Thuto Motsemme

Bio

Hailing from the plantation owned by the magnet and sugar cane farmer, Marshall Campbell, KwaZulu Natal in the township north of Durban, Kwamashu. The flexible and versatile Musician Thuto Motsemme’s fingers and thumbs are inseparable from his plucked string instrument.  A highly gifted bassist, composer, and session musician who is no stranger to the fingerboard.  His first memory of music is encoded in being groomed by his father who had a personal relationship with the keyboard, never for commercial purposes but rather for pure fulfillment. Motsemme thus experienced love through chord progressions and the sound of one or more notes being played at the same time. In his upbringing, the omnipresence of silence was replaced with the beautiful world of organized sound. Motsemme had his first professional experience with music at thirteen through his participation with local choirs as a baritone singer, This is what sparked a desire to study music. In 2001 he enrolled at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, School of Music, studying Jazz and Popular Music under the instruction of Bass teacher, Phiwe Solomon. Motsemme holds a National Diploma in Music. For him, music is the space between good and evil, fear and courage, happiness and sadness. A beautiful space that he is honored to be in. This multi-talented artist turned this craft into a product not because he discovered his ability to play but rather his inability to stop. Not because of his ability to get the audience to dance but his inability to stop people from feeling... Growing up around Blues, Afropop, jazz, and hymn music he has always gravitated towards being an eclectic musician. This can be heard in his début album 'The dream'. As a session bassist, he adapted to various musical styles. Motsemme has worked with a lot of accomplished musicians in South Africa including Feya Faku, Andile Yenana, Afrika Mkhize, Steve Dyer, Bheki Khoza, Nduduzo Makhathini, Ayanda Sikade, Gloria Bosman, and Melanie Scholtz. He was a member of both the SAPS Brass band as well as the Entertainment band, He is a former member of the Young Lions Jazz Ensemble which consists of young jazz musicians in the country. Working with different musicians has allowed him to create and develop his own unique and distinctive sound which draws its influence from several African sounds, avant-garde, and hip-hop with jazz as its foundation. He has played in both local and international venues. Motsemme has performed on stages like the Market theatre, Phinda Mzala, Eyethu Lifestyle center, Grahamstown Art Festival, The Playhouse, UKZN Jazz center, and the Bat Center,  He aspires to be recognized for touching people's lives globally using international influences with strong African roots. Motsemme’s compositions are unorthodox, dynamic, and passionate. The intensity of his music transforms its listener. 

Photos

ZADurban, South Africa
In operation since: 
2021

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