Tony Cox

Having just concluded a 16-theatre tour throughout the east coast of Canada, or the Maritimes as it is known there, from New Brunswick to the towns of Nova Scotia, over to the historical Newfoundland then on to an appearance in New York followed by a concert at the famed Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, playing a double-bill with Stella Chiweshe, Zimbabwe’s queen of Mbira, lastly rounding that off with a packed last concert in North Carolina - South African acoustic guitar legend Tony Cox left an indelible musical mark on all those that came to hear him.
Blessed with an enviable guitar technique, Cox not only is a master of his chosen musical form; playing his own deeply personalized, original music, he also excels at being the laid-back entertainer, the quintessential story-teller, with the ability to have you dreaming of far-off African plains one minute, then reduce you to fits by a single word or line and all delivered amidst an astonishing guitar technique that has an ability to slacken the jaw.
If you have missed any of his shows in the past for whatever reason, do yourselves and the kids a huge favour and take yourselves off to see just why Canadians never fail to give him a thundering standing ovation after every show and have booked him extensively for their 2008 summer program of music festivals.

WHAT THEY SAY OVERSEAS
'In a year of many outstanding performances at the Evergreen Theatre, this concert by Tony Cox surely must be one of the highlights' - Steve Kennard, Evergreen Theatre, Margaretsville, Nova Scotia, Canada - Nov 2007
'Lewes Guitar Festival has been delighted to invite guitar maestro Tony Cox to perform twice at our festival over the last few years - he's simply an entrancing performer who has that special knack of engaging all his audience while at the same time delivering a highly skilled and entertaining show. Highly recommended...' Laurence Hill, Festival Director, Lewes, UK - 2006
‘On behalf of the Cornwall Folk Festival organizing committee I would like say a big thank you for contributing towards the success of our festival with your excellent performances. Your guitar playing is unique and was the hit of the festival’ Alan Collins, Festival Committee, Cornwall, UK – 2006

WHAT THEY SAY AT HOME
‘Tony conjured up varying moods and layers of emotion and swept the audience along from American Blue Grass to the camp grounds of Shongweni, to the turbulence of life on Zimbabwe’s farms’ The Highway Mail – 2007

‘Put a party together and go have your mind blown to bits (and reconstructed) by a musician who is well on his way to becoming a living legend’ Daily News – 2007

"HULLE maak nie meer sulke akkoorde nie."
Só skerts Tony Cox terwyl hy sy kop kantel en luister na hoe die C op sy bariton-kitaar dreun. Die gehoor lag.

Wat bly oor as jy die ateljee-politoer afvryf van musiek wat deesdae van 'n vervoerband af op die TV beland? Kreatiwiteit het vervaardiging geword. Verbeelding en vakmanskap het nou meer te doen met klere en danspassies. Pop is 'n winsgewende besigheid.

Maar Cox doen nie besigheid nie; hy maak musiek - onbevange en meesterlik. Daarom is dit 'n skande dat diegene wat by die SAUK besluite neem, nie vir hom tyd op die lug wil gee nie.

Op 51 is Cox 'n swaargewig in die kitaarwêreld, met 'n Sama-prys, 'n leeftyd aan die kitaar gewy, vingers geslyp en die verbeelding aangevuur op staalsnare. Onlangs het hy teruggekom van Brittanje, waar hy en Steve Newman (van Tananas) in 60 dae 28 konserte aangebied het.

Hy hoort in Suid-Afrika se blinkste vertoonkas. Gaan luister maar eers na sy jongste solo-projek, gepas getitel The Loneliness of the Long Distance Acoustic Guitarist, voordat jy wil verskil.

Cox trek weg met 20 vingers en 'n been wat energiek tydhou en sê "ag thanks" vir die dawerende applous. Dan soek hy sy capo, soek hy die gehoor geselserig agter die verhoogligte van die intieme Sanlam-ateljee in die Baxter-teatersentrum in Rondebosch en vind hy albei wanneer iemand hom sê sy capo sit reeds op die nek van een van die drie pragstukke wat op die verhoog staan: 'n gewone "dreadnought", 'n handgemaakte een waarvan die bak bestaan uit dele wat aan mekaar vasgebout is en waarvan die klank ongelooflik geprojekteer word. Dit is 'n handgemaakte bariton-kitaar wat soos 'n vleuelklavier dreun en waarvoor hy spesiaal liedjies moes skryf.

Elkeen kry 'n beurt in die uur lange konsert waarin Cox kwêla en bluegrass laat resies hardloop en 'n kroeggeveg tussen rock en blues ontketen. Hy onthou sy storm-en-drang-jare met "Anthole", wat hy op 18 geskryf het, onthou die ontvlugting van 'n klub in Muizenberg waar hy van buite die verhoogdeure almal se vertonings gevolg het. Hy lawe jou op 'n strand met "Shweet", tower stof op in "Midnight Sweeper", laat jou sy seun deur sy oë sien en vertel van die ritueel van duisende voëls wat elke dag om vyf saamtrek om te skinder in twee bome voor 'n hotel in Durban. Die polsende botone en Spaanse aanslag en crescendo's van "You Asked For It" is 'n groot gusteling.

Cox se musiekverhale voer jou weg, en sy "ag thanks" bring jou terug aarde toe. Hoe sal 'n kind se horison nie verbreed kon word as hy Cox een aand op die TV kon sien en hoor speel nie. Watter musiek sou hy eendag maak met Cox as vertrekpunt? Ons sal seker nooit weet nie. Hulle maak nie meer sulke akkoorde nie.