Sax Jive Special

It dawned on me a few days ago… why not devote an Electric Jive post to the groovy instrumental sounds that made black South African partygoers shake their hips on the dance floor in the 1960s? And so, here we are. Sax Jive Special throws you 20 classic mbaqanga instrumentals – all of which have to be played at full volume and must be accompanied by the listener jiving around the living room until they drop.

Yes indeed, sax jive was the dance music of choice in South Africa at precisely the same time that Beatlemania was sweeping the rest of the world. Nonetheless, this compilation begins with a rather subdued number performed by Abafana Bezi Mpalampala, led here by alto saxophonist Thomas Motshwane. “4 By 4” (possibly a nod towards West Nkosi’s earlier hit “2 By 2”) focuses mostly on gentle rhythms and musical harmony. Amabhungu Emvelo’s “Woza Nazo Vala” changes the cordial mood by a long way and takes us well and truly into a mad frenzy of guitar-sax-drum interplay. Hazekiel Mazibuko certainly knows his way around a saxophone. It’s hard not to feel stimulated by this track!

Abafana Bezi Mpalampala returns for one more song that stirs in a spoonful of soul magic. “Blackstick Soul” proves its hipness with a trendy, modern keyboard solo when the saxophonist puts down his horn in the middle of the tune. It’s certainly a groovy song. Before one has the chance to get carried away with all this soul stuff, in step the Makgona Tsohle Band to tell us how true, grassroots studio jive is performed. Vivian Ngubane’s genius rhythm guitar introduces “Mafeking Platform 12” calmly, and Marks Mankwane – without missing a trick – gets right down to business by scratching out that trademark fast-paced lead guitar sound. We step a couple of years ahead to hear an emphatic, driving rhythm created by the peculiarly named artist Bhengu & Bhengu. What we do know is that the brilliant Sipho ‘Sammyboy’ Bhengu is on alto sax here, with Nunu Luphoko on rhythm guitar. Then, we step another couple of years backwards to hear a classic sax jive from the master, West Nkosi, backed as usual by the brilliant Makgona Tsohle Band. Although West is on top form here, the standout musician has to be Joseph Makwela who just plucks that electric bass like there’s no tomorrow.

West Nkosi was a sax jive star – but then again, so was Selby ‘Bra Sello’ Mmutung. “12-0-12” was a huge hit for Bra Sello in 1967, so much so that Izintombi Zesi Manje Manje did a vocal jive cover of it entitled “Ingwe Idla Ngamabala”. Bra Sello created a long stream of funky, soul-infused sax jive for a number of years before retreating to the more comfortable and familiar traditional formula in the mid-1970s. It was nothing spectacular, but you just find yourself getting lost in the frenetic melody of tunes like “Mancintshana”. There were other saxophone stars too, such as Teaspoon Ndelu. His “Miss Durban” is a hell of a tune. Noise Khanyile, that legendary studio violinist, bulks up the instrumental team that jives undeterred as Teaspoon hits the highest registers of his alto sax.

Sax jive was perhaps at its most fertile during the late 1960s – and in recognition of this, we again recoil and return to the earlier time period after a number of 1970s instrumentals. Amabhungu Emvelo steps back into the limelight to play another hit of the day, “Impalampala Outside”. But it’s down to Abafana Bentuthuko to close the show – and a fine job of it they certainly do, playing their mid-tempo “Tycoons No. 2”.

Many thanks to Chris for allowing me the use of “Matamato Jive Matamato” – and also thanks to regular EJ reader Manzo Khulu for sharing with us his out-of-print copy of Bra Sello and Abafana Bentuthuko’s greatest hits.

Now download, play at full blast and do your thing, man!

SAX JIVE SPECIAL

COMPILED BY NICK LOTAY

01) 4 BY 4 – ABAFANA BEZI MPALAMPALA (1969)

02) VIKA WETHU – ABAFANA BE MVUNGE (1968)

03) WOZA NAZO VALA – AMABHUNGU EMVELO (1967)

04) VALA NZIMANDE – ABAFANA BENTUTHUKO (1967)

05) BLACKSTICK SOUL – ABAFANA BEZI MPALAMPALA (1971)

06) MAFEKING PLATFORM 12 – LUCKY MONAMA AND HIS PARTNERS (1967)

07) PRETORIA TYCOONS – FESTUS THE GREAT (1967)

08) MA UJIKA – BHENGU & BHENGU (1972)

09) MATAMATO JIVE MATAMATO – JOSEPH MAKWELA AND HIS COMRADES (1967)

10) 12-0-12 – BRA SELLO (1967)

11) KHANYISA MARKS – MARKS MANKWANE AND HIS SHALUZA BOYS (1973)

12) RED STOEP – ROGER AND HIS BIG SOUNDS (1972)

13) VIA FARADAY – FASTOS THE GREAT (1977)

14) MISS DURBAN – TEASPOON NDELU AND HIS “T” BOYS (1973)

15) JIVE MABONE JIVE – SHADRACK PILISO (c.1973)

16) MOPIE SPECIAL – UMKHIZE OMCANE (1967)

17) MANCINTSHANA – MATHWALIMBUZI (1976)

18) MAGIRIGIRI – WEST NKOSI & HIS ALTO SAX (1969)

19) IMPALAMPALA OUTSIDE – AMABHUNGU EMVELO (1967)

20) TYCOONS NO. 2 – ABAFANA BENTUTHUKO (1967)

RS / MF