Hidden South African Jazz archive comes to life

Tonight at a public lecture in the City of York there will be a live performance of four South African jazz compositions found in the Ian Bruce Huntley archive. The "original" Ian Huntley recordings are shared here today in celebration of the great work that Jonathan Eato and students at the Department of Music at the University of York are doing in bringing Ian's archive alive in a most positive manner. Jazz legend Louis Moholo-Moholo will be there tonight, participating in the celebration.

Jonathan is talking to an interested audience about the Ian Bruce Huntley archive, showing some of the pictures, and to illustrate some of the material found in the audio archive, he

Ronnie Beer: Pic © Ian Huntley

has taken the trouble to transcribe the music and give "the dots" as he calls the sheet music, to four students who will be performing compositions by Tete Mbambisa (Leads Dwana); Ronnie Beer (Immediately); Ebrahim Kalil Shihab aka Chris Schilder (Look Up ) and Winston Mankunku Ngozi (Ekhaya).

In writing to me about the planned event tonight, and the process leading up to it, Jonathan had the following to say:

"Obviously this couldn't have happened without Ian's recordings. They (the students) will play them as part of the Merchant Adventurer talk .... And what's great is that Mpumi Moholo and Louis Moholo-Moholo will be there (although this is making the drummer both very nervous and very excited). I wonder if these compositions have ever been played outside South Africa?

"When they're tidied up I'll send the dots through for Ian (if that's of interest to him...). In listening to this music in detail so I could transcribe it for the students the interesting thing to me is that although improvisation over blues sequences are ubiquitous in jam sessions and gigs with impromptu bands, 'Immediately', 'Leads Dwana' and 'Look Up' all do this in unusual ways. Probing and exploring the form in one way or another.

"The head for 'Look Up' is thirteen bars (the usual 12 with a sort of one bar hiatus added to the end), whereas 'Immediately' has an extra two beats added to bars 4 and 12 - which also gives a total length of 13 bars but with the elongations split up and spread throughout the head, if that makes sense. 'Leads Dwana' is really doing my head in - it's heavily modal but I think I'm going to have to do more work on trying to understand how it works (or perhaps hope that Tete will explain it to me - assuming we can find a language that makes sense to both of us). Anyways it's a 32 bar modal head which covers the main harmonic centres of a typical jazz blues without using the form, or the bebop language prevalent in modern jazz blues.

"Of course these musicians were aware of Miles Davis' work etc. (hence 'Milestones' etc featuring so often in the IBH recordings) - and even though Davis recorded that in 1958, Herbie Hancock's 'Maiden Voyage' (the other great landmark of modal jazz) wasn't recorded until a year *after* Barney Rachabane, Ronnie Beer, Dennis Mpale, Tete Mbambisa, Max Dayimani and Sammy Maritz recorded 'Leads Dwana' in the studios at Thibault Square."



Jackie, Philly and Chris Schilder
Pic © Ian Huntley

 

I hope the musically technical stuff made sense to some of you, I just nod my head and happily accept that I can still love and appreciate the music without really understanding the intricacies of how it is constructed.

 
Ian's recordings are believed to be the first or earliest recordings of all of these compositions - and as Jonathan wonders aloud, have they even been played outside of South Africa - before tonight? By my amateur reckoning, I do believe, Ronnie Beer's "Immediately" has the greatest chance of having been  performed in Europe while Beer was there playing with Chris McGregor and the Blue Notes. 

In addition to the two versions of "Immediately" already shared on this blog (The Thibault Square recording at 7:55) here and (Room At the Top) a 15 min 46sec take here  - we are sharing two more versions. A 9:52 take, from another fine performance by Mpale, Rachabane, Mbambisa, Beer, Mgijima and Dayimani at the Room at the Top - at the end of which you can hear one of the band members commenting about Max Dayimani "hitting the drums". The second take is a 13min 55sec version, also performed by the same members at the Room At The Top in 1964.
 

"Look Up" features on the 1968 vinyl holy grail - Chris Schilder Quintet's "Spring". The 3:35 version also features on Volume 3 of the great Strut Next Stop Soweto Compilation issued in 2010. The 1966 version of Spring recorded by Ian in District Six, Cape Town stretches to close on eight minutes performed by a Schilder family trio.

Tete Mbambisa's  Leads Dwana also deserves to be heard internationally, and perhaps it has been already. Who knows? Here, the Jazz Disciples - with Sammy Maritz on bass - provide a swinging eight-minute rendition.

The recording of Ekhaya is unlikely to have been performed and is not widely known. The recording shared here today was not a public performance and is not of the best sound quality, but those who recognize its importance will forgive that.

The musicians playing the four compositions at the live gig tonight are: Will Edwards (drums), Twm Dylan (bass), Joe McGrail (piano), Ben Turner (alto saxophone).

In his talk, Jonathan will be outlining the thesis he puts forward in his essay contained in the book "Keeping Time". Thank you to all of you who have pre-ordered the book - and for your kind and encouraging words. For those of you who have not yet reserved your copy - it might be a good idea. Click on the picture of the book on the side-bar - it will give you an e-mail address. Send me an e-mail requesting a copy, and I will send you further details.
 

 

1. Look Up  (7:59) (Chris Schilder): Chris Schilder (piano), Philly Schilder (bass), Jackie Schilder (drums) - recorded at the Moses House, Smart Street, District Six ~1966.

 

2. Ekhaya (7:35) (Winston Mankunku Ngozi) Winston Mankunku Ngozi (tenor), Ebrahim Kalil Shihab (Chris Schilder) (Piano), Midge Pike (Bass), Selwyn Lissack (Drums). Recorded at a practice session at Selwyn Lissack's Bantry Bay garage studio - 1966.

 

3. Immediately (Ronnie Beer) ver a (9:52) Dennis Mpale (trumpet), Barney Rachabane (alto), Ronnie Beer (tenor), Tete Mbambisa (piano), Martin Mgijima (bass), Max Dayimani (drums). Performed at the Room at the Top, Strand Street, Cape Town 1964.

 

4. Immediately (Ronnie Beer) ver b (13:55) Dennis Mpale (trumpet), Barney Rachabane (alto), Ronnie Beer (tenor), Tete Mbambisa (piano), Martin Mgijima (bass), Max Dayimani (drums). Performed at the Room at the Top, Strand Street, Cape Town 1964.

 

5. Leads Dwana  (11:32) (Tete Mbambisa) Dennis Mpale (trumpet), Barney Rachabane (alto), Ronnie Beer (tenor), Tete Mbambisa (piano), Martin Mgijima (bass), Max Dayimani (drums). Performed at the Room at the Top, Strand Street, Cape Town 1964.

 

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More Mankunku from Ian Bruce Huntley's archive

Winston Mankunku Ngozi - Morris Goldberg in background. Pic: Ian Bruce Huntley

It is a matter of a month or two before Electric Jive visitors will have full open access to the more than 56 hours of music recorded by Ian Bruce Huntley - and also be able to see many of the pictures featured in "Keeping Time", the limited edition book that will become available later this month.

The books, printed in Hong Kong, were loaded on a ship two days ago and are expected in the UK on 2nd December, and in Durban on 24th November. Siemon Allen in the USA will be receiving 50 copies via courier this week (holding thumbs Siemon).  There are 500 copies printed - we will soon provide details on costs and ordering.

The photo of Winston Mankunku Ngozi you see featured above is the only one in Ian's book that has not been digitally restored - while the scratching is particularly bad, it is also a kind of a nod from Siemon Allen (who put the book's great layout together) to the wonderful mood of the picture, and also to Cedric Nunn - who put many many hours into digitally repairing all the other images featured.

Keeping Time contains a substantial and fascinating essay by Jonathan Eato, the University of York-based composer and musician who worked with Bra Tete Mbambisa in releasing his solo piano work, "Black Heroes".

Jonathan describes in his essay how Ian set up the recording equipment on stages - when there was electricity available.

"Huntley would set up four microphones and use their proximity to the instruments to create a balanced ‘mix’. Relatively few of the photographs show Huntley’s microphone placement, but listening to the recordings one is struck by the clarity of the sound. As the pianos used in the various venues were all uprights, Huntley would place one microphone behind the instrument to pick up sound directly from the soundboard, with a second microphone placed near the drums. Huntley also reports experimenting with a piece of foam that had a hole cut in the middle to hold his third microphone. This enabled the microphone to be wedged into the bridge of the bass, accounting for the high quality bass response on the recordings (a level of fidelity which was probably not available to either the musicians or audiences at the time of the performance). Another of Huntley’s techniques was to put the fourth microphone inside a lampshade, which then acted as an improvised parabolic reflector to gather the overall sound of the horns. Once the microphones were in place, Huntley would be free to leave the tape running – until the tape ran out at least – whilst he attended to his camerawork." 

Jonathan then goes on to describe how the musicians would gather in Ian's flat to carefully listen to their recordings, coming to one of many interesting conclusions:

"Although one can only speculate at this point, it is not inconceivable that Huntley’s recordings were instrumental in contributing to the practice of modern jazz in South Africa. A pianist enabled to hear a walking bass line with clarity – even if not in the immediacy of performance – might well be further encouraged to explore the rootless left hand voicings they heard on records by Bud Powell, Bill Evans and others pioneering the practice in the U.S."

In keeping with the spirit of Ian's work, Jonathan's full essay will become available as an open access document - but not before the book comes out.

So - in all-round celebration, herewith nearly two hours (240mb) of some more gems from the archive - which Ian's records say were recorded at the Art Centre on 29th September 1966.

Art Centre (September 1966)

Tape 33
11 tracks at 1:54:21
Art Centre, Green Point Common, Cape Town.

Winston Mankunku Ngozi (tenor), Chris Schilder (piano), Midge Pike¹ (bass), Selwyn Lissack (drums), unidentified² (trumpet), Merton Barrow (vibes)³, Morris Goldberg⁴ (tenor).

1. Blues for Gary Peacock (7:14)

2. Summertime (George Gershwin) (11:16)
3. Woody ‘n’ You (Dizzy Gillespie) (8:54)
4. Nardis (Miles Davis) (7:13)²
5. Majong (Wayne Shorter) (13:40)
6. Love for Sale (Cole Porter) (16:02)
7. Well You Needn’t (Monk) (15:11)
8. Bessies Blues (John Coltrane) (8:42)
9. You Would Be So Nice To Come Home To (Cole Porter) [bass solo¹] (4:15)
10. Misty (Erroll Garner) (11:04)
11. Groovy Blues (10:46)^{3 & 4}

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Zambezi Restaurant, District Six Jazz: Part II

District Six: 1965. Pic: Ian Huntley

Electric Jive celebrates its 300th post of this blog with two more historical sets recorded by Ian Bruce Huntley during 1964 at the legendary Zambezi Restaurant in District Six Cape Town. In addition to an elegant trio rendition of popular numbers by Chris and Philly Schilder with Max Dayimani, there is a lively performance by Tete Mbambisa's Jazz Disciples where we hear at least one local composition - "Dollar's Moods" by Hugh Masekela and first recorded by the Jazz Epistles. (Thanks 'anonymous' for this helpful correction, and thanks Bob D and MB for help in naming the other tracks). Any help in naming the remaining unidentified track would be much appreciated.

On a related 'heritage practitioning' and archiving note: The Centre for Popular Memory at the University of Cape Town has recently updated its website. It is now possible to listen to a number of interviews Colin Miller did with Cape Town jazz musicians such as Harold Japhta, Robbie Jansen, Cliffie Moses, Cups and Saucers Nkanuka, Monty Weber, Richard Schilder, Donald Tshomela and others. You can find this important resource here.

SET ONE: Chris Schilder, Philly Schilder, Max Dayimani

1.      Green Dolphin Street (10:19)

2.      My Man's Gone Now (5:38)

3.      Too marvelous for words (5:47)

4.      Unidentified Track 4 (7:02)

5.      Milestones (8:24)

SET TWO: Dennis Mpale (trumpet), Ronnie Beer (saxophone), Tete Mbambisa (piano) – not certain who is on  (bass), Max Dayimani (drums)

1.      Dollar's Moods (Hugh Masekela) (9:30)

2.      Sweet and Lovely (7:26)

3.      ? (4:41)

4.      Misterioso (Thelonius Monk) (6:22)

5.      Friday the 13th (13:31)

Fruit and veg vendor outside Beaconsfield Bar, District Six. Pic: Ian Huntley

 

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Jazz in District Six: The Zambezi Restaurant: part 1 - Celebrating International Jazz Day

Distric Six Cape Town (1964): Pic Ian Bruce Huntley

It is written that Cape Town's Zambezi Restaurant in Hanover Street, District Six, first became really popular as a Sunday night jazz venue in 1956 when the second Arab-Israeli war closed the Suez Canal shipping channel. Shiploads of American soldiers in transit would dock in Cape Town, with the bop jazz-lovers among them frequenting District Six, listening to racially mixed groups of South Africans of Muslim, Jewish, Christian and other faiths together creating music.

In celebrating International Jazz Day (30th April), Electric Jive is honoured to be able to share a previously unheard set of 1964 recordings made by Ian Bruce Huntley at this fabled venue.

Hanover Street, District Six (1964). The Zambezi Restaurant
was about half way down, on the right. Pic: Ian Huntley

Trumpeter Syfred Woodrow Dlova describes the times to Lars Rasmussen: “The big American battleships, the aircraft carriers, they used to come here, and some of the black Americans would get off the boat and come and perform ... and have a good time!. Some of them were great musicians. That is before those people went out of their minds (the apartheid government). At one time, they stopped an aircraft carrier from docking in Cape Town because there were black pilots there. They said, No, we can’t have black pilots flying planes over a white country! They were sick, man!. (Jazz People of Cape Town, p.60)

As I continue to process and digest just over 56 hours of Ian Huntley’s recorded archive it becomes possible to notice which musicians performed regularly together. Given the increasingly oppressive racial separation enforced in the mid 1960s, Ian's archive provides strong evidence of these artists persisting with some success in being a defiant multi-racial creative pulse that coursed through the heart of Cape Town's jazz scene in the sixties and early seventies.

"Fairyland" District Six: Pic Ian Huntley

There were some complex dynamics that enabled an ongoing racial mix of South African musicians to play in public. Sammy Maritz talks about the change of name of the Jazz Disciples to the Ronnie Beer Quintet, and then when Mongezi Feza joined them, to the Ronnie Beer Sextet: “To tell the truth, because he was a white guy. So it proved opportune to have a name like that. At that stage, it was good to have a white guy with you. Especially when we had to do night clubs and things. This is the kind of things people won’t tell you. They sort of want to run down the white. White was a good thing at some times. Through this guy we could get into some clubs that we could never go in a black group altogether. The groups I played with was always mixed, there was always white guys and I didn’t see colour. If it was a black guy and we spoke the same thing as far as music that was it. That was the colour - the colour of music.” (Rasmussen p.132/3).

District Six (1964). Pic: Ian Huntley

Ian Huntley remembers the Zambezi Restaurant as a dark and difficult place to take photographs in. Owned by Abie Hurzuk (he also owned The Mermaid), the Zambezi was located on Hanover Street, the bustling ‘central business district’ of District Six. Ian recorded close on three hours of live music there. He also took some amazing pictures.

The eighty four minutes of recordings shared in this post are a testament to the diverse groupings and mix of musicians who gathered to entertain at the Zambezi.

 

If you have not had chance to check out the earlier posts that share Ian Huntley's unique recordings, use the SEARCH function in the right hand column of this blog - search "IBH Jazz".

Jazz at the Zambezi Restaurant

Part one (1964)

Ronnie Beer* (Tenor), Chris Schilder (Piano), Philly Schilder (Bass), Max ‘Diamond’ Dayimani (Drums), Selwyn LissackP(Drums)

1.    Billie's Bounce* (3:33)
2.    Bessies Blues (6:50)
3.    Milestones* (8:52)
4.    Misty (8:21)
5.    Saints*P(9:58)

Ronnie Beer (tenor), Bucs Chonco (Piano), Philly Schilder (Bass), Max Dayimani (Drums)

 

6.     Green Dolphin Street (8:04)

7.     Mr Mecca (6:39)

Ronnie Beer (tenor), Chris Schilder (Piano), Philly Schilder (Bass), Selwyn Lissack (Drums),

Mike Gibbs (Trombone), Bob Tizzard (Trombone)

8.     Bag’s Groove (11:51)

9.     Softly As a Morning Sunrise (8:57)

Tony Schilder (Piano), Basil Moses (Bass), Selwyn Lissack (Drums), Mike Gibbs (Trombone),

Bob Tizzard (Trombone), Ronnie Beer (Tenor)

10. Billie's Bounce (11:00)

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Jazz in District Six: The Smart Street Sessions

District Six in Cape Town was once home to a number of the jazz musicians that Ian Bruce Huntley recorded and photographed – until this mixed and vibrant community of 60,000 people was bull-dozed by the apartheid regime.

While the community and buildings of District Six were destroyed, there have been important efforts by the District Six Museum and many others to preserve and honour the memory. In the coming months Electric Jive will be sharing two or three posts of Ian’s District Six photos and recordings as a small contribution to this important heritage.

District Six: Pic Ian Bruce Huntley

District Six was established in 1867 as a mixed community of freed slaves, merchants, artisans and labourers. In 1966 the apartheid government declared the area “white” leading to the forcible removal of all its people and the destruction by bull-dozers of their homes, businesses, and places of worship.

It is with great respect and joy that Electric Jive is able to share Ian Huntley’s images and music recorded in District Six.  Just click on any of the images to get an enlarged view of all the pics in this post.Today’s musical offering is of some private sessions that took place in the Smart Street home of Basil and Cliffie Moses. In addition to the Moses brothers, Chris, Philly and Jackie Schilder feature, along with Roy Petersen, Monty Weber and Billie Dollie.

Monty Weber and Basil Moses are perhaps most widely known, in the context of South Africa’s jazz history, as having recorded prolifically – including performing on seven or eight of Abdullah Ibrahim's 1970s recordings. Both artists also feature on Sathima Bea Benjamin’s “African Songbird”, due for re-release by Matsuli next month. Monty Weber’s “District Six” album can be found here. The 1959 musical "Shebeen", set in District Six can be found here.

Basil and Cliffie Moses (1974)
Pic: Ian Bruce Huntley

You can read or listen to Colin Miller’s 1998 life history interview of Monty Weber here. Colin did a great series of interviews in the late 1990s with amongst others, Cliffie Moses, Richard Schilder, Maurice Gawronsky, Cups and Saucers Nkanuka. These recordings and documents can be accessed through the Centre for Popular Memory at the University of Cape Town.

Guitarist Cliffie Moses, three years older than brother Basil, was another professional musician who also had a day job. Cliffie tells Colin Miller of his time: “I want to say in the 10 years that we played at the Three Cellars, ... Don’t forget it was six nights a week we played. Working during the day, playing at night.” Cliffie relates that he also produced an album of “jazz from District Six”. “.. this particular song came to mind and I saw a complete picture of me walking Hanover Street and sitting on the Seven Steps. It was then that I composed this tune called "Seven Step Lament.”

Seven Steps, District Six

Pic: Ian Bruce Huntley

In 1970 Basil, Cliffie, Roy Petersen and Monty Weber were all hired to tour the country as core of Percy Sledge’s backing band for a seventeen-week sell-out tour of South and southern Africa. The tour opened to a three-week sell-out season at the 1,300-seat Luxurama Theatre in Cape Town. Percy Sledge described it as the “greatest tour of my career”.

Drummer Billie Dollie was raised by Imam Dollie. Roy Petersen, like many other talents, cut his teeth in touring with the Golden City Dixies.

According to Cliffie Moses, Chris Schilder (now Ebrahim Kalil Shihab) spent some time living at the Smart Street House, playing the piano there non-stop.

The sessions recorded by Ian were private sessions played in the Moses' home. They are split into two separate downloads, the first comprising mostly quality renditions of jazz standards. Ian recalls the second session with Roy Petersen at the piano as an impromptu jam during which the compositions "Smart Street" and "Requiem for Reg" emerged.

The Smart Street Sessions

Recorded by Ian Huntley at Basil and Cliffie Moses’double-story house in Smart Street, District Six - 1964

Chris Schilder (piano), Basil Moses (bass), Roy Petersen (Drums) Clifford Moses (guitar) 

1.     Veet Blues (9:19)

2.     Straight No Chaser (8:42)

Eckhard Street, District Six
Pic Ian Bruce Huntley

Chris Schilder, Basil Moses, Monty Weber

3.     Sad John (8:26)

4.     It Aint Necessarily So (14:26)

Chris Schilder, Philly Schilder, Jackie Schilder

5.     Look Up (7:59)

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Roy Petersen (piano), Billy Dollie (drums) Basil Moses (bass)

1. Smart Street

Roy Petersen (piano), Monty Weber (drums) Basil Moses (bass)

1. Smart Street (2)
2. Requiem for Reg

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IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE EARLIER POSTINGS OF THIS JAZZ ARCHIVE - USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION ON THE RIGHT AND SEARCH IBH JAZZ

Sunday Night at the Troubadour - Cape Town (1965)

Maurice Gawronsky at University of Cape Town 1973. Pic Ian Bruce Huntley

The endurance of three of the artists featured in this soulful session recorded by Ian Bruce Huntley in 1965 just has to be celebrated. In little over two weeks’ time Ebrahim Khalil Shihab (formerly Chris Schilder) will be taking his rightful place, centre stage at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.

I am truly struck by the passage of forty eight years in being able to share this previously unreleased quartet recording. After all this time Maurice Gawronsky tells me matter-of-fact that he just can’t stop drumming.  In fact, he has gig lined up with Shihab over the eight-days jazz festival period. And Morris Goldberg, well he just continues to amaze me.

The only member of this quartet who is no longer with us is Bob Tizzard, who was at home both on bass and trombone – having played trombone on the legendary 1963 recording: Jazz The African sound. Bob’s son Paul is a drummer, and continues to run the piano tuning business that his father started in Cape Town.

The Troubadour Restaurant in Breda Street, Gardens was owned by Maurice Gawronsky until he sold it in 1967. Maurice recalls during the week it was more of a folk music venue where patrons would pay twenty five cents for entrance and a bottomless cup of coffee. Live jazz would take place on Sunday evenings.

Judging from this recording, The Troubadour was a relaxed place to spend a Sunday evening listening to fine music. I asked Maurice how often it was possible for groups to rehearse together, given that many of the musicians had day jobs too. “When there were big band gigs coming up, we would get together for a rehearsal or two, but for a quartet playing standards, we just fell into the groove on the night – no rehearsals, we knew each other well enough”.

I invite you to sit back, relax and be transported back to an unhurried 87 minutes of fine jazz making its way out of the Troubadour Restaurant into the Cape Town night. If you happen to recognise the last two tracks, please leave a comment and tell us what you think they might be.

This blog has a series of posts that feature the music recorded by Ian Bruce Huntley in Cape Town in the 1960s and early 70s. Use the search function (right hand side bar near the top). Look for IBH Jazz Archive.

Morris Goldberg (Saxophone); Chris Schilder (Piano); Bob Tizzard (Bass); Maurice Gawronsky (Drums).

1.    All of you (19:47)

2.    Spanish Thing (Morris Goldberg) (14:34)

3.    If I were a Bell (12:48)

4.    Now's the Time (Charlie Parker)  (10:16)

5.    Four (Miles Davis) (13:30)

6.    Unidentified (16:49)

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Free Jazz Experiments at Selwyn's Room (1966)

Selwyn Lissack - back in the day.
Picture by Ian Bruce Huntley

In a 1985 interview Sheila Wallis asks Winston Mankunku Ngozi about the mid 1960s: "Do you remember Selwyn Lissack? He said you used to have great jam sessions together at a house in Bantry Bay". Winston: "Ooh boy, we had a quartet, a beautiful group, those guys were really together. Selwyn on drums, Chris Schilder, Midge Pike, and at times with Merton Barrow. We would rehearse the whole night, play, play, play and play. We were doing the Art Centre then. I met a friend who was really into music - Ian Huntley. He had a lot of records, a photographer, a beautiful guy, he was in love with musicians. He bought me another saxophone."  (April 1985 edition of 'Think Jazz').

In talking to Selwyn Lissack this week, he emphasised the important and generous role played by Ian: "Ian, played a very important part in my comprehension of how to approach playing Jazz. I would go to Ian’s flat to listen to the tapes after a concert. They say the tapes never lie and this was a perfect way to learn and understand the music of that time." (see below for more).

Another gift that Ian gave to us all was to keep and preserve these recordings and share them with us now. In this previously unreleased fascinating ninety-minute experimental session Chris Schilder and Selwyn Lissack stand-out most often in their technically tight exploratory forays. Winston Manunku delights and surprises more in the second half.

 

In listening for the first time I had the experience of being seized in recognising snippets of music, and then being taken for a compelling diversionary ride, gripped in waiting to hear what comes next, and then occasionlly being brought back to familiar territory that I could not quite identify. The more I listen to these recordings the more I get to know and appreciate them as a product of talented jazz musicians at the top of their game.

 

Selwyn Lissack left South Africa in 1966, not long after these recordings were made. In 1969 after a three-year sojourn in England he recorded his only album as leader: "Friendship Next of Kin" with Mongezi Feza (trumpet), Harry Miller (bass), Mike Osborn (alto sax), Kenneth Terroade (tenor sax), Earl Freeman (bass and piano), and Louis Moholo (additional percussion). After contributing to another ground-breaking free jazz album in 1970, Lissack quit music, disgusted at feeling ripped off. Read more here. Lissack re-mastered and re-issued "Friendship Next of Kin" in 2006 - look out for it, it is becoming difficult to find again. It is not for nothing that Lissack was rated in a list of a top ten from the free jazz underground.

 

Ever pushing boundaries Lissack teamed up in a five-year collaborative relationship with Salvador Dali in the 1970s to produce ten holographic works of art. Watch a video of Lissack describing what they did here. Visit Selwyn Lissack's own website here.

 

Very close friends at the time, Selwyn and Ian recently re-connected via telephone - Selwyn in Tucson, Arizona, and Ian in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. I invited Selwyn to share a few words on his recollections of those times.

"In the early 1950’s it was not yet possible, to pursue a Jazz musical career, through the local school curriculum, in South Africa. Some schools could teach the basic classical fundamentals of music. It was difficult to find a teacher who enjoyed and under-stood the intricacy of Jazz music.

"Another set back was, as I had chosen the drums as an instrument, it was nearly impossible to find a space to practice, in a suburban area.

"In order to play without disturbing anyone, I would rent an office space in the city of Cape Town and soundproof the walls and ceiling. After some years of this activity, I was able to find a garage close to my home, where many, many hours were spent in the pursuit of learning how to play, Jazz music.   

 

"Chris, Midge and Winston would usually come to ‘Selwyn’s room’ to rehearse, for the Sunday concerts at the Art Center on the Green Point common. It was at this venue that Ian Huntley recorded a lot of the music that has been preserved to this day.

"Ian, played a very important part in my comprehension of how to approach playing Jazz. I would go to Ian’s flat, to listen to the tapes, after a concert. They say the tapes never lie and this was a perfect way to learn and understand the music of that time.  

 

"I had a choice selection of the best east-coast jazz musicians, to study and learn from.

"Learning to play perfect straight ahead time was hard enough but my ultimate goal was to find a different and original approach to playing time. Like a pulse. This was eventually was achieved, in future recordings, 'Friendship Next of Kin' and the 'Sun Is Coming Up.'

"All the time that was dedicated to ‘Selwyn's Room’ and other urban  recordings, is an important historical documentation, of the legacy of Ian’s love and devotion to the jazz world and the musicians of Cape Town.

"

I would like to thank him, for always being there to catch the moment, making it possible for me to advance and perfect my concept of playing Jazz."

Ian is hoping to make contact with Chris Schilder (Ebrahim Kalil Shihab) again too. In searching the web, I did manage to find this March 2012 video clip of the master still at work! He released a solo piano CD in 2010 and it appears to be already sold out. It is possible download it from itunes here and Amazon here, and for a very reasonable price from Look and Listen here.

 

Experiments At Selwyn's Room - Part One

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If you have not yet listened to the earlier postings from Ian’s archive, you can find them here:

1. Winston Mankunku gem 

2. Love for Free: Hidden South African Jazz Archive revealed

3. The Blue Notes: A Journey of Faith

4. Chris McGregor Quintet Live in Geneva

5. Becoming Free In Cape Town

6. Last Night at the Room At The Top: Dyani and Pukwana

7. Kippie Moeketsi: The album he never made

8. Mankunku and Goldberg Go Free In Cape Town