Asher Gamedze

Asher Gamedze is a cultural worker based in Cape Town, South Africa working mainly as a musician, writer, organizer and an educator. He has released four albums as a bandleader - Dialectic Soul (2020), Out Side Work (2022), Turbulence and Pulse (2023), and The Black Lungs: Constitution (2024) - independent record labels based in SA (Mushroom Hour Half Hour), the UK (On the Corner Records) and USA (International Anthem and Astral Spirits). All these albums have received critical acclaim, Dialectic Soul, was rated #4 on the New York Times "Best Jazz albums of 2020" list, it also received "Best Traditional Jazz Album" at the Mzantsi Jazz Awards in 2021. He has led ensembles playing his own music in Egypt, South Africa, USA, UK and has played many prestigious venues and festivals across Europe including Le Guess Who?, London Jazz Festival, Willisau Festival, Ancienne Belgique, Flagey, Brussels Jazz Festival, Jazzfest Berlin, Fasching, Alice, and many others. His new band, A Semblance, has been performing since July 2024 and are currently working on an album due for release in late 2025 coinciding with their first European tour.