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South Africa has long been recognized as the continent’s primary home for adventurous, forward-looking jazz. Two crucial groups established the foundations of the music in the 1950s. The Blue Notes, led by pianist Chris McGregor, included trumpeter Mongezi Feza, alto saxophonist Dudu Pukwana, bassist Johnny Dyani, and drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo. After leaving South Africa in 1964, the various members of the Blue Notes achieved great individual renown in Europe. Meanwhile, The Jazz Epistles—whose 1959 album Jazz Epistle, Verse 1 was the first by a black South African jazz band—included pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, aka Dollar Brand, along with trumpeter Hugh Masekela, who died in January 2018. Masekela, who has been called “the father of South African jazz,” had a global career that included the crossover hit “Grazing in the Grass” as well as notable anti-apartheid songs and decades of work as a human rights activist.
South African jazz has always incorporated local traditional styles alongside funk, R&B, and swing, to create unique forms like township jive and “Cape jazz.” Since the abolition of apartheid in 1994, the music has truly flourished, and a new generation of players and singers has come forth. Many young South African jazz musicians are carrying their homeland’s sonic legacy forward, while creating something new and entirely their own.
A Southernmost Jazz dancing break with some cool south african cats.
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