When Dr. Sibusiso “Mash” Mashiloane sits at the piano, he does more than perform. He invokes memory. He summons history. He channels the pulse of African life into music that feels both timeless and urgent. This October, South African audiences will finally hear his latest offering, ISIGQI – Live at the bird’s eye, not just through speakers, but in the shared intimacy of a live performance.
The ISIGQI Tour will bring Mashiloane to Cape Town (5 October) and Johannesburg (11 October), marking his first national tour of the album since its release earlier this year. For those who have followed his journey, these concerts are not just shows—they are cultural gatherings, celebrations of heritage, and affirmations of identity.
Cape Town: Music Meets Art
The first stop of the tour takes place at Youngblood Gallery on Bree Street, Cape Town—a venue where music and visual art are woven together. It is here that Mashiloane will present ISIGQI in an intimate acoustic format, joined by Ntokozo Kunene (vocals) and Justin Bellairs (saxophone).
“I have a special relationship with Cape Town and its warm audience,” Mashiloane reflects. “Performing ISIGQI in such an art-filled space feels like a true homecoming.”
The pairing is poetic: a gallery of images and sculptures meeting a soundscape that paints history, spirit, and rhythm through notes.
Johannesburg: Energy and Innovation
Six days later, Mashiloane will take the stage at Untitled Basement, Johannesburg’s iconic underground venue that champions South Africa’s most adventurous jazz and soul musicians. Backed by a powerful ensemble—Sphelelo Mazibuko (drums), Dalisu Ndlazi (bass guitar), and Kagiso Ramela (saxophone)—this performance promises to be a dialogue of energy and creativity.
“Johannesburg has always pushed my creativity, with its unmatched energy. I am excited to share ISIGQI with the city in this space that celebrates original music,” says Mashiloane.
About ISIGQI: Rhythm as Memory
Recorded live at the legendary bird’s eye jazz club in Basel, Switzerland, ISIGQI is more than an album—it is a sonic archive. Each piece is a tribute: to teachers, mentors, family, and elders who shaped Mashiloane’s journey.
Tracks like “KwaZulu (Song for Madala Kunene),” “Internal Vibrations (Song for Tlale Makhene),” and “Isigqi (Song for Bheki Khoza)” are offerings of respect, honoring the giants who built South Africa’s sonic identity.
The song KwaNdebele has already garnered international recognition, earning a nomination for Best African Jazz Artist at the prestigious AFRIMA Awards.
Rooted in the philosophy of Ubuntu and the ancestral pulse of African drumming, ISIGQI asks listeners to remember that rhythm is not entertainment alone—it is history, heritage, and heartbeat.
About Sibusiso Mash Mashiloane
Mashiloane is more than a pianist. He is a composer, educator, scholar, and cultural archivist. A PhD graduate and lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, his work consistently bridges scholarship and artistry, ensuring that African musical languages are not only preserved but renewed.
Over the past decade, he has released several acclaimed albums, each deepening his exploration of African identity in sound. His mission is clear: to keep the sonic memory of home alive—not as nostalgia, but as living testimony to resilience, beauty, and belonging.
Concert Details
Cape Town
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📅 Date: Sunday, 5 October 2025
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📍 Venue: Youngblood Gallery – Beautiful Life Building, 70–72 Bree Street, Cape Town
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⏰ Doors open: 15:00 | Show starts: 15:30
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🎟️ Tickets: R300 pre-sale | R350 at the door
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🔗 Tickets: Webtickets
Johannesburg
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📅 Date: Saturday, 11 October 2025
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📍 Venue: Untitled Basement, Johannesburg
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⏰ Doors open: 19:00 | Show starts: 20:00
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🎟️ Tickets: R300 pre-sale | R350 at the door
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🔗 Tickets: Quicket
A Tour Rooted in Spirit
At its heart, the ISIGQI Tour is about more than music. It is about how rhythm carries us through time, how notes can become memory, and how a pianist can remind a nation of its heartbeat.
As audiences in Cape Town and Johannesburg gather this October, they won’t just be hearing an album performed. They’ll be part of a living archive—one that honors the past, vibrates with the present, and dreams of the future.
