Zulu spirituality and the legacy of the ancestors, personal and musical, are the concerns of the saxophonist and composer.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on African Jazz
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Group Theory: Black Music is the name of the new album from the composer, drummer and scholar. On it jazz meets political theory.
‘A camera is more powerful than an AK47,’ said the veteran photojournalist, who was also famous for his jazz photos.
The jazz star says he wants his piano to speak in his isiZulu language, and that his music is born from spiritual concerns.
The album Follow the Sun shows how South African jazz draws from diversity to speak fluidly across borders.
Makeba, who would have turned 90 on 4 March 2022, was a hugely influential artist and an icon of African liberation and identity.
Her celebration of black life, black beauty and black humanity through her films and music was subversive.
The saxophone legend played much more than jazz - he delighted in layering styles and genres.
Jazz star Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse has turned 70. In 50 years, his music career has come to help define South African politics and popular culture.
His bass guitar was a shaping sound of South African jazz and of the band Malopoets, whose huge influence has been poorly documented.
He did not so much play the drums, as become the drum. His influence was felt through his trailblazing percussive work and his many collaborations.
Despite devastating setbacks like his studio being vandalised, the saxophonist and teacher believed that music can heal - part of a vision that shaped a future generation of jazz artists.
She was the glue that bound younger artists together, helping them navigate the volatile terrain of the music industry.
Both choirs and classical music were childhood influences on a stellar career that would leave behind major new recordings in these areas.
She was a vocalist who sang in every style – from Carmen to UShaka – with equal mastery, popularising classical forms and epitomising ‘the new South Africa’.
The revered trombonist, composer and cultural activist never wished to be ‘the state composer’ but remained political until the end, in service of the people.
His talent took him across the world - he was Ray Charles’ regular drummer - and the music he was exposed to sparked innovation when he returned home.
The magazine grew to be the largest circulation publication for black readers in South Africa, and expanded to include East and West African editions.
The saxophonist and singer leaves a legacy spanning more than 60 years of musical production that will continue to echo in global sounds.
One of the greatest artists ever to emerge from Cameroon had a fraught relationship with his homeland – but because of it touched all corners of Africa and the world.
Top contributors
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Associate of the Gordon Institute for Business Science, University of Pretoria
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Lecturer, South African College of Music, University of Cape Town
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Musician, Academic, Consultant, The University of Edinburgh
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Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor Emeritus, Social Anthropology, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor of American History, University of California, Los Angeles
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Professor of Fine Arts, University of Pretoria
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Professor, Social Anthropology, University of Cape Town
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Music lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand
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Poet and lecturer in Creative Writing, University of the Witwatersrand
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Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, University of the Witwatersrand
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Lecturer in Jazz, University of Pretoria
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Extraordinary Professor, Stellenbosch University
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Lecturer, University of Fort Hare
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Artist in Residency, University of Pretoria
