Both choirs and classical music were childhood influences on a stellar career that would leave behind major new recordings in these areas.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on South African jazz
Displaying 21 - 34 of 34 articles
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.
Since the lockdown in South Africa several jazz musicians have begun to harness online platforms in novel ways.
A rare set of photographs of South Africa’s most famous jazz ensemble, the Blue Notes, has added valuable insights to the music archive
The politics of Jonas Gwangwa’s music have stayed constant over the years, and are also apparent in the eight albums he has released in South Africa since returning from 30 years of exile.
For a musician anywhere, surviving and prospering within the genre called jazz has never been easy, and it still isn’t.
Explorations of form and sound in jazz are essentially political. They challenge the status quo in society by interrogating categories and barriers.
South African jazz veteran Jonas Gwangwa has been getting recognition for the pivotal role he played in ‘singing down apartheid.’
South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela made an impact across the world during his decades-long musical career.
When they arrived in Europe in the early 1960s, South African jazz outfit the Blue Notes revolutionised the London scene. Half a century later, their music is coming home in several new projects.
Two of South Africa’s finest musicians, Johnny Mekoa and Ray Phiri, died recently. The permeable terrain between genres their careers negotiated, is being replaced by rigid marketing categories.
Top contributors
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Associate of the Gordon Institute for Business Science, University of Pretoria
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Senior Lecturer, South African College of Music, University of Cape Town
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Extraordinary Professor, Stellenbosch University
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Music lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand
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Senior Lecturer, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University
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Associate Professor, Monash University
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Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism, University of the Witwatersrand
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Poet and lecturer in Creative Writing, University of the Witwatersrand
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Post-Doctoral Fellow, Stellenbosch University
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Lecturer in Musicology, University of South Africa
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Associate research scientist, Monash University
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Lecturer, University of Fort Hare
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Artist in Residency, University of Pretoria
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Associate professor, University of KwaZulu-Natal
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Professor Emeritus, Social Anthropology, University of the Witwatersrand
