South African Melody: Wakrazulwa for bass quartet (arr. Stephen Street)

About the Composition

Wakrazulwa is a South African melody introduced to me by Leon Bosch. The beautiful, peaceful tune is ideal for the bass quartet, and its gentle tempo means that it is accessible to a wide range of players. The piece is cyclical in nature, with a repeating melody that is passed around by the different players of the ensemble, and it is a great piece to build intonation.

About the Stephen Street

I, Stephen Street, am a musician based in the UK taking pride in being a versatile Bassist. I studied under classical professors Chris West and Leon Bosch, whilst continuing my jazz studies with Martin Speake and Simon Purcell and I was also influenced by the many masterclasses I attended during my studies. I perform regularly with Stefan Melovski, most notably at the Ronnie Scott’s late show and recently I had the pleasure of performing at the Ronnie Scott’s main show with the new ground breaking ensemble ‘Queertet’, highlighting LGBT Jazz musicians. Other recent performances have been for Alison Moyet, Mary Poppins UK tour, Urban Soul Orchestra, Professor Green, Ian Shaw, Scott Hamilton, Phoria, Abbey Road Studios and working closely with Adam Tuffrey. I have worked as an arranger/orchestrator for various ensembles, with my arrangements being played across Europe.

In my playing I draw on my many experiences at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where I studied for both my Undergraduate and Masters degrees. Throughout my studies I was a full scholar, (TL Scholar/Derek Butler scholar) and was given a Silver Medal for my achievements and contributions. I enjoyed playing a very active role at Trinity Laban, gaining places on both jazz and classical courses, and was honoured to play principal position in all the Conservatoire’s classical ensembles, to take part as a member of Jazz combos and take part in many different projects. 

I am continuing to expand my freelance career, freelancing for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and recently deputising on UK Musical Theatre tours, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Singing in the Rain and Caberet. My future plans are to bring my own ideas and projects to fruition, recording original arrangements and compositions. I welcome new challenges and take pride in being an important contributor to any ensemble.