Paheja Siririka
WINDHOEK - Sigera Jazz Band’s ability to perform live music is impeccable and captivating. According to veteran sports journalist and guitarist Carlos Kambaekwa, also known as CK, who happens to be one of the members of the band, “Sigera” is a Khoekhoegowab name which means “we are coming”.
“The band was started by retired musicians and with much influence of hip-hop nowadays, there was no real music. It was programmed music. So, we decided to embark on live music before it dies out,” Kambaekwa told Entertainment Now! in an interview, following an electrifying performance at the New Era Publications Corporation head office where he bade his colleagues farewell recently.
He said different bands from the 1970s came together to revive live music. Kambaekwa said the band was formed in 2007 but when the bass guitarist died in 2015, the band went on hiatus for a while because they could not find a suitable replacement.
“The music landscape has changed a lot over the years and one needs professionalism, if you take a good look at Sigera band members, they can all read and write music so they have some form of educational training,” said Kambaekwa.
The six-member band consists of Kambaekwa, who is the lead guitarist; Antonio “Tony” Janga, the saxophonist and guitarist; Antoinette Farmer, the lead songstress; Panten Gariseb, pianist; Lebo Mothopeng, drummer; and Erwin Gaweseb, who is the bass guitarist.
“How the band was formed was due to the discussions held about live music being dead in Namibia,” said the band members.
According to the band, one of the challenges they face is the type of music they do. “We feel the type of music we embark on does not appeal to the masses,” said the band. The band has, however, conquered some of those challenges and are going to release an album soon.
“The songs are all about Namibia,” said Janga, the writer of the songs. “We cannot ignore the fact that in Namibia, Afrikaans is one the most spoken languages, hence, some songs are in Afrikaans,” said Kambaekwa.
The band is currently doing all the mastering on their own.
“I am very disappointed in young musicians who are not instrumentalists, especially from my tribe. I am probably the only Otjiherero speaking person who can play the guitar. I am not a tribalist but that’s very disappointing,” said Kambaekwa. “They play keyboard and with that, you are not alone, keyboards are programmed,” emphasised Kambaekwa, who maintained that young musicians have been playing around a lot lately with that musical instrument.
On what keeps them together, Farmer said discipline is very important. “It’s not just about the money, you need to feel your band; you need to feel and spread the love because that’s where discipline comes from and this led me to be part of this band for almost 10 years, ” said Farmer.
“That is where the importance of playing an instrument comes in. Have you noticed how disciplined a child who plays sports is, the same with those who play instruments as well,” stressed Farmer.
Sigera Jazz Band took part in the Windhoek Jazz Festival last year.
“The band gets positive reviews wherever we perform. We have even been invited to perform at the 2019 Ottawa International Jazz Festival, happening in Canada from June 21, 2019, till July 1, 2019, so we are busy finalising the logistics,” said Kambaekwa.