The Luyanda Madope Trio

R400 per person, inclusive of a 2-Course Yanni Artistry Dinner

Own Wine Permitted - No Corkage Fee

5.30 pm. Please arrive in good time, no formal seating arrangements

The Luyanda Madope Trio will perform at Die Pienk Kerk on 27 and 28 March, offering audiences an intimate and deeply expressive jazz experience.

Pianist Luyanda Madope is a respected, award-winning South African musician, composer, and musical director whose work bridges jazz, African contemporary music, and narrative storytelling across stage, screen, and broadcast platforms.

Led by Luyanda Madope on piano & vocals, the trio features Phumlani Mtiti on saxophone and Mzwandile Kunene, double bassist, three musicians known for weaving together improvisation, storytelling and deeply rooted African jazz traditions.

The Trio will present music from Madope’s latest album, An Ode to the Womb, a profoundly personal body of work reflecting on lineage, memory, and inheritance. The music explores what Madope was given and what he was taught: the sounds he absorbed from his mother, and the ways music and culture continue to bind them. Through rich harmony, rhythmic dialogue, and lyrical improvisation, the trio brings these stories to life.

The evening promises a jazz journey of depth, sensitivity, and connection, where tradition and contemporary expression meet in an intimate setting.

Luyanda Madope continues to shape South Africa’s contemporary jazz and performance landscape through his versatility, mentorship, and enduring commitment to cultural storytelling.

Luyanda Madope – Piano: Luyanda is a South African pianist, composer and musical director whose work bridges jazz, African contemporary music and storytelling across stage, screen and broadcast platforms. A member of the acclaimed band Afro4, he has performed across Europe and Africa and shared stages with international artists including Marcus Miller and Jonathan Butler.

Beyond performance, Madope has served as musical director for leading South African comedians such as Celeste Ntuli, Loyiso Gola and Kagiso Lediga, and continues to support jazz development through initiatives such as The Formation with Luyanda Madope on JazzuaryFM. His forthcoming debut solo album, An Ode to the Womb, marks a deeply personal body of work exploring lineage, memory and heritage.

Phumlani Mtiti – Saxophone: Phumlani Mtiti is a Johannesburg-based saxophonist who has performed with both South African music legends and contemporary artists across a wide range of genres.

He leads his own ensembles and is a highly regarded collaborator on the local jazz scene. Mtiti is also co-founder of Ological Studies, the duo that won the 2011 SAMA for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, and is an in-demand studio musician who has recorded on numerous albums.

Alongside his performance work, he is an educator who advocates for broader access to music and participation in the arts.

Mzwandile Kunene – Bass: Mzwandile Kunene joins the trio on bass, replacing Gontse Makhene for these performances. Born in Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal, Kunene began his musical journey on his grandfather’s piano before moving into bass, which became his primary instrument. He studied at the FUBA School of Music and later at the University of Venda, building a career as a freelance musician across jazz, gospel, African music and rock, with jazz remaining his central focus.

He has performed with artists including Simphiwe Dana, McCoy Mrubata and Suthukazi Arosi, as well as gospel artists such as Deborah Fraser, Sfiso Ncwane and the late Vuyo Mokoena. Kunene has performed internationally, including at the Red Sea Jazz Festival, and held residencies in Doha and Muscat. He is currently a resident band member at the Saxon Hotel in Sandton and also works as a sound engineer.