10 Things You Didn’t Know About Selaelo Selota

1. He was born and grew up in a rural village in the northern region of South Africa near Pietersburg

2. After completing high school, and not having financial resources to further his studies, he found employment in gold mining

3. He bought his first guitar in 1988 and began studying music theory through FUBA (Federated Union of Black Artists) Academy

4. In 1992/93 he worked with Shell Road to Fame while teaching Jazz Guitar at FUBA Academy and in 1994 enrolled at the University of Cape Town’s College of Music to study for a Jazz Degree

5. His band “Taola” was formed in 1996

6. He and Taola were billed in the UCT Jazz Festival held at the Baxter Concert Hall in Cape Town in August 1997 and were invited to perform at the Fin de Siecle Music Festival in Nantes, France in October 1997

7. He was awarded second prize in the prestigious Adcock Ingram Music Competition in 1996 and in 1997 he won first prize, both in the Jazz category

8. He graduated from UCT in 1997 with a Jazz degree, majoring in Jazz Composition and Arrangement

9. In 1998 he featured on the début CD of fellow musicians Frank Mallows and Brydon Bolton – “Adamastor” “The Spirit of Table Mountain”

10. In March 99 he won the Instrumental Category of the Old Mutual Jazz into the Future Talent Search Competition (Western Cape regional finals)