiane and Berry Heart among others come together and put forward ideas and vocals that contributed towards the creation of the album.
The driving groove and the unique voices of Africa meet the melodic and harmonic sense of the European music in Tales from Botswana. The project is sponsored by Department of Arts and Culture, Botswana Tourism Organization and the German Embassy in Botswana.