The beat goes on —  One on one with Ramsey K Ramsey Kasawaya

Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
RAMSEY K (real name Ramsey Kasawaya) who hails from Bulawayo has been a perennial jazz mainstay and he believes that he still has enough in the tank, three decades after establishing his career.

The Umakhelwane singer told Chronicle Showbiz how it all started, losing his mother, his current occupation and future plans.

“It all started when I was at Lozikeyi Primary School when I was in the school choir. I loved singing from a tender age and when I left primary and went to do my secondary education at Sobukhazi High School, my chances to sing were scarce as school work mounted.

Another hurdle that I faced was that I was responsible for taking care of my siblings since my mother had passed away while they were still young. That was a difficult time in my life.

“Come early 90s, I joined a group called Core Force and by that time, I developed a love for theatre and decided to pursue it.

Growing up, I was a bit of a rolling stone as I did a lot of things in many places and this includes starting a group called NASA later on called Siyaya with Mike Sobiko and Jerry,” he said.

Ramsey K always saw himself as a performer and entertainer, but his father was not so welcoming of that. He preferred that Ramsey get “a job” rather than pursuing a career that would not guarantee success.

“Music was my dream job, but my father preferred that I do something different. I used to sneak out to do music and theatre rehearsals at Amakhosi Theatre under the retired playwright Mr Cont Mhlanga.

My big break came in a funny way as I was scheduled to perform at a live show that was broadcast by ZBC.

“As soon as I realised that the show was being aired live, I told Cont that I wasn’t in a position to curtain-raise since my father would be watching, but I thank Cont for being subtle about it as he told me that the show was going to be pre-recorded and was going to air later on.

That calmed me down and I went on stage and people loved my performance. There was no looking back from there and that show won my father over. He gave me his blessings after.”

When a conversation about Opera music is had, many people think of singers like Plácido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli and the late famous Italian Luciano Pavarotti Cavaliere di Gran Croce but did you know that in Zimbabwe, there was an opera written by Ramsey K? An opera is a drama set to music in its entirety, made up of vocal pieces with instrumental accompaniment and usually with orchestral overtures and interludes.

Alluding to the opera he wrote, Ramsey K said: “Working with Cont Mhlanga taught me a lot of things as I was now working on children’s theatre. I was working with children from under 14 years with the help of Mr Mhlanga and that’s when I wrote my first black opera titled Somkhence.

“I also worked with Township artists under the current Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo director Mr Raisedon Baya on a musical theatre production titled ‘Township Poverty’ which won several awards at the National Theatre Organisation (NTO).”

The Jazz singer has travelled the world and worked with many artistes in the process. He has been a lead and backing vocalist for South Africa’s Afro-pop group Platform One, Botswana trumpeter Ndingo Johwa, Zimbabwe’s Tanga wekwaSando, Busi Ncube, Band Fusion and Khuliyo.

Some of the countries where Ramsey K has performed at different festivals include Norway, The UK, Ghana, Zambia, Spain, Sweden and Botswana, just to name a few.

His theatrical footprint includes working with South African musician and anti-apartheid activist Jonathan Paul “White Zulu” Clegg on the movie The power of one which was shot in Zimbabwe.

Ramsey K had a one-year stint in Oslo, Norway Gorgon theatre to further his education and also went to the UK to conduct children’s theatre workshops in schools.

He also toured the world with renowned poet Albert Nyathi and Siyaya where he would do what he enjoys most besides music, cooking.

“Besides performing, I love cooking and I did that for the team during our tours overseas. We performed at quite a number of festivals and those that come to mind include Womad, Lamatree, Swindon Ball, Edinburgh festival and a few others.”

In 2012, Ramsey K established his own band called The Big Ray Jazz. The name of the band was an honour to his late brother Raymond Kasawaya who was a multi-talented instrumentalist.

The Malukazana singer’s musical ear sees him, even during his spare time listening to different kinds of stuff to broaden his musical knowledge as he is still teaching young people music.

On some of the challenges that he has faced in his career, Ramsey K said: “not being learned enough on how to read musical notes at first, but now all is well.

Also, hiring session musicians has been a challenge since they charge differently, especially with our type of music which demands that we have a full complement of a band.”

Thriving in an industry where live performances play a critical role in income generation has taught Ramsey Kay to adapt to the lockdown where performances are few and far between because of the Covid-19 pandemic which continues to restrict social gatherings.

“These days, I’m busy with my catering company and I also have a fowl run where I keep chickens for sale.

This is because depending on our industry only doesn’t suffice nowadays and one has to have extra income-generating projects to back up his coffers,” said the artiste who regularly gets bookings at Umguza Yacht Club.

Having won a lot of awards back in the day for his theatrical acumen at school, Ramsey K wants to take his performing arts career to the next level.

Due to high demand during the festive period, Ramsey K teamed up with other performing artistes – vocalist Precious Ndebele, keyboardist, and music producer Benjamin Shawa, bass guitar player Ashley and Tyrone Tyie on drums for shows.

On future plans, Ramsey K promised new productions this year.

“2022 will see me release a new album and a very powerful theatre production.” — @eMKlass_49

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