Light Blue: Footprint (1978)

Jazz, fusion, funk, and a little pop creatively blended together in a South African pot to produce a tight and sumptuous five-piece mystery blend. I say mystery as there is no detail on the album of who the members of this tight outfit were.

Lofty Schultz, credited with writing the title track, was busy producing Malombo’s epic album “Sangoma” in 1978. In his own right Lofty was a very handy saxophonist and flautist. Eric Norgate, who wrote the second track, “Funk Junk” played trumpet alongside Lofty in the band “Profile”, that also included Hennie Bekker (keyboards) Johnny Fourie (guitar) Johnny Boschoff (bass) and Kevin Kruger (drums) in the first half of the 1970s. So, my opening informed guess is that Lofty Schultz and Eric Norgate comprise the brass component of this band.

The other two tracks on this gem of an album were written by Cape Towner Nol Klinkhammer who played keyboards for the Square Set in the 1960s, but also played bass for Joihn E Sharpe’s “Sharpe Set”.

Keyboard player Robert Payne who played with all of the above in the second incarnation of "Profile" does not think that it is Nol Klinkhammer featured on this album. It is likely that the keyboard player is Hennie Bekker, on probably his last gig before he left for London to record the album Prisoners On The Line with folk-rock group Magna Carta. Rob Payne is most certain that the bass player is Johnny Boschoff, and that the drummer is possibly Tony Moore.

 Lofty Schultz was murdered in Johannesburg around fifteen years ago - one source says it happened when he was getting into or out of a car, while another says the murder took place at his mother's house, and all his musical equipment was stolen in the process.

Blue: Footprint

CBS JG 122

CRC 2203

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