Concert Review:  Thabani Gapara Project – Ponsonby Social Club, Auckland   September 5, 2020

Thabani Gapara is a young Zimbabwe-born Jazz musician, currently domiciled in Auckland, who plays like he’s been around for years.

His band simmers and cooks and continually hits peaks all through their two sets. We are all wondering how to get off our knees. Here are some of the first Pied Pipers.

I’m not sure how old Thabani is, but he holds a Diploma of Jazz and Popular Music dated 2006 from the University of Kwazulu in Natal. He has played with many South African musicians including a Super Group, Sweet Concept. In New Zealand he has accompanied acts like Katchafire, Stan Walker, House of Shem, Hipstamatics, just to name a few.

The rest of the band match the virtuosic talent of the saxophone-playing leader. Nathan James on guitar, Stallone D’Sousa on keyboards, Isaac Etimani bass guitar and Elijah Whyte drums.

Chisa begins the night and is a great melodic Pop Jazz workout for the saxophone. The songwriter is Abdullah Ibraham, I think. The tune sounds naggingly familiar and has that special bright and effervescent quality typical of music from the bottom of Africa.

As is the whole evening of music these guys lay out tonight. The same that Paul Simon and Malcolm McLaren tapped into. The big funky soulful grab me a piece of that bottom. Only element missing tonight is dancers shaking their money-makers.

Does anyone else think how puritanical and unsexy all this social distancing is? I gotta dance to keep from crying.

Next is a Stevie Wonder song I Can’t Help It. Starts with a funky wah-wah keyboard groove, but all the players get to work out here. Some fast guitar riffs with a tone that sounds like it’s a synth-guitar (or maybe it’s an effects pedal). Saxophone struts like a little red rooster at times. Great drumming throughout.

Motown informs a lot of the music and it gets a fantastic workout with I Want You Back, the Jackson Five’s breakout classic. Short riffs from the bass, melodic voice from sax. And then they give the drummer some. Superb solo, super-fast and syncopated but light on its feet.

Hymn for Taiwa is Soul Jazz. Melodic sax which is mellow and sweet and then ventures off into fast riffs with high-pitched screams at the top. And then they bring it back to sweet again.

 An original composition is called When Days Are Dark, Friends Are Few. But it is the opposite of dark. The bass stretches out and walks. The keyboards swirl. The sound again has that early Seventies Motown Soul Pop bounce of the classic Jackson Five period.

Another original, Family starts with rhythm on sticks. Light and fast saxophone. Guitar player ascending and descending with fast riffs reminding me of John McLaughlin.

On the Beach is tailor-made for Auckland. In the afternoon sun, a soft breeze, mellow music. The bass is fluid and limber. Saxophone then comes back in takes us for a ride in an open-top.

There were a lot of highlights in the show tonight. The audience were appreciative and enthusiastic. Sound at Ponsonby Social continues to be superb. Great that they are leading the charge again.

Thabani Gapara Project I sense will be putting it out there too. And you can get out and do the Hip Shake, Babe.

Rev Orange Peel