When
I got the instruction to interview Moreira Chonguica. I was so scared; I do not
know anything about Jazz!!!
I
always thought I was too immature to understand or appreciate Jazz. So I
started my new journey, slowly and carefully. I always try and understand
who and what the artist is before I start writing about it. I love to
feel the music before I can get the words out of me. Moreira is an icon and I
did not know, so my bad. I started to learn more about the man behind the
music. I learned so much from him and of Jazz that my brain is still
trying to wrap around all this greatness. I guess there is so much more
to learn and this will take time no doubt.
But what I learned is that Jazz is humble in its magnificence.
That it can blow your mind without even trying. That it has talented people
driving it, and it will change the way you think if you just start exploring.
The music of Moreira Chonguica will intoxicate your soul with its rhythm.
I think I just scraped the very tip of the Jazz tunes, but I am
intrigued, I am in awe.
I have also learned so much from Moreira Chonguica, the man behind
the sound in such a short time of investigation I now understand. There is no substitute for hard work. Practice makes
perfect.If you have passion, a way forward will become clear. Reinvent
yourself; do not let yourself become redundant.
These lessons I have learned can be applied in all walks of life
and if you have the love for your music, like Moreira Chonguica there will
always be a place for you.
Below is my e-mail interview with Moreira Chonguica, you will learn so much
about him as a musician as a human.
I am very grateful for the chance I had to start learning about Jazz from
Moreira Chonguica. I do not think I would have been so fascinated if I
started my journey with any other musician.
1) What moves and inspires you?
Life inspires me. I am inspired by people who do great things despite the odds. I am inspired by young people. I am inspired by good style,
good food, and great cars.
2) What can the next generation learn from your work ethics and art?
There is no substitute for hard work. Music required practice on a daily Basis. It is a craft and like all crafts, it requires attention. I
am quite A disciplined person which helps me to keep order around me so I
can
Concentrate on my music and projects. There is no such thing as an
overnight Success!
3) What musician made the biggest impact in your life?
There is no one musician. There are several. There are the music
teachers At school and at UCT that have had an impact on my life.
There is Najee (US Saxophonist) who promised to send me a saxophone for Christmas and
it Arrived on Christmas Eve! He restored my faith in people who make
promises. There is Manu Dibango who I met at the Millennium concert on
Robben Island And he took the time to chat to me 12 years ago and has kept up
the Friendship to the point of coming to Maputo this year to play with
his band. There are also people like Miles Davis who showed me that you need
to Entertain as well as perform on stage. I am also in awe of the
Brazilian Musicians and their audiences.
4) How do you keep yourself positive in the harder times?
I have so much to be grateful for. How can I not be positive? A few
years Ago when the gigs started to slow down, I realized that I could
not allow my Fate to be in the hands of a handful of promoters, I needed to
take control Of the situation myself and make things happen myself and that is
what I have been doing. It is not easy and there have been many sleepless
nights but it is worth it. I am accountable for my own life.
5) As a producer who would you still want to work with and why?
There are countless people I still hope to work with. I would love to produce in SA for the likes of Judith Sephuma, Zahara and Lira
because I enjoy the challenges that working with female vocalists bring.
There are complexities with vocalists that is exciting to produce. Hugh
Masekela because he has so much music still in him and internationally I
would love to work alongside icons Quincy Jones and Marcus Miller amongst
many others to learn from them. I would also like to work with some of the big
hip hop guys. They interest me in a number of ways.
6) I read as a young boy you “ran” away from music because soccer was cooler and your music were not as hip. What advice can you give to
young? Artists who love music but think they’re not as cool as others?
Peer pressure at a young age is a very powerful thing. If a young person loves music so much, they will find a way to balance doing 'cool'
stuff and the stuff they love.
Luckily today, thanks to the rise of the hip hop genre, music is not the 'Nerdy' thing it used to be. Even cool hip hop artists, like
JayZ, Common and 50 cents have to put in the graft.
7) What is your favored food?
I love sushi, curry, and good fish, meat...who am I kidding, I love good food but most of all, I love my Mum's traditional Mozambican
cooking!
8) Do you have any rituals or habits before a big show?
I like to be surrounded by my band and feel their energy before we go on stage. We laugh, tell stupid jokes. They are all sublime
musicians so I don’t need to worry that they won't know what they are doing.
I warm up my fingers, and bounce around a bit just too generally warm up.
9) Do you still get nervous before a show?
Yes I do. I am glad I do. It heightens the senses, sharpens me up
for the show and reminds me who I am playing for. It reminds me that
people have paid money to come and see me entertain them with what I know
best, my music.
10) Where was the best show you ever played? What makes it stand out?
I have been blessed so far to play some extraordinary shows. To mention a few….In 2010, I played at the CFM railway station in Maputo and
there were 3500 people crammed in there. We played for 3 hours without
stopping and it felt like 30 minutes. It was extraordinary. Earlier this
year, I played on the main stage of Cape Town International Jazz festival. It
was a great honour to be given such an amazing slot and a wonderful feeling to
play in front of such a large crowd in a home town. Later in
September this year, I played ahead of Manu Dibango just outside of Maputo. There
were 35 000 people at the concert. That has to be my largest crowd to
date.
11) You travelled all over the world - in your opinion what country gets the Essence of Jazz the best?
The European countries are very knowledgeable, The African countries are very appreciative but I would say when I was Chicago in the US, I
felt the essence of Jazz. The improvisation is insane.
12) You launched your album “Khanimambo: a Tribute to the Legends of Mozambique” in November last year, why a tribute album?
Mozambique has an extraordinary amount of elderly talented musicians who Have not seen the spotlight for many years and have been largely
forgotten. I wanted to honour these wonderful old people and thank them as a
young Musician for the contribution they have made to the country in my
own little way. It was a way of preserving some of the old music and bringing
it to the younger generations with a fresh sound. I was so humbled by the
trusting way the musicians gave me their music and the recording of the music
was one of the most emotional and spiritual times I have ever encountered.
I am looking forward to doing the next one.
13) With your “MOREJAZZ SERIES” you have brought out big names like Najee and Manu Dibango, who can we expect next?
To tell you now would spoil the surprise but we are in discussion with some really interesting people for 2013 so watch this space….!
Thank you for your time and your insight, I loved every minute of
putting the article together.
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1 comment:
I have to admit that I've never quite understood Jazz, and always figured I simply don't have the mind for it.
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