Small Kingdom Quartet feat. Melanie Scholtz:
After our Debut performance @ the Blue Note (NYC) we are happy to announce our upcoming Europe Tour 2023.
We ll be on Tour June 2023 and December 2023
“Small Kingdom is an extraordinary ensemble based in Berlin, celebrated for its exceptional improvisational skills.”. Originally conceived as a fusion of classical and popular music, the band fearlessly explores a wide spectrum of jazz styles, incorporating elements of rock into their compositions while maintaining a strong jazz foundation. Small Kingdom has delved into the rich world of South African jazz, collaborating with musicians from Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Featuring a collaboration between bandleader/composer and arranger Andy Winter and South African Singer/Songwriter Melanie Scholtz, the music was written during the pandemic and culminated in an album called Small Kingdom – The South African Edition, released in April 2022. The album features moody and insightful string arrangements as well as some compositional contributions from other artists from South Africa and around the world.
The band introduces various singers like Melanie Scholtz , Zamajobe Sithole, and Monique Hellenberg in this unique project.
The upcoming tour features these singers one by one at different times, alongside the well known singer & guitar player Ron Spielman.
Inspired by the 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela, the band dedicated their new album to him and called it the “South African Edition”, which was released in April 2022 by ZYX Music.