Born and bred in Bo-Kaap, musician Mansoor Joseph has dazzled crowds from a young age.
“I’ve always had a love for music, so it was inevitable that I’d put my appreciation for music together with my passion for performing,” says 30-year-old Mansoor, a self-taught guitarist who performs across genres, including jazz, pop, Flamenco and Cape Malay music.
His musical talent is grounded in his Muslim faith, and he recalls the times he joined his late father, minstrel maestro Toyer Joseph, for recitals from the Qur’an.
“Through attending the thikr, I used to listen to the guys, the different sounds, the different melodies, which sent shivers up your spine. That is really where the love for it all started.”
He also spent much of his early childhood with the minstrels.
“My whole family would be in the klopse every year, and we made it a thing that became very popular and especially well known in the Bo-Kaap area, where many of my family still live,” he says.
“I can proudly say that I come from two generations – growing up and playing klops and seeing what it is now is very different. It’s all about the money these days. A man wants to get paid for even hitting the drums, when back in the day, you did it because you loved it,“ he laughs.
Mansoor has performed solo and with bands, doing stints with the MH Big Band, Seven Steps Minstrels, Sunshine Entertainers and more.
“You get to meet new people and also learn new things. I opened myself up to learning, and that allowed me to become better at what I do.”
Mansoor has made appearances at the Suidoosterfees, at the Artscape theatre, and the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees in Oudtshoorn. He has also performed at the Seychelles International Carnival in the Seychelles, and the annual minstrel carnival and Malay choir competitions are also highlights for him.
In 2021, he started his own events company.
When he is not on stage, Mansoor can be seen entertaining smaller crowds in the streets of Bo-Kaap, playing his guitar and having a sing-a-long with a few friends.
On Friday August 23, joined by a live band and a DJ, he will perform some of his best jazz tunes, at Cafe 51 in Roodebloem Road, Woodstock. For tickets, call 073 838 9356
