Just at the tender age of 14 years old, Mthunzi Mvula was already commanding his presence in the jazz music fraternity as a saxophone and flute player.
Born and bred in Daveyton, a township in Ekurhuleni, Mvula was one of the privileged youngsters to attend the late jazz pioneer Dr. Johnny Mekoa Music Academy.
The 35-year-old musician has worked with a number of the greatest in the music world, among others the likes of Kevin Mahogany, The O’Jays, The Temptations, Abdullah Ibrahim, Kyle Shepard, Omar Sosa, Rufus Reid, Nduduzo Makhathini just to mention a few.
Mvula has toured Europe and the USA as a member of Shabaka and The Ancestors and has just been on tour with The Brother Moves On in Europe.
As a session artist, Mvula has worked with various artists on their projects and has been featured on more than 20 albums to date.
Armed with vast musical knowledge and experience that he gathered over the years through working with different artists, he finally dropped his debut album titled The 1st Gospel in December last year.
The ten-song album has your typical laidback jazzy tunes that take one around the wandering world of music.
The opening song Zig Zag is nine minutes long with the soft melody of the saxophone, proving the journey ahead that a listener would take with the genius skill of Mvula with the instrument.
The second song, Mom vs The Bad Man is equally long featuring Tobias Meinhart, the German tenor, and soprano saxophonist and composer.
The blending of the two talented saxophonists on the song is serene despite the title.
The harmony of the muted saxophone displayed in the song titled Sea Line feels like the gentle sea waves with an early morning breeze.
The 1st Gospel also features tenor saxophonist Mpumi Dhlamini, drummer Sphelelo Mazibuko, bassist Dalisu Ndlazi, and pianist Afrika Mkhize.
