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Ivan Mazuze

Ivan Mazuze is a Norway based composer, award winning saxophonist and world jazz artist of Mozambique origin. Mazuze initiated his studies in music at his home country Mozambique at the National Music School in 1987 with piano as first instrument. After 7 years of classical piano training Mazuze joined the woodwind section of the same school with jazz study approach with focus on improvisation. After finishing the basic elementary music school, Mazuze continued his studies at the Department of Jazz and Ethnomusicology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Ivan Mazuze is Honors degree in jazz and composition studies and Masters graduate in ethnomusicology at University of Cape Town. Mazuze also writes ethnomusicological articles about music and trance in ritual practices, which has been released in the educational magazine “The Talking Drum”.

From the start Mazuze had a clear vision of what he had to do in order to reveal himself as a solo artist in the music industry.

In 2002 Mazuze is a winner at Old Mutual Jazz Competition in the category of Composition in Cape Town, South Africa.

As a based artist in Norway since 2009, Mazuze has been representing "world jazz" coming out of Norway at numerous music events and festivals in many parts of the world in collaboration with Norwegian based cultural institutions such as Arts Council Norway and Music Norway. Mazuze has performed at music venues and festivals such as: Seoul Music Week, Amersfoort Jazz Festival, Nasjonal Jazzscene, Cosmopolite Scene, Pisa Jazz Festival, Jazztage Gorlitz Festival, Jazz no Franco, Peperoncino Jazz Festival, International Academy of Music Festival, DiVino Jazz Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Havana International Jazz Festival, Musica Sulle Bocche Jazz Festival, Grahamstown Jazz Festival, Joy of Jazz Festival, Locomotive Jazz Festival, Nick la Rocca Jazz Festival, Mela Festival, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Womex in Copenhagen, by'Larm, Musicastrada Festival and many more.

Saxophonist and composer Ivan Mazuze emerges from a long tradition of jazz musicians in southern Africa. Mazuze is continually an important representation for this genre. Mazuze performs with his own group and as a freelance has performed and recorded with artist such as: Olga Konkova, Per Mathisen, Hans Mathisen, Bugge Wesseltoft, Omar Sosa, Manou Gallo, Carmen Souza, Tom Kniffic, Steve Wilson, Hermeto Pascoal, Hanne Tveter, Linley Marthe, Enzo Favata, Jimmy Dludlu, Jonathan Butler and many more.

Mazuze has been a contributing artistic mentor for the International Jazz Day celebrations in Oslo, Norway. Since 2015 Mazuze seats as a board member for the National and International folk music, joik and folk dance representation in Norway, Riksscenen.

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Album Review

Ivan Mazuze: Moya

Read "Moya" reviewed by Anya Wassenberg


Contemporary Western jazz idioms blend seamlessly with influences that span the globe on Moya by Mozambican-Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and composer Ivan Mazuze. With a cast of collaborators specialized in a range of musical traditions, the results are multi-layered--offering both the familiar and the unfamiliar. Mazuze's playing is expressive; tone is given as much importance as virtuosity and speed. He composes all the tracks on the release, musically based on elements of various African and Indian musical traditions, with the ...

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"...a sophisticated mastery of song forms which put simple, elegant harmonies over shifting rhythmic patterns... If anything, his compositions have become even more engaging on this outing; indeed, he manages the difficult act of balancing complex rhythmic and harmonic ideas with immediately accessible melodies"

Chris Baber, Jazzviews - UK

"For Mazuze er det å skape jazzmusikk imidlertid aller mest en mulighet til å vise verden hvor han kommer fra. I jazzen kan han fortelle sin historie."

Auslag Olete Clausen, Ballade - Norge

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Moya

Losen Records
2018

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Ubuntu

Losen Records
2015

buy

Ndzuti

Etnisk Musikklubb ‎– EM90
2012

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Maganda

Imazuze Music
2008

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