30 Mar 2015

This year’s Hamptons Live Jazz Festival showed signs of growth and lived to earlier promise of bringing the best entertainment to the city.

When people were streaming into Duma FM Grounds, the skies opened up, but the rain did not deter people from making their way to the lawns and wait in anticipation for the first act of the day to take to the stage.

People did not even mind when they got soaked and it seemed to even drive them on to have a good time. 

Even the organisers were soaked to the bone and they made sure that everything was in order. They braced the weather pacing up and down and gave people their passes who in turn braced the weather as well to experience jazz melodies.

It rained for at least an hour and when the skies finally cleared up, Dikakapa took to the stage. “Ba seka ba roba stage,” blurted out one fan in the crowd, as the well-built lads stomped the stage as if they were trying to break it down.

It must be said that from the word go, it was evident that people had been thirsty for such entertainment. Punah Gabasiane, Hellen, The Metrophones, Dikakapa, Banjo Mosele and Lister Boleseng all performed exceptionally well and held their own against their international counterparts.

Not taking anything away from local groups, the night belonged to Mango Groove, Mahotella Queens and Tshepo ‘The Village Pope’ Tshola.

With other international acts including Stimela and Zonke, who also brought on a world class performance, the night belonged to the other three. As soon as Mango Groove took to the stage, people stood up and screamed their lungs out and sang along to every song they performed.

Songs such as Hometalk, Special Star, Moments Away and Dance Some More drove people crazy. Having been formed in 1984, Mango Groove seemed to have gotten better with time. 

With the Hamptons Live Jazz Festival being on its second year, Tshola was voted by fans to return. When he sang his Go Lokile track, some got emotional.

“Apparently he did that song after he lost his wife and it is so sad it makes me want to cry,” said Motheo Tlhomelang when the song was being performed. The song seemed to strike a nerve with a lot of people and another fan, Among Moremong said the song reminded her of her late uncle.

On came Mahotella Queens who took people back in time as they did songs that brought them to prominence during Mahlathini’s time.

It was truly a good night for jazz lovers as people got their money’s worth with top notch performances from all acts that grazed the stage. The organisers of the show took Botswana entertainment scene a notch up.