Ndabo Zulu

Ndabo Zulu was born and raised in Chesterville just outside of Durban in South Africa. His love for music was triggered at the age of 9.This saw him taking music lessons at The Field Band Foundation under the tutelage of Brian Clark playing steel drums and african marimbas. He later picked up a trumpet with the help of Nkosinathi Hadebe who advised him to join Siyakhula Music Centre in Umlazi Township to study with the legendary jazz trumpeter Dr. Brian Thusi. Zulu was also active as a classical trumpeter in Durban playing with the KZN Youth Wind Band which won a Global Competition For Wind Band - 2004 in Vienna, this saw the band touring China, Mauritius, Germany and Hong Kong representing South Africa. In 2009 he enrolled at the University of KwaZulu Natal to study a Diploma In Jazz/Pop Music program, while a student at UKZN, Zulu was also a trumpet tutor at the Durban Music School and Field Band Foundation.In 2011 through funding from the Fredkorpset (KF) he started an exchange programme in Norway which was a partnership between the Field Band Foundation and Norges Musikk Forbund (Norwegian Music Federation) ,through this exchange program he spent a year at a school called Toneheim Folkehøgskole in Hamar Norway which led into a decision of enrolling as a full-time at The University of Stavanger in 2012. He obtained his Bachelor ́s Degree - Jazz Performance in 2017. In 2017 he was enrolled at the Norwegian Music Academy in Olso where he completed his Master ́s Degree in 2019. In 2019 he also enrolled at the University of Stavanger for his post master’s research which graduated in May 2020. Zulu has played ,recorded and toured extensively with respected artists such as Derrick Hodge (USA), Sjava, Nduduzo Makhathini, Herbie Tsoaeli, Salim Washington(USA), Ayanda Sikade, Neil Gonsalves, Mbuso Khoza, Erlend Skomsvoll (NO), Rolf Lislevand (NO/IT), Roberto Bonati (IT), Tore Johansen (NO), Arild Anderson (NO), Bugge Wesseltoft and many more. Zulu is a multi award winning artist namely SAMRO IAM winner 2018, Jazz i Sikte (Norway) 2016 and a recent three time SAMA winner and a Mzantsi Jazz awards winner for the debut “Queen Nandi: The Africa Symphony”.