Usathane Usifikile!: EJ Durban Office Party 2016

“Oh believers gather around and start praying, for the devil has arrived!” Joseph Kumalo is not alone in blaming the devil for ‘changes’ he is not happy with. For Kumalo, South African cities in the early 1960s were dens of iniquity corrupting the traditions and values of rural folk. Drinking, smoking marijuana, gambling, fighting were the work of the devil.

We have all encountered a few “devils” of our own this year, and I thought it a good time to dig through my ‘new finds’ for a year-end Office Party shake-out. Welcome to a bumper edition of the Electric Jive 2016 Durban Office Party. Sadly, unexpected changes to my work-travel commitments prevent me from actually spinning these discs, as planned, at the Electric Jive Office Party at Khaya Records on Friday 9^th December. A party of one sort or another is still happening though. "Familiar Favourite" (Mxolisi Makubho) and Hotdog Fingarz of Fly Machine Sessions are keeping their part of the bargain and will be coming through from Johannesburg with some great tunes on vinyl. Make a note: Khaya Records, Durban – Friday evening 9^th December. I will leave a gift for the first thirty or so people who make it through the door. Thanks to Vusi of The Fly Machine Sessions for the graphic at the top of this post!

So, herewith two hours of what I would have played, if I could have. First up is a one-hour trip that sets off from the countryside with guitar and vocal commentary from the late 1950s, early 60s, building up via violin jive through Zulu blues, to early rock and roll. Victor Ndlazilwana (later of Jazz Ministers fame) is credited with writing and playing on “Please do it oh Baby”, a song that would not have been out of place on an Elvis album from that time.

The merriment builds, morphing from rock-influenced marabi jive through to big-band ska from the likes of Orlando Jazz Combo. Have a listen to Chris McGregor and the Blue Notes playing Dudu Pukwana’s “Ndiyeke Mra” and check out the strong ska influence! Likewise, Africa’s Hot Ten (including Kippie Moeketsi and other jazz luminaries) showcase the deep well of great talent and technical dedication from the time.

The mix changes direction, revisiting some great brass-driven marabi jive tracks from the likes of “The New Havana Orchestra, The Shakers, and the The Kwa Mashu Swingsters”. We warm down with the sweet vocals of the “Dark City Sisters” and end as we began, artists referencing “Inhliziyo Yam” (my disposition, or mood). Whereas Job Ndlangalala starts this set with a hauntingly beautiful  guitar track telling of the circumstances that were ‘killing’ his mood, The Shakers end-off with an upbeat simple finale.

So – if you feel the need to cleanse, purge, indulge, exorcise, dance, this mix can help. The 78rpm recordings are being shared as a single mix-tape. Sorry, no separated tracks on this one.

I wish all visitors to Electric Jive happy holidays, and a much, much better 2017!

1.     The Play Singer: Hambabamfana. (Job Ndlangalala) Columbia YE208.

2.     The Play Singer: U Ngi Cebe E Poisen. (Job Ndlangalala) Columbia YE129.

3.     Joseph Khumalo: Usathani Sefikile. (Joseph Khumalo) Quality TJ.855.

4.     Nongomo Trio: Zulu Violin Special. (Nongomo Trio) Columbia YE.333.

5.     Gumede's Happy Violin: Thatha Jou (J. Gumede) Gallotone Jive GB.3212.

6.     Stanley Caluza: Sengimtholile. (Stanley Caluza) Columbia YE392.

7.     Daisy Newman: Abafana. (Daisy Newman) Winner OK.051.

8.     Cooper & The Black Be-Bop Sisters: Ebusuku Nemini (Theodora Ngcongo) Winner OK.114.

9.     Merebank Youngsters: Ngiyazisola (Merebank Youngsters) Columbia YE.85.

10.  The Bogard Brothers: Che Boogie Here. (L. Motau) His Master's Voice JP.750.

11.  Big Rock Chaka: Please Do It Oh Baby (Victor Ndlazilwana). Tropik DC.751.

12.  Almon's Jazz Kings: Uyidoda (Almon Memela) Gallo USA USA280.

13.  Orlando Jazz Combo: Imbasha (Percy Gumbi) Gallo USA USA304.

14.  Chris McGregor & His Blue Notes: Ndiyeke Mra (Dudu Phukwana) Winner OK.125.

15.  Africa's Hot Ten: Club 600 (E. Williams) Winner OK.001.

16.  Christopher and his Home Swingsters: T. Time Ska (Chris Songxaka) Gallo New Sound GB3581.

17.  Sofasonke Swingsters: Umlahla (Edmund Piliso) His Master's Voice JP.857.

18.  Cooper & The Black Be-Bop Sisters: Vat en Sit (Gloria Malete) Winner OK.114.

19.  Zee Zee Jazz Appointment: Jazz Palace (Rupert Bopape) His Master's Voice JP.741.

20.  The New Havana Orchestra: City Phata (Ngubane) Troubadour AFC.605.

21.  The Shakers: Shake Shake No. 1 (Busi) Troubadour AFC.643

22.  Kwa Mashu Swingsters: Siyanda (Roland Mqwebu) RCA.250.

23.  The City Dazzlers: Ngenye Mini (The City Dazzlers) HIT.120.

24.  The Dark City Sisters: Tap Tap Ntshebe (Zeph Nkabinde, Michael Xaba, Rupert Bopape, Elijah Nkwanyane) His Master's Voice JP.700.

25.  The Shakers: Intlyizo Yam.(Busi) Troubadour AFC.643.

The second one-hour set is drawn from 45rpm, most of which found their way to my drawers this year. Seventies South African soul, funk, pop, jazz and then some mbaqanga to round it all off.

1. The V.I.P.s:  Maxie's Mood. (M. Kubekha, I. Twala). Love Love LVB220.

2. The Anchors: Friends In Soul. (The Anchors). CYB69. (1969).

3. The Inn Lawes: Peter and Zacks Special (Peter Morake, Zacks Kgasapane) CBS AB 326.

4. S. Piliso & His Super Seven: Papa Was A Rolling Stone (Whitfield and Strong) FGB625 (1973).

5. Cool Cats: Wilderness (Gilbert Matthews, G. Sabela) Soweto SWB 4 (1973).

6.  The Special Sounds:  Mngani (Rupert Bopape and Shadrach Piliso) Soul Jazz Pop SOJ 2 (1974),

7. Cool Cats:  See You Later (P. Nkosi, B. Kgasoane) Soweto SWB 4 (1973).

8. The Black Pages: There Goes (N. Makua, E. Kheswa, G. Molefi). Soul Jazz Pop SOJ 140 (1977).

9. S. Piliso & His Super Seven: Umgababa (Edmund Piliso & Themba Dlamini) FGB625 (1973).

10. Bops and Son: Chicken Soul (D. Mchunu) MJW Records MJW.107 (1976).

11. Inthuthuko Brothers: Soweto Disco (S. Jibiliza)Black Cherry BCS110 1978.

12. Shumi: Gideon, Early & McKay (Holler/Arr: Masingi) BUA8803 (1974).

13. Jazz Disciples: Tete’s Jump (Tete Mbambisa) HMV JP887 (1967).

14. Rift Valley Brothers: Mutirima Waka (Lawrence Nduku) Mercury MER11.

15. Abafana Bentuthuko: Double Line (Hansford Mthembu) AB666.

16. John Mkhabela and the Fire Wizards: Umdidyelo (J Nhlapo) GGB456 (1971).

17. The Play Boys:  Cross Road (D. Mokoka - M. Maliehe) JP1338 (1973).

18. Izintombi Zomoya: Oseke Walla (Rupert Bopape and Irene Mawela) Motella MO 522 (1974).

19. Abafana Besi Manje Manje: Bathini Nzimande (Hamilton Nzimande) HVN NZ.68 (1974).

20. Johanes Lenkoe with the Suger Suger Boys: NU 3 (Johannes Lenkoe) Six Mabone SMB 728 (1975).

21. Makhona Zonke Band: Durban Road. (

22. The Creations:  Wild Man in the City (Manu Dibango) PD 1270 (1976).

Download links:

78rpm mix-tape 

45rpm mix-tape 

45rpm separated tracks 

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.

 

Rapidshare here

Mediafire here

 

Keeping Time: 1964 - 1974 The Photographs and Cape Town Jazz Recordings of Ian Bruce Huntley

This book celebrates the public emergence of an extraordinary visual and audio archive that was initiated by Ian Bruce Huntley in Cape Town fifty years ago. Electric Jive is very happy to announce that a limited edition print run of 500 copies is now at the printers. The book is expected to be available towards the end of November.

Covering the period 1964 - 1974, the Ian Bruce Huntley archive opens a window to a little known era of South African music history, documenting an ‘underground’ jazz scene that persisted in creative defiance of all that grand apartheid threw at it. In addition to 120 historical images, 56 hours of live recordings from many of the photographed performances are indexed in this book and will become available for free download through Electric Jive.

This previously hidden archive documents accomplished South African jazz musicians pushing the creative envelope and entertaining appreciative audiences. In his accompanying essay Jonathan Eato argues that Ian Bruce Huntley’s photos and recordings document an extension of the Drum decade lineage right through to the 1970s.

Many of the musicians Huntley worked with have passed on, and a large number were never afforded the opportunity to record (whilst others remain woefully under-documented). Combined with the loss to exile of yet more key people in the history of jazz in South Africa and the general inaccessibility of records that do exist, this conflation of events and circumstances has left a big dent in our historical understanding and resources. For those students, musicians, scholars, and devotees of South African music who wish to engage with the achievements of a generation of South African jazz musicians the newly found accessibility of the Ian Huntley archive goes a small but invaluable way towards maintaining memory and articulating lost stories

Published by Chris Albertyn and Associates in partnership with Electric Jive, the book is edited by Chris Albertyn. In addition to a biographical sketch of Ian Huntley, the book offers a substantial essay by Jonathan Eato, a full discography of all the recordings, and an index. Electric Jive's Siemon Allen is responsible for the design and layout, while Cedric Nunn has painstakingly spent many many hours restoring the  professionally scanned digitized images. More details will be made available in the coming months.

The front cover image is of Psych Big T Ntsele playing at a 1971 open-air concert in New Brighton Township.

So - in celebration herewith a very rare recording. As regular Electric Jive visitors will know, one of the bands that Ian recorded in Cape Town was "The Jazz Disciples" - which included Tete Mbambisa (piano), Barney Rachabane and Ronnie Beer (saxophones), Dennis Mpale, Trumpet, Max Dayimani (drums) and either Sammy Maritz or Martin Mgijima on bass. You can read more about them and hear their music here, here, and here,

It is known that the Jazz Disciples did record for the SABC in 1964. What is less known is that there was at least one commercial release of a 45rpm on His Master's Voice, featuring the historic Tete Mbambisa compositions, Umsenge (his first) and Tete's Jump. While the labels do not indicate a date or release, it is estimated that this would be either 1964 or 1965. 

Mediafire here
Rapidshare here

Dudu Pukwana and the Jazz Disciples (1964)

L-R: Barney Rachabane, Dennis Mpale (drums) Tete Mbambisa,
drummer Timmy Kweblulana on bass. (Pic: Ian Huntley)

The Room at the Top (featured in the picture above) was another Cape Town live jazz venue that hosted legendary performances in the 1960s. Two things are striking about this picture of Ian Huntley's: Two of the musicians have swopped roles, with trumpeter Dennis Mpale playing drums, and drummer Timmy Kwebulana playing bass (he toured with Victor Ntoni for the Japan performances of Meropa).

This picture of Tete Mbambisa sitting on a very makeshift piano stool also tells a story of challenges of a different kind. Ian Huntley recalls that the particular piano featured in the picture - and in the recordings shared below - had one fairly important key that simply did not work. The genius that was Tete Mbambisa improvised around his found circumstances. My own limited musical expertise means I did not hear any difference in the recording shared here - perhaps you might notice?

My journey of working on Ian Huntley's jazz archive is approaching an important milestone. The promised book of Ian's pictures has moved to the design and layout phase, with the release scheduled for mid-November this year. Without giving too much away, the book will contain more than 100 pictures chosen by Ian, a short biography of Ian, an essay by Jonathan Eato, and a full discographical listing of the more than 56 hours of recordings made by Ian.

Photographer Cedric Nunn was engaged to work long hours in restoring the digitally scanned black and white and colour images to their pristine original selves, taking away years of residual fungus and scratch marks.

Electric Jive's 'very own' Siemon Allen is voluntarily giving a huge chunk of his time to design the book and lay it out ready for the printers. Siemon is currently a Guggenheim Fellowship holder.

So, what better way to celebrate the anticipation of the launch of a book of Ian's photos than with these rather special recordings made by Ian before Dudu Pukwana left the country with the Blue Notes in July 1964.

Pukwana joins the Jazz Disciples in giving us seven tracks extended over more than two hours, including local compositions Vortex Special (Chris McGregor) Mr Mecca, Tete's Jump, and Leads Dwana (Tete Mbambisa). Due to size, the files are split into two downloads.

Please enjoy!

If you have not yet had chance to access previous posts of Ian's Cape Town jazz archive on Electric Jive (it stretches back to April 2012), use the search function in the right-hand box of this blog and look for "IBH Jazz".

Tape 18   Room at the Top (1964)

7 tracks at 2:11:25

Dennis Mpale (trumpet), Ronnie Beer (tenor sax), Dudu Pukwana (alto sax), Tete Mbambisa (piano), Martin Mgijima (bass), Max ‘Diamond’ Dayimani (drums).

1. Milestones (31:54)

2. Mr Mecca (15:25)

3. Leads Dwana (11:32)

4. Bag’s Groove (15:36)

5. Tete’s Jump - incomplete (19:30)

6. Arabia (18:21)

7. Vortex Special (20:26)

Part 1:  Mediafire here

Part II:  Mediafire here

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

 

Mediafire SET ONE here and SET TWO here

Rapidshare SET ONE here and SET TWO here

The Jazz Disciples - Cape Town 1964

 

Dennis Mpale, Barney Rachabane (18yrs) Ronnie Beer. Pic: Ian Bruce Huntley

In May 1964 "The Jazz Disciples" went into Cape Town's SABC studios to record for Radio Bantu, without Ronnie Beer. In "Black Composers of Southern Africa", Yvonne Huskisson documents the SABC recording as being made by Tete Mbambisa (piano), Sammy Maritz (bass), Max 'Diamond' Dayimani (drums), Dennis Mpale (trumpet) and "Bunny" (Barney) Rachabane (sax). Ronnie Beer was also considered a member of the Jazz Disciples. We can only speculate as to why he was not included in that particular Radio Bantu recording session. Perhaps it was to do with the SABC's own racial policies at the time?

Max 'Diamond' Dayimani 'getting a light' from
Sammy Maritz. Pic: Ian Bruce Huntley

Shortly thereafter, Ronnie Beer rented the Thibault Square recording studio in Cape Town for an hour and he and the Jazz Disciples laid down four tight tracks - one of which we need some help in identifying. Ian Huntley happened to tag along and plugged his reel-to-reel into the sound desk, and here, nearly fifty years later the recording comes to light. We do not know what Ronnie Beer did with the recording he made of that session. Maybe he wanted to press an LP - four songs, thirty minutes - but it just never worked out?

 

Of all Ian's recordings, this is the only one capturing Sammy Maritz on bass. Maritz played in the Dollar Brand trio in the early 1960s, and then in early incarnations of Chris McGregor and the Blue Notes. He subsequently played most frequently with Tete Mbambisa and Max 'Diamond' Dayimani. Ronnie Beer and Sammy Maritz played in Chris McGregor's band at the 1962 Moroka-Jabavu Jazz Festival in Soweto, while Dennis Mpale and a seventeen-year-old Barney Rachabane joined them all on the legendary 1963 recording, Jazz: The African Sound.



Ian made five different recordings of what could be considered the core of the Jazz Disciples playing together, Mbambisa (leader), Beer, Mpale and Rachabane. One recording at the Room At The Top during 1964 has Martin Mgijima on bass. On another recording of this group at the Zambezi Restaurant in District Six, Ian's notes uncharacteristically do not list who the bass player was. Among Tete Mbambisa's own compositions, Mr Mecca features in two sessions.



Beer, Mpale, Rachabane at Thibault Square 1964
Pic: Ian Bruce Huntley

While Mr Mecca does not feature on Ian's Thibault Square tape, you can hear the version recorded by the Jazz Disciples at the 1964 SABC recording session here. Big thanks to Struan Douglas of www.afribeat.com for his now out of print Archive Africa CD. See here for the story and tracklisting of important recordings on that CD.The Soul Jazzmen's rendition of Mr Mecca can be found here. In the next few months I will share another 1964 recording of pianist Bucs Gcongo (Chonco) and others rendering Mr Mecca at the Zambezi Restaurant.

Turning to today's offering: The first track is a tight uptempo rendition of Charlie Parker's 'Billie's Bounce'. I think the second is the Ronnie Beer composition "Immediately". The fourth track is a lovely rendition of "Green Dolphin Street". All help apreciated in identifying the third track in this recording, it is naggingly familiar.

The Jazz Disciples: Thibault Square Recording Studio, Cape Town - 1964

Ronnie Beer and Tete Mbambisa at Thibault Square 1964
Pic by Ian Bruce Huntley

Ronnie Beer (saxophone); Barney Rachabane (saxophone - age 18); Dennis Mpale (trumpet); Tete Mbambisa (piano); Max 'Diamond' Dayimani (drums); Sammy Maritz (bass).

1. Billie's Bounce - (Charlie Parker) (7:11)
2. Immediately (I think) (Ronnie Beer) (8:13)
3. Unidentified (7:55)
4. Green Dolphin Street (7:20)

Rapidshare here
Mediafire here

Baba "Themba" Mokoena - Themba (1976)

The Soweto uprisings of 1976 were a turning point in South Africa's history, leading to the ascendency of the African National Congress and PW Botha's political-military council as opponents in the battle that would wage through the country until the late 1980s. It was also an incredibly fertile year for jazz, as this album by Themba Mokoena illustrates. These were exciting times, as Abdullah Ibrahim and his wife Sathima Bea Benjamin had returned to record a seminal series of works including Mannenberg, Soweto, African Herbs and African Songbird. Rashid Vally was putting up studio time for jazz musicians such as Dick Khoza, Pops Mohammed, The Beaters, Pat Matshikiza, Tete Mbambisa, Kippie Moeketsi and others to lay down their inspirations. Other producers such as David Thekwane, Hamilton Nzimande and others were also not far behind mining the long grooves of bump-jive and piano led 15 minute jams echoing the single sided LP jazz grooves of Mannenberg etc.

But the optimism of the burgeoning jazz scene soon evaporated under the waves of repression and the evaporation of venues in which to practice and play. The commercial realities of venues that were regularly targetted by authorities for allowing mixed audiences and articulating a different vision of the future were tough.

As compiled on the Strut Next Stop Soweto Vol 3 - Giants, Ministers and Makers here is the complete album recorded under Themba Mokoena's first name. No surprises if the participants were the house band from the Pelican. 

Themba - Themba (Soweto SWA 14017)
1. Themba Themba
2. Ou Kaas
3. Fana Fana
4. Macs Secret

ENJOY!  MF

Dyani and Pukwana’s last South Africa gig

 

Max Dayimani - This picture taken by Ian Bruce Huntley
at the Langa Stadium in 1972

This previously unreleased recording marks the very last time that Johnny Dyani and Dudu Pukwana performed in South Africa, days before going into exile with Chris McGregor and the Blue Notes via the Antibes Jazz Festival in July 1964. Captured at “The Room At The Top” in Cape Town by Ian Bruce Huntley, this live gig represents a poignant last union and “point of fracture” from which six very talented artists struck out to seek their respective musical fortunes.

I am hopeful that those jazz enthusiasts among you might want to share your thoughts on the arrangements and interpretation of these four tracks spanning just over seventy minutes. For all these musicians July 1964 in Cape Town was a big turning point, for some, a leap into unknown fragmented futures scattered across the globe. I cannot hear this music without this uncertain emergent context in mind. Read Tony McGregor describing the ‘journey of faith’ here.

 

On the opening track of the concert Ronnie Beer’s tenor sax leads into Dizzy Gillespie’s ‘Night in Tunisia’ with a strong upbeat performance. The introduction of Dennis Mpale’s trumpet in the fifth minute shakes it all up, setting the scene for a vibrant evening of musical conversations pivoting around the swinging Johnny Dyani bass and tight drumming from Max Dayimani, punctuated by Tete Mbambisa’s bubbling piano.

 

Before Dudu Pukwana joins in for the last two tracks, Ronnie Beer further demonstrates his class with the band rendering his own upbeat composition, ‘Immediately’. Bra Tete does his own bit of vocal scatting following his fingers in joyful moments of letting go.

The towering Dudu Pukwana summonses attention in the opening of ‘Green Dolphin Street’,(thanks Jonathan for the correction) before the conversation meanders comfortably along, providing spaces for exploratory solos. It is an historical sadness that a beautiful Pukwana solo is abruptly interrupted for what was the end of one side of Ian’s reel-to-reel tape.

Each listening of Dudu Pukwana’s plaintive alto sax on the essentially gloomy final track, “Close Your Eyes” sparks my own imagining of emotional turmoil and uncertainty. Introduced by Dennis Mpale on trumpet over an ever-swinging Dyani-Dayimani rhythm, and preceded by Ronnie Beer on tenor sax, Pukwana enters in the seventh minute in muted protest, which unwinds over ten minutes of exquisite contemplation. But then, approaching seventeen minutes in, the ever playful Tete Mbambisa (piano) starts to swing with Dyani and Dayimani, letting out yelps and whoops of appreciation in the music’s moment. Following a brief Dyani solo, Ronnie Beer interjects on tenor sax in the 21^st minute to ‘hayibo’ shouts of appreciation, followed by Dennis Mpale’s uplifting trumpet. Somehow, after that Pukwana’s final and brief closing re-entry sounds more resolute.

 

All the recordings by Ian Bruce Huntley were made with the explicit support and permission of the band members recorded. Ian has agreed to Electric Jive sharing these recordings freely on a non-commercial basis as a means of honouring the musicians and ensuring that this important legacy does not become lost.

 

There are four earlier postings from Ian Huntley's jazz archive on Electric Jive - if you have not yet downloaded them, follow these links:

Winston Mankunku gem

Love for Free: Hidden South African Jazz Archive revealed

The Blue Notes: A Journey of Faith

Becoming Free In Cape Town

LAST NIGHT AT THE ROOM AT THE TOP (1964)

Johnny Dyani - Bass; Dudu Pukwana - Alto Saxophone (tracks three and four only); Ronnie Beer - Tenor Saxophone; Dennis Mpale - Trumpet; Tete Mbambisa - Piano; Max Dayimani - Drums

1. Night In Tunisia – Dizzy Gillespie (15:21)

2. Immediately – Ronnie Beer (15:46)

3. Green Dolphin Street (16:01)

4. Close Your Eyes – Bernice Patkere (23:55)

Rapidshare download here

Mediafire download here