IVAN MAZUZE STRIKES A CHORD OF CULTURAL HARMONY

CURRENTLY, in Canada, Ivan Mazuze, a Norway-based composer, award-winning saxophonist and world jazz artist of Mozambique origin, is preparing for the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF).

- DANIEL YOUNG [e-mail]

His album titled Penuka explores Arab and Indian cultures and their influences on traditional African music.

The album was celebrated with a concert at the renowned Cosmopolite Scene in Oslo, Norway, on October 11, 2024.

As he continues to achieve mile-stones in his career, this year, he returns to a much-evolved Cape Town Interna-tional Jazz Festival, having previously performed at the 2011 edition.

Mazuze initiated his studies in music in 1987 at the National Music School in his home country, Mozam-bique. Piano was his first instrument and after seven years of classical piano training, he joined the woodwind sec-tion with a jazz study approach and a focus on improvisation. He continued his studies at the University of Cape Town in the Department of Jazz and Musicology.