CELEBRATING BHEKI MSELEKU - Eugene Skeef Talking And Reading His Poem About Bheki Mseleku

On the 15th of November 2023 the legendary South African multi-instrumentalist, composer and custodian of spiritual luminescence, Bheki Mseleku, was celebrated as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival. This special tribute was curated by the flautist Gareth Lockrane in partnership with the trumpeter Nick Smart at The Spice of Life under the auspice of SpiceJazz Soho. Mseleku’s beautiful music was played through the roof and beyond by two nine-piece ensembles that played a set each, made up of Professors Smart and Lockrane’s Royal Academy of Music students.
I was honoured to be invited on stage to share stories of my special relationship with Mseleku plus a poem written in his memory. The volubley responsive audience was made even warmer by the presence of Bheki’s daughter Maria Mseleku and great-niece Demi Mseleku in the packed house.