Melanie Scholtz and Kenyan pianist Aaron Rimbui: Reflections on Mama Africa

The spirit and legacy of Miriam Makeba’s genre-defying pan-African genius continues in the inspired works of South African vocalist Melanie Scholtz and Kenyan pianist Aaron Rimbui.  A project that weaves together iconic works associated with Makeba alongside originals by Scholtz and by Rimbui, offers a wide-ranging view into modern African music. Straight-ahead Jazz gives way to live looping effects and prepared piano in a performance that honors Makeba’s music while also embracing a new path forward for contemporary African music.

A Cape Town native, Melanie Scholtz has been a major artist on the South African scene since the early 2000s, releasing five acclaimed albums, working with jazz legend and Miriam Makeba’s one-time husband Hugh Masekela, and touring the world with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in 2019.

A timeless artist and towering figure Nelson Mandela called “South Africa’s first lady of song,” Miriam Makeba was pivotal in bringing African music to a Western audience and was a symbol of resistance to minority white rule in South Africa during apartheid.