Sibusiso Mash Mashiloane

Sibusiso Mash Mashiloane is a Durban-based South African pianist and composer of remarkable skill and passion, hailed as an authority on South African music. After exploring his craft for more than 20 years, seeking to capture its essence and the feeling of being "at home" through sound, he is currently in the final stage of his PhD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he also lectures in music theory and jazz piano.

Since 2016, Mashiloane has released an album a year, winning 8 awards and being nominated for 10 more, including the SAMAs, Urban Music, Mzantsi Jazz, Humanities and Social Sciences Award and AFRIMA Awards. His extraordinary list of collaborations with some of the top South African musicians spans over a decade, and he has also performed in several countries, including Tanzania, the USA, the UK and Mozambique.

This year is a huge one for the celebrated musician, as his seventh album, Izibongo, is newly released. Izibongo is a collection of felt and thoughtfully composed pieces that pay homage to the power of gratitude and localised musical nuances. The title, 'Izibongo', takes inspiration from the African tradition of reciting praise poetry and songs to honour people and accomplishments. As with all of his work, the artist has poured his heart and soul into this album, and the listener can be bodily moved by the essence of the music and touched by an emotional and powerful journey of self-reflection.

Now a key figure in South African Jazz, Mashiloane is sure to reach even greater heights in his promising career.