From Johannesburg South Africa. Pianist Witness Matlou is a composer and performer whose work is influenced by South African folk music, Contemporary classical music,  jazz, and other world music. Witness earned his Master’s degree from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, where he studied with Grammy winning pianist Danilo Perez, Terri Lyne Carrington, John Patitucci, George Garzone and Joe Lovano, whom he has performed with at the Lincoln Center and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Witness has shared the stage with other great artists such as Gary Burton, Yoron Israel, John Lockwood, and Antonio Sanchez.

 

Witness has toured in Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the United States. He has performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival, Twin Cities Jazz Festival, Panama Jazz Festival, and the Kennedy Center to name a few. After receiving his Master’s degree, Witness was awarded a Post-Master’s Fellowship in 2017 at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, and he is currently a visiting fellow at Harvard University's department of African and African American Studies.

 

Matlou grew up listening to mbaqanga, kwela, and marabi music, such elements are often reflected in his music. His compositions reflect and sound the vibrant energy of life in the townships of Johannesburg, South Africa, where he grew up and the ethnic and cultural diversity of the country. Embracing the effect that forms the basis between music and language, through experimentation with time, rhythm, harmony and melodic inventions. 

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