STEVE DYER QUARTET:
FREEDOM MELODY
“Steve Dyer… is a visionary, a pioneer and a symbol of a new Africa.”
- Vasco Zama Ndebele, Cue magazine
South African composer and saxophonist Steve Dyer presents his latest project Freedom Melody (co-commissioned by Lincoln Center, NY), alongside the celebration of his new album, Multipolar (Ropeadope, released on Oct 31st, 2025). The performance by the quartet, which includes the Kenyan pianist Aaron Rimbui, puts the spotlight on the rich heritage of South and Southern African vocal and instrumental music within a contemporary setting.
40 years ago In Gaborone, Botswana, April 1985 a Freedom Melody festival was held. Musicians based in Botswana as well as other parts of Southern Africa and from other locations converged for a memorable weekend of cultural events headlined by Hugh Masekela and Jonas Gwangwa. The repertoire performed included vocal and instrumental music that was symbolic of the liberation struggle. Through this festival the power of music to become a decisive unifying force for change became apparent.
2 months later on June 14th 1985 the apartheid SADF (South African Defence Force) raided Gaborone killing 12 people. The cultural initiatives over a number of years by the Medu Art Ensemble collective (who had organized the festival) were abruptly terminated as a result.
In 2025 Steve Dyer releases an album where he reflects on the urgent need for new and/or alternative ways of thinking and acting. The title, Multipolar refers to the global world shift from the falsehood perception of a unipolar power dynamic world to one with many centers of decentralized spheres of influence and power. Parallel lives have always been lived but often unrecognized and/or marginalized. The music on Multipolar reflects different elements of Steve Dyer’s cultural makeup as an Anglo-African. Born into, and influenced and shaped by Africa, this music originates here and casts its creative eyes outward to a global world of accessibility and connection. We all have our stories to tell, and we can all learn from each other’s stories.
Conceptualized by Steve Dyer, who was part of the original Freedom Melody, the concert promises to be a night of cultural intersection and celebration to remember.
Biography:
Steve Dyer believes that no single culture owns the monopoly on human wisdom. Every human life born into whatever culture, ethnicity or spiritual belief system has the same value.
Steve was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in 1960. His parents listened consistently to music of the Western classical masters. He also remembers maskandi musicians walking the streets as they played their guitars, and the Soul Brothers and “kwela” playing on the radio. He began composing music at the age of 10. An all-rounded conceptual artist, he is a significant figure in South African music scene, contributing to its growth, both domestically and abroad.
He completed a B Mus degree in performance at the University of Natal in 1981, majoring in saxophone and flute. Refusing military conscription into the SADF Steve left South Africa and lived in Botswana for 5 years. Here he came into contact with the exile sounds blowing through the horns of Hugh Masekela and Jonas Gwangwa. He helped form “Shakawe” led by Jonas Gwangwa and played in the band for 3 years. In 1988 after a stint in the U.K. he settled in Zimbabwe where after releasing his debut album Southern Freeway (1989) he formed a group with that same name. “Indlela yenkululeko” was released in 1992. In 1990 he joined the Amandla cultural ensemble of the ANC on a 7 week tour of Japan.
With democracy on the horizon in 1993 Steve returned to South Africa. Steve has released 10 albums under his name, including the critically acclaimed “Genesis of a Different World” released in 2019, and the award-winning “Enhlizweni - song stories from my heartland” (Ropeadope / AfricArise 2024). He conceptualised the Southern African music “supergroup” Mahube that has been an ongoing touring collaboration since 1997. Steve has also composed “Rebirth” - a concerto for soprano saxophone, string quartets, music for saxophone and marimbas and more. Steve also has extensive producing experience including 6 albums for Oliver Mtukudzi (1998-2002) including the seminal Tuku music, as well as directing large and small scale concerts on the African continent and abroad. He continues to work on unique projects that reflect the current times, trace historical elements and tradition within the modernity. His most recent project “Visions of Ubuntu” - Lincoln Center at Damrosh Park, New York in June 2024 - featured an 8-piece band, guest vocalist Motswedi Modiba, and a 50-strong Young People’s Chorus of New York City.