Athlone guitarist Nizaam Moses will be going to Spain next year to play his music.
Moses was 16 when he started playing the guitar, and in 2011, he met Cape Town flamenco guitarist Saudiq Khan, who became his mentor.
He says he was inspired to become a musician after watching Desperado, the 1995 movie by Robert Rodriguez. It stars Antonio Banderas as guitarist El Mariachi who seeks revenge on the drug lord who killed his lover.
In 1997, Moses’s father bought him his first guitar and also taught him his first chords.
“A friend of mine, Faeez Kannemeyer, introduced me to the Gipsy Kings, and I immediately fell in love with the Spanish rumba sound.”
In March last year, he released his first album, Spanish Guitar Flavours Volume I. His second album, Spanish Guitar Flavours Volume II, followed seven months later.
Both albums contain a mix of flamenco, Spanish rumba and Gipsy Kings-influenced tracks as well as some Cape Town flavour.
Moses’s father and three of his brothers also play the guitar. He says the instrument makes people feel better about themselves and that motivates him to keep playing.
“Since playing guitar, my dream was only to make heart-warming music to make people happy. During 2019, I was personally selected by World International Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook to appear in his music video One World. During March 2022, I entered a musician contest and won the opportunity to perform in Canal Walk on a regular basis.”
Moses will be in Spain for two weeks in March next year to perform gigs in Madrid and Córdoba.
“It is also an opportunity for me to take both my albums abroad.”
Young people who share his passion for the guitar should remain humble and let their humility be the driving force behind their music, he says.
“Practice on a regular basis and know what you want to achieve with your instrument in life… Try to always be as unique as possible. Remember, you have to be good to be recognised, so practise often.”
His music is available online and on CD. He can be contacted at 084 767 9983.