Muneeb Hermans: Blending Cape heritage with traditional jazz

FROM blowing his trumpet in the Klopse to blending that vibrant street culture into a distinctive jazz sound, Muneeb Hermans, 30, from Hanover Park, has turned tradition into triumph — now set to headline his own project at the prestigious Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF).

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

Hermans first picked up the trumpet at around age 11, after joining the Kaapse Klopse (Cape Minstrels).

"The first year I was walking with the umbrella," Hermans recalled, laughing."The next year, that trumpet was in my hands and that's where the journey really started." While the Klopse is sometimes met with criticism, for Hermans, it was his launch pad.

"A lot of people focus on the negative, but that's where I found music," Hermans said.

"It's all about what you make with your God given talent."

Today, Hermans fuses his Cape heritage rhythms complete with Ghoema with traditional American jazz, creating a sound that's as personal as it is powerful.