Support our efforts, sign up to a full membership!
(Start for free)
Register or login with just your e-mail address
Jazz 30/05/2017

Jazz Pianist/Composer Ramon Alexander With His CD 'Echoes From Louwskloof' Paying Homage To His Musical Forefathers Birthplace

Hot Songs Around The World

Strangers
Kenya Grace
442 entries in 24 charts
Lovin On Me
Jack Harlow
293 entries in 22 charts
Popular
Weeknd, Playboi Carti & Madonna
266 entries in 18 charts
Lose Control
Teddy Swims
316 entries in 25 charts
Beautiful Things
Benson Boone
159 entries in 24 charts
Water
Tyla
306 entries in 20 charts
Stick Season
Noah Kahan
313 entries in 19 charts
Houdini
Dua Lipa
285 entries in 26 charts
Unwritten
Natasha Bedingfield
291 entries in 22 charts
Si No Estas
Inigo Quintero
283 entries in 17 charts
Greedy
Tate McRae
621 entries in 28 charts
Cruel Summer
Taylor Swift
572 entries in 20 charts
Anti-Hero
Taylor Swift
615 entries in 23 charts
Snooze
SZA
223 entries in 13 charts
Jazz Pianist/Composer Ramon Alexander With His CD 'Echoes From Louwskloof' Paying Homage To His Musical Forefathers Birthplace
New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Ramon Alexander was influenced by the brassy sounds of Moravian hymns and the surviving legacy of Khoisan music. On Echoes from Louwskloof, the obvious pride that the artist takes in his roots comes through quite strongly.
"Echoes from Louwskloof" is a timeless legacy of one man's reflection on his musical and homely heritage. Enjoy it!" - Granville Skippers
"Louwskloof was a place close to home where a Khoi captain, Klapmuts, and his people roamed when the German missionaries set up shop in Groenekloof, South Afrcia [today it's known as Mamre] at the turn of the 1800s".

It's apparent that that Ramon reveals his special connection to a place, past and present as these historical tidbits flow through his music.

On the issue of a Cape jazz musical legacy Ramon states, "It is undeniably part of our culture, it is a cosmopolitan sound coming from places like District 6. The actual rhythm is from the East, rattiep. In a country where our youth is in search for identity and culture, this music definitely has relevance. It is a very indigenous thing."

The tune "Louwskloof se mense" takes up the subject of "some of the first inhabitants of Moravian Mamre [who] were then converted to Christianity." Moreover, on "Sons and Captains" the style and sound is decidedly ghoema, the genre within jazz that evokes mixed emotions: the jazz purists deride it, while others embrace it as "roots music".

"Louwskloof se mense" (The people of Louwskloof) pays homage to Ramon's hometown in Mamre, north of Cape Town. Punchy bass and piano lines with a raspy sax introduce a reflective piece of a legacy left by the Khoisan forefathers of Louwskloof. Ramon Alexander's "Echoes from Louwskloof" is a timeless legacy of one man's reflection on his musical and homely heritage. Enjoy it!" ~ Granville Skippers

Alexander's musical forefathers take centre stage in this more roots-inflected jazz style. Musicians Mac Mackenzie, Abdullah Ibrahim and Robbie Jansen have done a lot to give this a noteworthy place in the jazz spectrum.

"Sons and Captains" encapsulates both complimentary and contradictory strands in Ramon's music: the past and the present; pre-jazz and within jazz; derision and homage. It signals another inclusion to the fresh cohort of jazz musician that has emerged fully able to take over from the previous generation - the "Captains" have steered the ship well and have handed over the helm to the sons who are ably taking control at the helm. This new crew will take Cape jazz to places it has never been before. (Sons and Captains - Shot in Studios while recording the Echoes from Louwskloof Album https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpRpqIg9v74)

"Ramon Alexander is a breath of fresh air, he takes you on a musical journey creating a landscape of rhythmic interplay that showcases his legacy and heritage" says Jaijai Jackson of The Jazz Network Worldwide.

Ramon was fifteen when his interest in jazz was first piqued, he became fascinated with a Cuban band called Como No. and started listening to Shakatak, Fourplay, Dave Grusin, Joe Sample and The Crusaders, Bob James, Djavan and Lee Ritenour.

After being introduced to a more mainstream form of jazz through his lessons with Cape Town's foremost jazz teacher, Merton Barrow's jazz workshop he was exposed to the music of Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea.

Ramon has performed at diverse music festivals such as the Suidooster Fees, Aardklop, the Cedeberg Fees, Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) and most recently at the Borneo International Jazz Festival in Miri, Malaysia.

In addition, he has performed at Jazz on the Rocks (both Plettenberg Bay and Tieties Bay) and the Darling Music Experience and KKNK. With the inclusion of the Crypt, Ramon regularly plays at the i-Studios Lapa where he recently hosted a Legend Series, paying tribute to the countries Jazz Legends that paved the way for current Jazz artists.

He currently performs with the bassist Chadleigh Gowar, the drummer Annemie Nel, the saxophonist Zeke le Grange and Dustin Julius. Ramon is seeking to bring his artistry to worldwide jazz stages in the coming year.

Be sure to catch Ramon's feature on https://www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com. To learn more go to https://www.ramonalexander.co.za. 'Echoes from Louwskloof ' can be purchased on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/ramon-alexander/id686872501 and can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ramon.alexander1?fref=ts.






Most read news of the week


© 2001-2024
top40-charts.com (S4)
about | site map
contact | privacy
Page gen. in 0.0092959 secs // 4 () queries in 0.0044889450073242 secs