Wambali dates Blantyre for jazz weekend

Jazz lovers in Blantyre will this month enjoy a rare treat from the legendary Wambali Mkandawire when he performs in the commercial city on January 30 and 31.

The artist rarely performs and this is going to be his first appearance since launching his eighth album Calabrash Breath last July.

He is expected to hold two shows at M-Theatre at Chichiri Shopping Centre, according to concert organiser Tawonga Nkhonjera of Dikamawoko Arts.

“The Saturday show is a black tie corporate event, for corporate institutions, private investors and business players in Blantyre. We noticed how international jazz artists are invited to Malawi and always play in Lilongwe so we wanted to give Blantyre some of that jazz, but also introduce to the corporate sector some good art which they can support since the cry has always been that our art is sub-par,” he said.

According to Nkhonjera, the Sunday afternoon show is for the social sector; people that want to have a chilled jazzy Sunday with family and friends.

“Mind you Wambali is giving people a special treat as this will be the first time he is performing in Blantyre after five years. So, people need to come out in their large numbers for this once-in-a-lifetime concert,” he said.

Nkhonjera said the performances mark a new chapter in Malawi’s jazz books as they aim at reviving the love for this genre of music.

“With these concerts we want to reach out to the corporate market, to introduce to them great art of international standards and lay the gauntlet to say, here we are as artists. We have the good art, give us your support.

“For a long time, the corporate market is reluctant to buy into the art, or to support the art, because the art was of low quality and unmarketable locally and internationally,” he said. n