RE-POST: HOELYKIT

McCOY MRUBATA - HOELYKIT
(South African Jazz)

See original post here.

RE POST: a landmark in SA Jazz

JAZZ IN AFRICA vol. 1 & 2
John Mehegan, Jonas Gwanga, Hugh Masekela, Kippie Moeketsi & all (South Africa, 1959)

I have re-posted the complete session (2CD) recorded in 1959 during a tour of American pianist John Mehegan in South Africa.  The session features the cream of the SA boppers at the time (they were already known as the Jazz Epistles).  Beautiful music and an historic document.  If you did not get it the first time, get it now, you won’t be disappointed.

See comments in the original post for the link.

VASTRAP

ROBBIE JANSEN – VASTRAP ISLAND (1991, South Africa)

 In the comments of a previous South African Jazz post (Cape Jazz – 24 Sept. 2011), a visitor (thejazzmd) wrote “Love SA Jazz, and there is so little Robbie Jansen out there- so thank you!”

Well, mate, this one is for you! Hope you’ll enjoy it.

It is Robbie Jansen’s first album as a leader and I reckon it is a bit of a mixed bag of afro-rock / smooth jazz / Cape Music, not entirely convincing (especially after hearing his contribution to the Sabenza album by Basil "Mannenberg" Coetzee) but even in such a context Robbie’s flute and alto are always a pleasure to the ears.  It is also a great party record that goes well with a few beers and a braai!

WARNING TO THE JAZZ AYATOLLAHS: Beware, I wouldn’t call this a “jazz” album, rather a Cape Music album with a jazzy tinge.

Credits :

Robbie Jansen : alto sax, flute, fife, leqd vocals, acoustic guitar, percussions

Drums: Jack Momple, Monty Weber

Electric guitar: Erol Dyers, Paul Peterson

Acoustic guitar: Erol Dyers

Electric keyboards: Hilton Schilder, Murray Anderson

Acoustic piano: Hilton Schilder

Bass: Stephen Erasmus

Ripped from a currently OOP CD.

p.s.: I'm not sure whether Sabenza has been posted  on a blog already.  It's a beautiful album that any fan of Cape Jazz should possess.  If there is a demand, I'll rip my LP when I'll get a chance.

03 Feb. 2012: somebody was faster than me ... listen to Sabenza HERE

CAPE JAZZ

CAPE JAZZ CLASSICS (South Africa, 1995.)

I love South African Jazz.  This is amother CD I picked up in Jo’Burg in the early 00’s.

Don’t dismiss it as some cheap Gallo compilation, this is a selection of live tracks by some of Cape Town Icons (Basil “Mannenberg” Coetzee, Robbie Jansen, Winston “Makunku” Ngosi, Hilton Schilder  …). There is no indication of the recording dates.  


I was lucky to see some of those guys “live” at a small festival at the University of Cape Town in 1988 and they sounded pretty much like what’s on this CD so I guess these are late 80s early 90s recordings.

Robbie Jansen

Anyhow, these versions are as good or even better than any studio version I’ve heard. 

1.  Robbie Jansen & Sons of Table Mountain

   Tsakwe / Royal Blue

Robbie Jansen              alto saxophone & vocals

Alex van Heerden        fluegelhorn

Hilton Schilder             piano

Steven Erasmus            bass

Jack Mompie                drums

Hilton Schilder

Sylvia Mdnunyelwa

         2.   Sylvia Mdnunyelwa with guest Winston “Makunku” Ngosi  
Bayeza

Sylvia Mdnunyelwa     vocal

Winston “Makunku” Ngosi          tenor sax

George Werner             piano

Spencer Mbadu            bass

Babes Ndamase            drums

Winston "Makunku" Ngosi

3.        Pat Matshikza with guest Basil “Mannenberg” Coetzee

          Stop & Start

Pat Matshiksa

Pat Matshikza               piano & vocals

Basil “Mannenberg” Coetzee        tenor sax

Spencer Mbadu            bass

Ivan Bell                      drums

4. Robbie Jansen & Sons of Table Mountain

  Kalahari Thirst

Same as (1)

5.     

5. Pat Matshikza
with guests Basil “Mannenberg” Coetzee & Robbie Jansen

Tshona

Same as (3) + Robbie Jansen : alto sax

6.      Ezra & Duke Ngcukana        You think you know me

Ezra Ngcukana

Ezra Ngcukana             tenor sax

Duke Ngcukana            fluegelhorn

George Werner             piano

Spencer Mbadu             bass

Babes Ndamase            drums

Duke Ngcukana

7.      Robbie Jansen & Sons of Table Mountain   Mannenberg

Same as (1) and (4)

To me the highlights are the Sons of Table Mountain tracks, the infectious “Stop & Start” and the Pat Matshikza track with both Coetzee and Jansen,  … If these tracks don’t get you shaking your booty, you’re either stone deaf or you ‘ve got a hole in your soul !  There’s so  much love and happiness in this music!

HOE LYKIT ?

McCOY MRUBATA – HOELYKIT  (South Africa, Sheer Sound SSCD 059,  2000)

Another album I bought about ten years ago in that excellent record shop right inside the transit hall at Johannesburg airport (I’m afraid the record shop is no longer there, has anybody been there recently?).  The album had just been released and was recommended to me by an enthusiastic shop attendant who turned out to be a  knowledgeable jazz fan.   I do not think it got much distribution outside of South Africa and it is a shame as this album definitely deserved a wider exposure.   There is a comprehensive and well written review here.


As the writer concludes: If you've not listened to McCoy Mrubata yet, then this is an ideal introduction to his music and it deserves to be widely heard.

The Tracks

01: Hoelykit? Composed by M. Mrubata

02: Romeo & Alek Part II. Composed by M. Mrubata

03: Philani. Composed by M. Mrubata

04: Obsession. Composed by M.Mrubata

05: Time. Composed by M. Mrubata

06: Bra Kadudu's Dream. Composed by M.Mrubata 7 V. Ntoni

07: Waki's Walk. Composed by P. Hanmer & M. Mrubata

08: Amasabekwelangeni. Composed by M.Mrubata

09: Romeo & Alek will never rhyme – Part 1. Composed by M. Mrubata & T. KaMkhize

10: Chef's Special. Composed by P. Hanmer & M. Mrubata

The Musicians

McCoy Mrubata – Tenor Sax, Saxello, Flute and Soprano Sax

Paul Hanmer – Piano

Marc Duby – Double Bass

Barry Van Zyl – Drums

Dave Reynolds – Steel Pans

Romeu Avelino – Percussion

Andile Yenyana – Piano

Herbie Tsoaeli – Double Bass

Morabo Morojele – Drums

Feya Faku – Flugelhorn

Mncedi Kupi – Piano, Keyboards & Voice

Isaac Mtshali – Drums

Mandla Zikalala – Double Bass

Sidney Mnisi – Tenor Sax

Thulani KaMkhize – Poetry

Gloria Bosman – Poetry & Vocals

A LANDMARK IN SOUTH AFRICAN JAZZ !

JOHN MEHEGAN, HUGH MASEKELA, JONAS  GWANGA, KIPPIE MOEKETSI, CHRIS JOSEPH, CLAUDE SHANGE & GENE LATIMORE : JAZZ IN AFRICA vol.. 1 & 2 (SOUTH AFRICA, 1959). 

American pianist, John Mehegan toured South Africa in 1959 and recorded these seminal albums (vol. 1 & vol. 2) with most of the horn section of the Jazz Epistles. The line-up included John Mehegan and Chris Joseph on piano, Kippie Moeketsi on alto, Hugh Masekela on trumpet, Jonas Gwangwa on trombone, Claude Shange on bass and Gene Latimore on drums. On the first volume, there is a single track featuring Samson Slingo on mbira with a spoken introduction probably by Mehegan, who also pens the liner notes. According to Jonas Gwangwa, this "was the first LP made by black people in South Africa." (Ansell, p. 98)

Reportedly only 500 copies of the original album were pressed, making it exceptionally hard to find. Teal Records' African Heritage series reissued both volumes in the early 1990s on LP, cassette and CD (TEL 2304, TEC 2304, TELCD 2304, 1991) (TEL 2314, TEC 2314, TELCD 2314, 1992), but these are equally scarce. 

Jonas Gwanga

I bought this double CD about ten years ago at Johannesburg International Airport. There used to be an excellent record shop in the duty free area, carrying a good selection of South African Jazz .  The young shop attendant I talked too was very enthusiastic about jazz and made me listen to a whole bunch of albums.  I had a lot of time waiting for a connecting flight and eventually I left the shop with whole pile of CDs.  And right did I do so because most of them are now OOP. 

JOHN MEHEGAN - piano

KIPPIE MOEKETSI - alto sax

CHRIS JOSEPH - piano

HUGH MASEKELA - trumpet

JONAS GWANGWA - trombone

CLAUDE SHANGE - bass

RAY SHANGE - penny whistle

GENE LATIMORE - drums

SAMSON SINGO - mbira

Jazz in Africa – vol 1

Track I — Venda introduction (traditional) 1.48.

Samson Singo is a busker (a strolling street performer) who wandered into the studios during the session. The mbira piano is about eight inches long and four inches wide. It consists of a number of steel spikes of varying lengths attached to a wooden resonator; the spikes are plucked with the thumb nails.

Track 2 — "Delilah" (Victor Young) 6.06.

Splicing "Delilah" into the Venda introduction we thought might point up the light-years that exist between the "beginning" and the "present". Chris Joseph is on piano.

Track 3 — "Round Midnight" (Monk, Williams, Hanighen) 4.16.

This track features pianist Chris Joseph who was the only musician in the Union who knew the tune. In criticizing the musicians in Durban, I mentioned this fact — the next day, his phone rang three times.

Track 4 — "Lover Come Back To Me" (Romberg-Hammerstein) 3.38.

Kippie insisted this be "my" tune, but we finally compromised on adding some I6's by Kippie, Hugh and Jonas.

Track 5 — "Body and Soul" (Green, Sour, Heyman) 4.08.

This features Kippie, who really "plays" the tune rather than treating it as a virtuoso tour de force.

Track 6 — "Old Devil Moon" (Lane, Harburg) 5.30.

This tune came up at a jam session and Kippie, who was only vaguely familiar with it, insisted on working it over until hejcould call it his own. The G major chord in the bridge absolutely gassed him each time we went around. He considered it a "moment of truth" in the tune. He is right, of course, for who ever heard of anyone going from an F minor chord to G major? Surely a moment of truth.

Track 7— "Yesterdays" (Kern, Harbach) 5.25.

We seemed to run into meter trouble on this tune until we dis¬covered that Jonas was deliberately juxtaposing a "quote" of one part of the melody over the chords of another part. Of the three (Hugh, Kippie, Jonas) Jonas was the quickest "study" with a new tune and seemed to have the best facility for playing in the twelve keys.

Track 8 — "X-Ray's Friend" (Freddie Gambrell) 3.32

This track features Chris Joseph again. For all of his rather amazing familiarity with present-day idioms of jazz piano, Chris manages a lyricism that is quite his own.

Track 9— "Cosmic Ray" (Vernacular) 3.40.

This is Ray Shange playing the pennywhistle, or for that matter, two pennywhistles simultaneously as he does on this track. Playing the pennywhistle is only one aspect of this deeply sensitive man who draws magnificently and also plays credible jazz drums. The "pennywhistle," incidently, costs about five shillings, or about sixty cents in United States currency.

CD 2 Jazz in Africa Vol. 2

Track I — 12 x 12 (vernacular) 7.28.
Upon my arrival in South Africa, I quickly learned that the twelve-bar blues (called "the twelve") reigned supreme at the local "blows". Somehow, I became fascinated with the relationship of the two musical absolutes — twelve bars in twelve keys and my wife, Terry, decided it should be "twelve by twelve". As Kippie said, "keys are keys wherever you go".

Track 2 — "Mabomvana" (Mackay Davashe) 5.02.
"Mabomvana" literally means "little red" but a free translation would be "hot stuff ". One night at a session, the subject of the number of possible harmonic "solutions" to an original melody arose and I maintained there could be more than one until the composer designated his particular "solution". Kippie agreed, but some of the others doubted it so Kippie played this vernacular piece "Mabomvava" and asked me to work out a "solution." I had never heard the tune before and my solution was based upon a familiar chord chart in F sharp major. This broke Kippie up since he had played the tune for years on a chord chart in B flat major. We decided to record both solutions of the same melody— "Mabomvana" in B flat major and "Johnny's Idea" in F sharp major.

Track 3 — "Johnny's Idea" (Davashe, Mehegan) 3.46.

Track 4 — "Like Someone In Love" (Burke, Van Heusen) 3.31.
This one features Hugh. An advocate of the Beiderbecke — Davis-Baker school, Hugh has developed many of his own personal idioms which already mark him as an original thinking musician in contemporary jazz. His proposed trip to America this winter for study may be the beginning of a major jazz career.

Track 5 — "Angel Eyes" (Matt Dennis) 11.29.
We decided we needed a "fat" tune to stretch out with and here it is. Kippie's solo, I believe, is one of the great moments of the entire two volumes.

Track 6 — "Yardbird Suite" (Parker) 3.39.
Kippie again with a bow to Parker. Of all the Parker imitators, and they are legion, Kippie seems the most personal and the least imitative. Like Parker, he is short on repertoire and long on the blues, although living where he does justitfies an un-familiarity with tunes that is impermissible in America where fifteen - tune musicians flourish.

Track 7 — "These Foolish Things" (Strachey, Marvell) 4.16
Chris again with a ballad. One learns to really play a ballad last —the most difficult challenge for an improvisor. Chris handles this well with a nod to George Shearing.