Sweet surprise from Eric Paliani
Blantyre jazz lovers were in for a pleasant surprise on Friday when Eric Paliani gave a free surprise performance at Mibawa Arts Cafe.
Supported by JJ Munthali on bass guitar and Lightone Chisuse on drums, Paliani gave an impressive performance to the sizeable crowd that had gone to Mibawa to chill.
Strumming his lead guitar, he led the band in delivering a string of powerful jazz pieces.
The climax came when Paliani and his band performed a jazz rendition of Bob Marley’s song No Woman No Cry.
“Remember, this is purely a Malawian band. I have with me my Malawian brothers tonight,” he said before introducing the rest of the band members.
The jazz maestro later explained that the show was a recording rehearsal of his new outfit The Eric Paliani Jazz Trio.
In an interview, he said that the recording rehearsal is part of the project called ‘Rediscovering My Roots’ aimed at updating his profile by including a deeper exposure of his Malawian musical background and history.
“But more importantly, exposing daring Malawian musicians to the world of modern jazz playing,” he said.
As part of the project, the musician said he has Munthali on bass, Chisuse on drums and Dan Sibale on sax when they are travelling as a quartet.