Now, to succeed in a music career we need to develop a holistic approach and know-how for every aspect of the industry. The Know-how that sits between knowledge, skills, training and qualification should be adopted to build more functioning creative business in the fragmented and contradictory, yet exciting and fertile place called the music industry.
This six decades of South African Jazz history is presented by Octavia Rachabane. She is busy with the autobiography of her father and will share the importance of his life journey to future generations. At age eight, Barney was a Kwela music penny whistle player with the Kwela Kids of Alexandra Township. Also had a stint with Mbaqanga music. For over 50 years, Rachabane played and recorded with almost all African Jazz musicians, exile musicians like Abdullah Ebrahim, Hugh Masekela and Caiphus Semenya. Rachabane played on Paul Simon’s Graceland tour — which lasted 20 years. The last gig was in 2012 in Amsterdam and Barney played tribute concerts up to 2016 in Scotland. We will seek archive footage to intersperse with this episode.
Living legend Khaya Mahlangu is the founder of the youth Soweto Jazz Orchestra. His career spans the fulcrum of Soweto Jazz. Born in 1954 he played the bugle in the Boys Scouts and later picked up the trumpet in 1971,under Phineas Molefe Phetho in a program run by Professor Khabi Mngoma. In 1972 he switched to saxophone. In 1975, he joined a band called Harari, led by his uncle, Selby Fikile Ntuli, a keyboard player. In 1976 he joined a resident band of The Pelican. In 1977 he decided to study at the University of Zululand under Professor Khabi Mngoma until 1979. 1980 he joined a prolific band called Spirits Rejoice led by tenor great Duku Makasi. 1981 he founded a band with Sipho Gumede called Sakhile and recorded four albums and a solo album. He was the musical director of “BeJazzled” a Jazz TV program. The profile looks at his career with a view to the future generations he is mentoring through the Soweto Jazz Orchestra.
One of the great proponents of South African Jazz is the late Johnny “Mbizo” Dyani. This bass player, composer and original member of the Blue Notes died in exile in Germany. He was performing at the inaugural “Jazz Against Apartheid” event, an initiative he had founded when he called to the audience, “Think” and then collapsed on stage.
Adam Glasser hopes that an official organisation, like the UK’s Associated Board Royal Schools of Music [ABRSM] could create a syllabus of South African jazz standards. He says, “sort out the licensing and make the lead sheets available as well as the original versions of the songs available in every primary school, high school and university.” With the harmonica as his instrument he has worked tirelessly to this end holding workshops between UK and SA to teach the magic of South African jazz music.
Adam Glasser hopes that an official organisation, like the UK’s Associated Board Royal Schools of Music [ABRSM] could create a syllabus of South African jazz standards. He says, “sort out the licensing and make the lead sheets available as well as the original versions of the songs available in every primary school, high school and university.” With the harmonica as his instrument he has worked tirelessly to this end holding workshops between UK and SA to teach the magic of South African jazz music.
Now, to succeed in a music career we need to develop a holistic approach and know-how for every aspect of the industry. The Know-how that sits between knowledge, skills, training and qualification should be adopted to build more functioning creative business in the fragmented and contradictory, yet exciting and fertile place called the music industry.
