ArtSpoken & Reviews
Nature-loving Melanie Scholtz born to singPeter Feldman07/30/2010 09:12:37 
Peter Feldman: Melanie Scholtz is a woman who loves nature and this important facet is reflected in her life and in her music. "We can draw such incredible things from nature and the state the world is in today, with climate change and global warming, we all need to take cognizance of this fact and each one of us, in our own little way, should try to make a difference," she said in an interview. This multi-faceted performer, who was the recipient of the Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz for 2010, forms part of a strong contingent of South African performers who will be at this year's Standard Bank Joy of Jazz in Newtown from 26 to 28 August. Many jazz fans believe that this year's line-up is one of the most impressive in years and includes international giants such as Chris Bott, Ravi Coltrane, Kim Waters, Anat Cohen, Poncho Sanchez and Fourplay. She is obviously excited at the prospect of performing among such a select group of musicians. "I have always wanted to perform there. I have been attending concerts of Joy of Jazz since a child. It's my first appearance but I am honoured to share the stage with people I have admired for so long such as Chris Botti and Lalah Hathaway." Melanie was born to sing and coming from a musical family it is easy to understand her calling. At the age of five she began piano lessons and at 16 went to study with the famous Eoan group. "I have had music around me all my life, with my aunt playing the organ, my Dad playing the sax and my Mom and sister singing. For me it was a natural progression to go into music, though I didn't know how I was going to make it as a career," she recalls. In 1997, Melanie enrolled at the SA College of Music at UCT and graduated in 2000 Cum Laude with a Performers' Diploma in Opera. Her musical abilities were realised in 2002 when she was named Best Jazz Vocalist in the Old Mutual Jazz Encounters, and four years later she released her debut album, Zillion Miles. She admits to having great teachers who were willing to share, but believes that one has to work hard. "Talent is just the raw building block and if you put work into it on top of that then you can be successful." Melanie has since discovered that the world is her oyster and over the years has been invited to perform in Spain, Portugal, Holland, Morocco, Norway, Sweden and Austria. She loves touring and absorbing the cultures and atmosphere of the places she visits. "It's a big lesson for all of us to travel and to educate ourselves as to how other people live, how they speak, the music they listen to and what their cultures and traditions are. It makes you a very rich person if you are lucky enough to travel." Earlier this year she celebrated her 31st birthday in Russia and thought how a little girl from Athlone, in the Cape, could find herself half way around the world singing with an incredible choir. Between these busy schedules, she still manages to devote time to collaborating with numerous artists both nationally and internationally. Melanie, who derives enormous pleasure interacting with fans when on stage, will be performing at Joy of Jazz with her band the Love Apples. She told me: "I will be doing mostly original compositions from my second album Connected, as well as renditions of a number of popular standards given her own arrangements. Melanie, who is married to a Norwegian musician, Gornhelsjord, says she found most of inspiration for "Connected" while living in Norway. The album produced by Norwegian trumpeter, Ole Jorn Myklebus, consists of many songs that were inspired by nature. The title track, she says, deals with how we come from nature and how we go back to nature. "It is important for us to respect nature from which we can learn so many lessons." She describes her second album as a lot "cleaner" and more "naked' than the first, with more acoustic passages and without having heavy backing vocals. "It's just the voice and real instrumentation." Apart from her own compositions and recordings, Melanie collaborated and was featured with guitarist Jimmy Dludlu on Peaceful Moment and on Which Way to Go with Electronic DJ's Iridium Project. She has also featured on albums by Mark Fransman, Ivan Masuze, Goldfish and Breakfast Included. Melanie has performed at numerous music festivals nationally and internationally and in August 2009 recorded a live album with Inkala in Vadso at the Varanger Jazz Festival in Norway. A highlight, she said, included singing the National Anthem with indigenous groups at the Presidents Cup, which was beamed out to millions of viewers and had dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela and George Bush Snr in the audience. Married for seven years to Norwegian musician Gordnhelsjord, Melanie realised it was inevitable that Norwegian culture would also permeate her world. She is lucky, she says, to have both Norwegian and South African influences to draw upon. She relaxes by doing yoga and says she can always be found during down time with her cat on her lap, a book in her hand and music in the background. Cooking new recipes is one of her favourite things and there are plans later this year for a new album and a book of her poetry. "I am so very lucky to be in this life," she adds. Melanie Scholtz performs at the Market Theatre on Friday, August 27. Peter Feldman has been a journalist and arts critic for over 45 years and served on The Star in various capacities for 35 years, ending up as a specialist writer on films, music and theatre. During that time he travelled extensively on assignments and interviewed many international film and pop stars, both in South Africa and overseas. He also covered some of South Africa's biggest film and musical events. He is active in the freelance field and his work over the past 10 years has appeared in a variety of South African newspapers and magazines. He writes regularly for Artslink.co.za, The Citizen, South African Jewish Report, The Sunday Independent and is a contributor to "Eat Out" Magazine. He also contributes movie reviews to Chai fm Radio and has worked on TV in his specialist capacity. Over the years Feldman has been the recipient of several awards for his contribution to music journalism and the SA record industry. He wrote lyrics for some top artists, including Sipho Mabuse, and had a hit disco single, "Video Games," which was released in 1988. After retiring from The Star in April, 1999, Feldman joined the PR and events management company, Dlamini Weil Communications, where he currently works as an entertainment and media consultant. |
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