Spotlight: Thabani Gapara Project - Performing at Ponsonby Social Club in March

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, and now based in Aotearoa for the past ten years, saxophonist / composer Thabani Gapara has worked alongside such high flying local talents as Katchafire, House of Shem, Hipstamatics, and Stan Walker. Performing at Ponsonby Social Club in-mid March as part of the central city venue's 15th birthday celebrations, Thabani Gapara Project will be treating Tāmaki Makaurau gig-goers to tunes from the artist's masterful 2021 album The Griots Path — bringing together a love for sonic storytelling, contemporary jazz and Gapara's own Southern African musical heritage — along with "a collection of arrangements of some afro-soul and funk favourites". Recently invited to perform at the 2022 APRA Silver Scroll Awards (playing a tribute to Hall of Fame inductee Tuini Ngāwai with Hātea Kapa Haka), listen up to Gapara's latest record, hit play on his illuminating showcase interview for The Lost Ones below, and head along for a top evening out on 17th March...

"The "Griot" part of it is to deal with, obviously, the storytellers and the singers whose history is passed down in most African traditions through song.... The responsibility of song to have story attached to it is something I like

I'm the beneficiary of a strong lineage of music. And I'm just looking to share the sounds with maybe people who maybe haven't heard them, which is why I feel the need to tell story." — Thabani Gapara in conversation with RNZ

Thabani Gapara Project
Friday 17th March - Ponsonby Social Club, Auckland
Tickets available HERE via UTR

Check out scorching live footage of Thabani Gapara Project performing 'My Journey', the lead track to 2021's The Griots Path...

Watch Thabani Gapara Project and Hātea Kapa Haka pay tribute to Hall of Fame inductee Tuini Ngāwai with a medley performance at the 2022 APRA Silver Scroll Awards...

Thabani Gapara speaks about expressing his own identity through making and performing music in his episode of The Lost Ones interview series...

Press release:

Auckland based afro-funk and Jazz saxophonist Thabani Gapara Project will be playing a concert of music from his recent release titled ‘The Griots Path’. A collection of original music that paints an image of Gapara’s Southern African musical heritage, along with a collection of arrangements of some afro-soul and funk favourites. Come out for a fun show of music that takes you on a journey into the sounds of African jazz.

This wicked show is part of Ponsonby Social Club's 15th Birthday Long Month Celebration.