Long-time friends, collaborators and leading players of the acoustic guitar scene in South Africa, Derek Gripper and Guy Buttery are touring together again this month. The duo last came together for what was their first recorded release in an improvised live concert captured in Cape Town. The SAMA nominated album “Live in Cape Town” is something of a melting pot of South African and Eastern influences, crafted by two of the finest guitarists and innovators to emerge from the tip of the continent in decades.
Derek Gripper is known for his groundbreaking technique for evoking the West African kora on the guitar. He has transcribed the complex music of Malian kora player Toumani Diabaté and infuses his interpretations of Bach’s music with lessons from the oral traditions of Africa. He has performed with Toumani Diabaté’s Symmetric Orchestra and classical guitar legend John Williams, and tours worldwide.
It took Derek Gripper untold hours of painstaking work to transcribe note-for-note the complex compositions of Toumani Diabaté and find a way of playing them on six-string guitar. The results appeared on his ninth album, “One Night on Earth“. The album created an unprecedented meeting point between the written tradition of Western classical music and the oral tradition of the West African griots.
Guy Buttery is an internationally recognized multi-instrumentalist. He is one of South Africa’s musical phenoms. His international role has surpassed merely performing concerts to foreign audiences. It has evolved into a role of ambassador of South African music, inspiring people across the world with his homegrown style at the very heart of his talent and tenacity. Guy’s distinct unification of South African guitar music is the musical advocate for everything positive and beautiful about the place he calls home.
Guy recalls the recording of their SAMA nominated album,”Live in Cape Town“. “There was a sense of frictionlessness. I recall this elation happening on stage for me with Derek that night we recorded our debut duo album. So many moments full of freedom, exploration and a sense of fearlessness to whatever the outcome may be.”
The duo now have 4 upcoming concerts within the Western Cape this November.
Tour Schedule:
9 November – Hout Bay House Concert, Hout Bay, 7:30pm
10 November – Olympia Bakery, Kalk Bay, 8:00pm
11 November – Slave Church, Cape Town, 8:00pm
13 November – RATA, Riebeek Kasteel, 7:00pm
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central