Kesivan Naidoo
Encyclopedia
Kesivan Dev Naidoo is a South African drummer, who plays predominately jazz
, electronica
and world music
.
Kesivan first got into drumming in 1990, at the age of 11. While waiting to be let in to his aunt's house, he heard his aunt's boyfriend (Reese Timothy) playing drums over the music. What he heard excited him, and this convinced him to become a drummer. Three years later, in 1993, Kesivan played his onstage debut at the Hogsback Arts Festival in the Eastern Cape
.
In 1994 Kesivan was approached by Alan Webster, who invited him to join his Quintet.
Shortly after he began to play for Hudson Park Jazz Band, as well as the Hudson Concert Band which later did a tour of Germany
, France
and England
. When he was 15 Kesivan took some lessons with world-class drumming and jazz musician Lulu Gontsana at the Grahamstown Arts Festival. These lessons would continue for two years.
In 1995, 1999 and 2000 Kesivan was chosen for the National Youth Big Band, with whom he later toured New York.
in 1997. Four years later he graduated with a Bachelor of Music, and with a First Class Honors in 2002
At the beginning of the millennium Kesivan became the youngest person to win the Samro Overseas Scholarship Competition. Given this opportunity to study abroad, he chose to study under Sitar guru, Professor Sanjay Bandophadyah in India. He later completed his master's degree in tabla
and percussion.
Since 2006, Kesivan collaborates with Swiss Drummer Lucas Niggli, and is a member of BEAT BAG BOHEMIA, a drum quartet with Rolando Lamussene, Peter Conradin Zumthor and Lucas Niggli. They performed over 30 concerts, in Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Mocambique and South Africa, played at Festivals like Kraków, Capetown and Zürich. The CD was released on INTAKT records.
, Selelo Selota, Feya Faku, Bheki Mseleku
, Jimmi Dlulu and Marcus Wyatt
. He is current playing with Tribe, Babu, Restless Natives and Closet Snare, all of whom have been met with acclaim.
In July 2002 they were invited to play in the original North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague, and where the first unrecorded and unsigned band to play at the festival.
They later recorded one CD – Our Language..
They played at the North Sea Jazz Festival at Cape Town in 2007 and are due to release a CD.
, Prince
, Rage against the Machine
and all the members of Tribe, Closet Snare and Babu.
Other influences included drummers such as Elvin Jones
, Max Roach
, Tony Williams and the drummers who have played for James Brown
.
Other musicians who have influenced his compositions include Wayne Shorter
, Miles Davis
and John Coltrane
.
They are the new owners of the Armchair Theater in Observatory in Cape town, which has been an established music venue since 1999.
Silent Revolution Productions hope to make more people aware of Art Music in South Africa through this venue.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
.
1979 - 1995
Born in East London, Kesivan was the first child in a family of 2 children. His parents, Dev and Vinodrarie Naidoo, worked as a building constructor and bookkeeper respectively and sent Kesivan to St. Ann's Primary School at the age of 5. He later graduated from Hudson Park High School in 1996. Neither of his parents played any musical instruments.Kesivan first got into drumming in 1990, at the age of 11. While waiting to be let in to his aunt's house, he heard his aunt's boyfriend (Reese Timothy) playing drums over the music. What he heard excited him, and this convinced him to become a drummer. Three years later, in 1993, Kesivan played his onstage debut at the Hogsback Arts Festival in the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
.
In 1994 Kesivan was approached by Alan Webster, who invited him to join his Quintet.
Shortly after he began to play for Hudson Park Jazz Band, as well as the Hudson Concert Band which later did a tour of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. When he was 15 Kesivan took some lessons with world-class drumming and jazz musician Lulu Gontsana at the Grahamstown Arts Festival. These lessons would continue for two years.
In 1995, 1999 and 2000 Kesivan was chosen for the National Youth Big Band, with whom he later toured New York.
1996 - Present
In 1996 Kesivan joined the Hotep Galeta Trio. Galeta, who had a big influence on Kesivan's musical style, convinced him to study at the University of Cape TownUniversity of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
in 1997. Four years later he graduated with a Bachelor of Music, and with a First Class Honors in 2002
At the beginning of the millennium Kesivan became the youngest person to win the Samro Overseas Scholarship Competition. Given this opportunity to study abroad, he chose to study under Sitar guru, Professor Sanjay Bandophadyah in India. He later completed his master's degree in tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
and percussion.
Since 2006, Kesivan collaborates with Swiss Drummer Lucas Niggli, and is a member of BEAT BAG BOHEMIA, a drum quartet with Rolando Lamussene, Peter Conradin Zumthor and Lucas Niggli. They performed over 30 concerts, in Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Mocambique and South Africa, played at Festivals like Kraków, Capetown and Zürich. The CD was released on INTAKT records.
Musical style
Kesivan has played a wide variety of genres over the years, and has played with many greats such as Miriam MakebaMiriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist....
, Selelo Selota, Feya Faku, Bheki Mseleku
Bheki Mseleku
Bhekumuzi Hyacinth Mseleku, generally known as Bheki Mseleku was a jazz musician from South Africa. He was a pianist, saxophonist, guitarist, composer and arranger who was entirely self taught....
, Jimmi Dlulu and Marcus Wyatt
Marcus Wyatt
Marcus Wyatt , is a South African trumpeter, composer and producer.Marcus was introduced to music, mostly folk and blues, at a young age as his father was chairman of the local folk club. He was introduced to the trumpet at age eleven and started playing in his school band where he learnt to read...
. He is current playing with Tribe, Babu, Restless Natives and Closet Snare, all of whom have been met with acclaim.
Tribe
Playing with Charles Lazar (bass), Mark Fransman (piano) and Buddy Wells (sax), Kesivan and Tribe have become known for their “instantly South African flavored, hard-edged, straight-ahead jazz sounds.”In July 2002 they were invited to play in the original North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague, and where the first unrecorded and unsigned band to play at the festival.
They later recorded one CD – Our Language..
Closet Snare
Closet Snare is a 6 piece group with Mark Buchanan (Guitar/Samples), DJ Sibot (Machines/Decks), Lee Thomson (Trumpet), Sean Ou Tim (Bass) and Inka Kendzia - VJ Grrrl (Visuals). They perform what Tim describes as “free and improvised electronica music”, which draws a diverse crowd of indie, drum 'n bass, jazz, electronica, classical and punk lovers.They played at the North Sea Jazz Festival at Cape Town in 2007 and are due to release a CD.
Musical Influences
Kesivan has been influenced by a wide variety and musicians and bands. Of the more contemporary artists, he cites Feya Faku, Hotep Galeta, Bheki Mseleku, Charles Lazar, Jojo MayerJojo Mayer
Jojo Mayer is a highly acclaimed Swiss drummer born in Zurich and currently resides in New York City.Mayer is the son of a touring musician and began his career as a drummer at an early age, receiving his first drum set at the age of two...
, Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
, Rage against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
and all the members of Tribe, Closet Snare and Babu.
Other influences included drummers such as Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
, Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
, Tony Williams and the drummers who have played for James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
.
Other musicians who have influenced his compositions include Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
and John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
.
Contemporary Ventures
In 2006 Kesivan started a company with Thomson, and called it “Silent Revolution Productions”.They are the new owners of the Armchair Theater in Observatory in Cape town, which has been an established music venue since 1999.
Silent Revolution Productions hope to make more people aware of Art Music in South Africa through this venue.