Faith Jori gives inspiring performance
By Daniel Maposa
On Monday April 10, 2017, I had an opportunity to attend the City Sports Bar hosted Jam Session that provides a performance platform for new and established artistes who are interested in sharing and building new audiences.
This was my second time attending this showcase as I am always afraid that I might struggle to go to work the following day.
True to my fears I stayed up to late as I enjoyed most of the performances that were on offer. It was moving to watch the teenage Tawanda Dhibhura exhibiting his guitar playing skills that left the audience mesmerised.
The highly energetic Rishon Murandu and his group were a marvel to watch as they entertained the crowd with their electrifying performance characterised by eye candy Jerusarema dance moves and stimulating traditional song.
Ba Shupi, Extra Large, Angwa Combo and Dzimbabwe, who were launching their album, among others, also performed on the night.
It was however Faith Jori, the only female lead performer on the night, who was a revelation to me on this entertainment packed night.
Performing on a night that was dominated by experienced male performers who have extensive experienced in the music industry, it would appear that it was going to be a difficult night for her to impress the highly expectant audience.
Performing after the highly charged Rishon and the well-received Dhibhura who had the house on its feet after playing Simon Chimbetu’s never fading hit Ndarangarira Gamba and Tongai Moyo’s Naye among others, was going to be very difficult for any artiste.
Things seemed to be heading for a disaster when on the very first song Faith and her band failed to coordinate on the right key. She tried again but still the band picked up later.
However true to the old saying that, ‘it’s only you, the artist, who knows the mistake you have made’, Faith continued as if nothing had happened.
As the band was busy trying to find the right key, she went solo for most of the song without the backing of the instruments. After that hiccup which normally disturbs most upstarts as their confidence dies instantly, the gear was put in motion.
When she got to the second song which is from her debut, the crowd started moving closer to find out who this sweet voiced performer was.
On a night when Arsenal’s match against Crystal Palace was beaming live on the television screens in the bar, most people’s attention was diverted from the football match to the stage.
From this time onwards, Faith had part of the audience stuck to her performance.
For an unknown performer to capture people’s attention the way she did, the act had to be very exciting.
And she overcame the initial hiccup and started enjoying her act, communicating with her audience and showing commitment to what she was doing on stage that no one would imagine this was just her second stage performance since she ventured into music hardly a year ago.
Performance and presentation are always most musicians’ Achilles’ hill.
Some have good songs but uninspiring stage presentations and performances that one would wish they remained off the stage.
Great live shows are always a combination of good music and good performances aided by the way the band or performer dresses.
On the third and fourth songs, Faith exhibited a good performance that was made up of great choreography.
Her two male dancers were a marvel to watch as they gave great movements. The integration of the vocals and the dancers was flawless while the instrumentation solidified the set.
The kind of excellence that I always argue is Mokoomba’s greatest strength; hence they are world class performers.
It is always nauseating to watch instrument players who do not enjoy what they are doing and they appear as if they were frog marched to the stage.
I feel with time Faith and her band should strengthen this aspect. They can also create a dress code that is ‘uniform’ for the whole band so as to add colour and presentability on stage.
At the end of her performance, while the audience requested an encore, the stage managers protested until a member of the audience forked out $12 for a repeat.
She then did what appeared to be the crowd’s favourite, Rudo Ndaruwana, to cap what seemed to be a wonderful night for this vivacious budding musician.
In a post-performance interview with Mathias Bangure of City Sports Bar, he noted that Faith had “all it takes to get there” but also stressed that she must not fall into the trap of self-taught artistes who think they have arrived before they even start.
From that performance it is no doubt that Faith has great potential if she keeps her feet down, learn more and rehearse as much as possible.
