Mlungisi Gegana

ABOUT

Jazz aficionados-across the country have been sitting up and listening to the sounds of Mlungisi Gegana as aDOUBLE& ELECTRIC BASSIST, a-band leader, music composer, music arranger, music producer, session musician and a mentor. He is widely versed in South African music idiom and has collaborates

with some of the finest jazz musicians in South Africa and abroad. Gegana's combos have graced stages of South Africa's major jazz festivals and premier live music venues.

He has performed with South African and international musicians on local and global stages including Sweden, France, Norway, Algeria, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe. The most memorable of all my performances was with Zim Nggawana at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Netherland and asaxophonist from an America leading jazz fusion band called Yelow Jackets by the name of Bob Mintzer at Sun City Super Bowl as a backing musician.

M.G has been featured on gospel, pop, African traditional music, contemporary and mainstream jazz albums as a session bass player. He often experiment with cross culture, cross-genre and cross generational music from the young and old, and he's rooted in Africanjazz tradition.

He is originally from the historical jazz hub of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, which has produced some

of the world renown names in music such as Victor Madoda Ndlazilwana, Mongezi Feza, Margaret (Singana) Mcingana, Stompie Mavi, Pat Matshikiza, Madoda Bobelo, Desmond and Madoda Malothana, Nonzwakazi Nguna, Nomuntu Kapa and many more.

"One Step Forward"- aptly titled forthis hard working musician who has spent years in pursuing of a record deal. Starting in 1972 at the age of 1 years old, he picked up a three string guitar made from a 5 litre oil can in his home town Queenstown in the Eastern Cape.

In 1986 he realized his passion for jazz was starting to form in his heart, and parked up his bag and headed for Cape Town. It was here where he began to perform with his own music and led his own band.

Eventually Mlungisi came to Johannesburg, It didn't take him long at all. Playing at Kippie's Jazz Club on, he was spotted by a record company executive who spend the night phoning his colleagues, and the rest si history. Mlungisi went ot the studio with the best ni the recording industry - Louis Mhlanga, Godfrey Mgcina, Andile Yenana, Vusi Khumalo Jasper Cook, Kesivan Naidoo.

1991

Studied at MAPP School Of Music for two yearjazz diploma. From there he went on a national tour with a cover band from Port Elizabeth called Black Slave for two years.

1997

His first international stage appearance was in Sweden with a band called Tau ea Mastekga who's leader wrote a song for Paul Simon "Boy In The Bubble" from the album "Graceland".

1998

Enrolled at UCT College Of Music in jazz performance.

 2000

He came to Johannesburg where he met Khaya Mahlangu and played with him around jazz clubs and corporate gigs until they did a 13 part jazz series for SABC 3 called "Bejazzled". They backed the likes of Jonas Gwangwa, Steve Dyer, Zim Ngqawana, Suthukazi Arosi, and many others.

2001

He went to the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland with Zim Nggawana, and did numerous recording session with various artists.

2004

Released his debut album, One Step Forward, recorded with artists like Thandiswa Mazwai, and toured to France with his band.

2005

Bassist on Bob Mintzer's big band at Sun City Super Bowl.

Bassist on Mzantsi salute O.R Tambo and a member of 18 piece band directed by the lengedary Victor

Ntoni called The South African 20th Century Choral Composers Concert.

2007

Mlungisi Gegana in association with Mmino ( South Africa Norwegian Music Corporation) conducted music workshops in Queenstown

2008.

Invited by Italia - Mozambique to perform with my Ouartet in Maputo.

2009

Perform at Pan African Cultural Festival in Algeria with a project called Vivid Afrika. Invited to collaborate with various musicians, poets at Afrika History Week in Oslo Norway.

2013

He has led a international Quintet at the Standard Bank Joy Of Jazz festival that paid tribute to a South African Basssit by the name of Johnny Dyani, who died ni exile ni 1986

Just finished recording my second solo album independently.

2014

My second album I" AM WHO AM I" got released under Mlugee Music, the company I own.

2017

Is the year I did a mini tour of the Eastern Cape with my Joburg based Jazz Trio, the tour started at Coco C venue in Bloemfontein before moving to Queens Casino/Hotel (Queenstown), Velvet Lounge (East London) and Steve Biko Centre (Ginsburg).

2018

On the 5 June I started the Mlungisi Music Academy, an initiative that is formed to develop the community ofMlungisi Township, especially the youth, which also gave birth to the Sounds And Rhythms Music Association. The Mlungisi Music Academy offers music lessons from Theory Of Music, Piano, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums and Music Techni In 2020 both M.M.A and SARMA teamed up with

International Library Of African Music on a research about the history of music in Queenstown, we visited family of all the veterans that are still alive and the families of those that have passed on.

 ALBUM

1) FACE THE MUSIC 2) BA UTLWILE

3) LINDA KEKANA 4) VIVID AFRIKA

5) KULTURATION

6) ZABALAZA

7) BRA SKAP VOL.

I 8) FACE THE MUSIC 9) TO AFRIKA

10) SIVILE

11) KUDUMELA

12) SO MUCH MORE 13) BIRD

14) IN HONOUR

15) VIVID AFRIKA

16) THE LIGHT OF DAY 17) GLORIA BOSMAN

DISCOGRAPHY

ARTIST

McCOY MRUBATA TLOKWE SEHUNE

I°M AN AFRICAN

VIVID AFRIKA

McCOY MRUBATA and WESSEL VAN RENSBERG THANDISWA MAZWAI

McCOY MRUBATA McCOY MRUBATA RONALD SNJDER(Holland) CAMAGWINI

LINDA KEKANA BRENDA MNTAMBO

TRIBUTE BIRDIE MBOWENI UNATHINKAYI

VIVID AFRIKA

DAVE RAYNOLDS & FRIENDS

THULA NGWANAKA (an album of south African lullabies)

DIRECTIONS