Thembelihle Dunjana - Intyatyambo, Pt. 1 (2020)

The album has two parts with the songs including the first single forming Part 1 which are recorded as a trio with Mahola and Van Rooyen. Part 2 will be a quartet including horns. Saxophonist Tshegofatso Matlou will play in some tunes while trumpeter Muneeb Hermans will feature in others. Thembelihle is grateful for the advice and support from musicians who have been in this field longer that she has. “Siya Makhuzeni and Sisonke Xonti are always willing to answer my questions about music practice and business”, she told Jazz It Out. Her friend Simthandile Mnyamana has attended all her recording sessions as well as partner Lonwabo Mafani who has been her rock.

Thembelihle believes she has so much to contribute to the South African music scene. Her music is founded in jazz but is a deep fusion of various styles, such as Xhosa music in the songs “Emlanjeni” and “Ingoma Yoxolo”, and an old school RnB in “Divine Lover”. There is a strong hip-hop fusion in “Beloved Child” and certain elements of kwaito in the song “With a Glass of Wine”. In the album, Thembelihle showcased all her skills and variant tastes in music, which are styles that she has grown up with and that resonate within her heart.