Too early to call one of the year’s most memorable occasions? Well, not if you were one of some 200 folks who showed up one steamy evening for the launch of something truly special on the 13thfloor of an iconic building in the heart of Johannesburg’s gritty student stomping ground. You could have been reading about the goings-on at the Cape Met in this column, but my declining the organisers’ caveat that the gambling sponsors get a shout-out meant that invite galloped away.
As it turns out, the musical gods knew there was something special in the wings — a night of rare charm, with a crowd not of paid influencers but of the truly significant, against a backdrop of unparalleled views of the City of Gold as we soaked up a musical moment to make your heart sing. This was Thursday night for the opening of Hugh’s, a jazz club named after the father of South African jazz, which is perched atop the distinctive brutalist Braamfontein building that once housed the Neighbourgoods market. As I step out the lift on the floor whose number is considered unlucky for some, there is a sense of déjà vu — I was here before when the venue was known as Thirteen.
Entering the room, now swathed in oxblood-red velvet, from the curtains behind the stage to the plush booths, familiar faces abound — from Robbie Brozin (his Jozi My Jozi project to light up the Mandela Bridge is in full view through the huge windows on one side of the space) and publisher Laurice Taitz-Buntman to Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, flamboyant advocate Cawe Mahlati and radio station owner Given Mkhari. And it wouldn’t be a blue-note affair if you didn’t see Nothemba Madumo (she who makes sure the genre always has a spot on the radio dial) or Mantwa Chinoamadi, producer of one of the country’s biggest musical festivals. The story goes that property redeveloper Adam Levy, whose company owns the building, got the idea for a space blending the bustle of Braam with the essence of the late Hugh Masekela Hello after a long time to events maven Yvette Mason (who used to put on polo events when they were far more exclusive affairs), while out the corner of my eye I spot Dr Dorianne Weil.
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While chatting to veteran (“legendary” would be a fair but overused label in this room) broadcaster Shado Twala, up comes songbird Lira (Lerato Molapo). “We last saw each other when we were in LA filmingThe World’s Best,” explains Shado, referring to the global talent show that aired on US network CBS in 2019.
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