JAZZ AT THE BIOSCOPE: With Mpumi Dhlamini (Live Music)

JAZZ AT THE BIOSCOPE presents an eclectic program that reflects the vibrancy and diversity of Johannesburg’s jazz scene. Curated by award winning musician Mandla Mlangeni , the series brings together established musicians and emerging voices, weaving traditional jazz idioms with contemporary sounds, experimental improvisation, and cross-genre collaborations. Each performance is designed to surprise and engage audiences, offering a kaleidoscope of styles that range from soulful ballads to avant-garde explorations. By situating these performances in The Bioscope Independent Cinema, the program embraces an intimate setting that allows audiences to experience jazz as both a communal and deeply personal art form.

MORE INFO AND FULL PROGRAM CAN BE FOUND HERE.

SHOW ITSELF STARTS AT 8pm. Please arrive earlier to enjoy food and drink at The Bioscope Cafe.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Mpumi Dhlamini is a South African multi‑instrumentalist, award‑winning producer, composer, and musical director whose work dissolves the boundaries between jazz, African indigenous traditions, church harmony, and contemporary global sound.

Over nearly two decades, Dhlamini has become known for his self-contained creative process: composing, producing, mixing, mastering, and performing most of the instrumentation on his projects. His sound is a hybrid of digital and analog textures, often featuring dozens of instruments and layered vocals, reflecting influences that range from classical training and African indigenous music to hip‑hop, East African modalities, and Asian tonalities. A former rapper and collaborator with artists such as Proverb, he brings a rhythmic and conceptual sharpness to his jazz vocabulary. Beyond recording, he works across television, film scoring, and large‑scale productions, maintaining a three‑year creative cycle that keeps him evolving. A self‑described outlier, Dhlamini rejects narrow definitions of “African jazz,” insisting instead on crafting music built to compete on a global stage.