Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
MARABI maestro, Jeys Marabini believes his upcoming tour of the United Kingdom is a game-changer, marking a new chapter in a career that has spanned over three decades.
Put together by Farai Shanyai of Shanyai Promotions, the tour will bring together some of the best musicians from both Zimbabwe and South Africa, with Marabini set to be joined by Zahara, Tshedi from Malaika, Freddy Gwala, Lady Bee, Ma9nine, Agga Nyabinde and other special guests that are yet to be named.
The tour, dubbed Rhythms of Southern Africa: A Musical Journey, will kick off at Cambridge Junction (Clifton Way, Cambridge) on 4 November and then proceed to Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts (Les Ozoutes Road, St Peter Port, Guernsey) on 2 December.
In an interview with Sunday Life, Marabini said he was eager to return to the UK for the first time in over two decades. He said getting invited for the gig was also a testament to his own longevity as an artiste.
“I am over the moon and looking forward to the tour. I was last in the UK in 2001 and that is something that I find exciting. I am going there with a full band which is great because we don’t play back tracks, but instead we want to show the extent to which we have mastered this music thing. I am happy that this has been a good year for me.
“I am very happy that my 33 years in the music industry are now starting to pay off and I guess it’s true when they say that some musicians mature just like wine. We become exquisite as we grow. Going there to perform for a different audience perhaps shows that my music is unique and at long last it’s been appreciated by people that are not necessarily based in my home country,” he said.
Jeys Marabini
Marabini said while some might take the tour lightly, he viewed it as testament to the importance of maintaining his own unique sound in an industry in which a lot of artistes are trying to mimic the latest trends.
“I have been longing for this opportunity for a long time and maybe it is an opportune time for me to say, patience pays, perseverance pays and hard work pays. Staying power in the music industry pays because if I had quit when things were difficult, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am still here and I am going strong and in fact I think I am even stronger than before.
“I have always prided myself in the fact that my music is unique and different. There’s no one who sounds like I do and that is because I designed my music to feel exactly that way. I respect my roots and the people who brought me to this world and that is what you hear in my music. That is why we want to perform for audiences that are outside our comfort zones because we want them to get a taste of this gift that God gave our people. If we don’t take our music to audiences to people out there, who then will be our ambassadors in the world of music,” he said.
Marabini acknowledged Shanyai Promotions for bringing an artiste from Bulawayo, something that had not happened in over two decades.
“I feel that I am ready for the international stage now because I believe that in the past few years, I have gone up a level or two in terms of craftsmanship as a musician. I want to thank Shanyai Events who thought of including me in this great list of musicians, some of who are from South Africa. This is the first time this has ever happened and I think it will open a lot of doors for other artistes from Matabeleland. Everything has been handled in a professional manner and that is what has pleased us the most,” he said.
Marabini said he was convinced that this latest gig would open new doors for him and his band, as he gradually starts to shift focus from the local to the international scene.
“From November, life will never be the same for Jeys Marabini and his band because we are going on the international stage,” he said.