Masego: a medicinal mood at the Mezzanine

On Sunday night, Masego visited the Bay with a stop at San Francisco’s Mezzanine. Touring on the long weekend was no problem, as the club was jam-packed for this set. As I waited for the doors to open, the crowd was eager to see this up-and-coming hip-hop/jazz musician with Jamaican, South-African and American roots, the buzz already apparent.

Opening his performance with a jazzy sax solo to “Tadow,” his most popular song on Spotify, Masego had his audience enthralled from the start. On stage with his two “Queens” singing backup, drummer John Curry, a bass player, and his keyboardist, it was evident how tight the group was, playing back and forth and constantly improvising. Masego would often stray from the framework of his songs and prompt his fellow musicians to solo or play “that beat” they had “played for me the other day.” During “Queen Tings” when Masego and his keyboardist were both playing saxophone, the backup vocals were perfectly balanced to highlight each voice while also building a strong, unified sound.

The audience was full of people looking in their twenties, shown to be Masego fans by their constant singing. The performer loved to play with his audience, and in many cases he left a verse for the crowd to sing and give them a deeper connection to his music. It’s pretty clear that Masego enjoys this a lot, as on his website he states, “Queens and Kings, Ima need you all to practice the lyrics to the new music, tour season’s here.” Performing mainly off his newly-released album, Lady Lady (2018), Masego should be reassured by the constant singing and dancing in the crowd.

From the moment he walked in wearing a cheetah-print shirt and sunglasses I had high hopes for the show, all of which were fulfilled. Seeing Masego live, I enjoyed some of his songs even more than the recordings – “Wifeable,” for example, had a softer and more fluid sound that treated for a nice and fresh difference. Masego was a natural performer and knew how to find the balance between bringing the crowd into the show, letting his bandmates solo, and introducing new music to keep the crowd guessing what was coming next. Feeling that it would have been unjust to take a water break to rejuvenate himself, Masego told the crowd he had to make them a beat to enjoy before he could quench himself. He played with the crowd, having them yell to his beat while downing his water. The crowd appreciated his performance and grew even more excited when he threw Masego-printed money at them later on. During the concert, time seemed frozen by the mesmerizing sounds, and as the crowd left, it felt like everyone’s soul had been healed by the “trap house jazz” music and Masego’s performance.

Article by Claire Winthrop