Re-Centering Indigenous Knowledge Systems Into Contemporary Jazz Bass

This video was filmed by the South African College of Music (University of Cape Town) on 30 November 2021. It shows the full performance of Stephen de Souza's creative project, performed in Chisholm Recital Room (C7), Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. This video accompanies Stephen de Souza's (2022) Masters dissertation entitled “Re-Centering Indigenous Knowledge Systems into Contemporary Jazz Bass.”

This project aims to determine how one can incorporate indigenous music and performance practices into contemporary jazz using the double bass and bass guitar as tools for mediation. It specifically investigates the Southern African and the Middle Eastern regions via the Indian Ocean connection. This project combines performance and ethnography and details the process I went through in the pursuit for musical inclusivity as a South African bassist.