When every day is Sunday

Jazz musician Sydney Mavundla reflects on the legacy and evolution of the genre and respecting tradition while embracing the future

- Lesego Chepape

A typical Sunday in most South African households and neighbourhoods is bursting with vibrancy, tradition and the warmth of community.

The air smells of Sunday lunch tender meat roasting in the oven, the pungent aroma of gravy thickening on the stove and the sweetness of mealie bread fresh out of the pot.

Children play barefoot on the streets, their laughter echoing as the sound of a kettle blends with the soft murmurs of adults deep in conversation.

On the pavements, some people are parked in the shade, hunched over their plates as they nurse the effects of their weekend revelries the infamous “babbelas”.

Others are doing laundry, washing windows and putting up freshly cleaned curtains, their movements steady and ritualistic.

And then there is Gogo, in her Sunday church uniform, holding the hands of her grandchildren as they walk to the nearest taxi stop.

They're headed to church, where the sound of hymns will intertwine with the jazzy undertones of the nation's heartbeat.

Imagine all of this, set to the soulful and improvisational rhythm of South African jazz a sound as rich and layered as the country's history.

This is the South Africa we know and love a place where music flows through the streets, finding its way into the daily rhythm of life.

However, Sydney Mavundla, a passionate jazz musician, has posed a thought-provoking question: “Why should jazz music be played mostly on Sundays? Why can't jazz, a genre that speaks to the soul, be appreciated every day of the week, just like any other form of music?”

Mavundla, whose connection to jazz runs deep, has spent a lifetime answering this question through his music.

From the early days of church services, to sharing stages with legendary musicians, he is living proof jazz is not just for Sundays it is an expression of life itself, meant to be heard, felt and appreciated every day.