Tutu Puoane - Wrapped In Rhythm

Singer Tutu Puoane (born in Pretoria, South Africa but living in Antwerp, Belgium since 2005) walked around with the poetry book In A Ribbon Of Rhythm by her compatriot Lebo Mashile under her arm for almost a decade. Mashile's poetry offers unique and very personal insight into the reality and emotional world of a young black African woman of South Africa's first post-Apartheid generation. The poems made a deep impression on Tutu, and every time she read them, she heard music. She ended up writing a bunch of songs based on some of her favorites from Mashile's collection. The result is an original repertoire at her own African intersection of jazz, singer-songwriting, and soul. This music forms the basis for a double album project titled 'Wrapped In Rhythm', the first volume of which was released in March 2024 in a production by American musician/bassist/producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Thomas Dybdahl, Herbie Hancock, ...) and which has since been received very warmly, including 3 South African Jazz Awards in Tutu's home country (Best Female Artist 2024, Best International Jazz Album 2024, Best Contemporary Jazz Album 2024). Volume 2 was released in September 2025 and is a collaboration with the world-renowned and Grammy-winning Dutch Metropole Orkest (Vince Mendoza, Jacob Collier, Somi, Ledisi, Lizz Wright, …) directed by American/Portuguese conductor Jacomo Bairos (Nu Deco Ensemble), which uniquely combines the sound of a classical ensemble with that of a big band, with arrangements by Belgian trumpeter and arranger Bert Joris. When performing live, the open and loose structures of the repertoire allow her and her band to tackle the songs in a free, improvised and communicative way. Those who have already experienced her on stage know that this is the ideal context for Puoane at her best. With her beautiful voice, her down-to-earth charisma and her natural ability to communicate with any audience, she easily conquers hearts.