Derek Gripper ranks highly amongst South African music artists. He is a groundbreaking guitarist and his music draws on a wealth of original compositions, as well as transcriptions of works by Brazilian composer Egberto Gismonti, kora virtuoso Toumani Diabaté, Malian guitarist Ali Farke Touré, Xhosa bow player Madosini , as well as music composed with his long-time musical partner Alex van Heerden. 

To date Derek has released eight CDs, as well as a special edition vinyl record released in Germany in 2009. He has collaborated with a wide range of musicians from different musical backgrounds, from Cape Jazz trumpeter Alex van Heerden, Xhosa bow player Madosini, to classical Indian tabla player Udai Mazumdar. His compositions have appeared in film, television and radio and he has toured extensively in Europe and South Africa, performing solo and collaborative concerts in Holland, Denmark, the U.K. and Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, India, Namibia, and all over South Africa.

In 2010 Derek started New Cape Records, a music label dedicated to releasing the best of Cape music. Notable releases include … — Read more »