Over the past few years, the month of January has been scarred by the death of outstanding figures from the African art and cultural landscape; those without the investment and cultural capital of South Africa must fight a constant battle to help free themselves from the chains of oppression, the remnants of which are manifested in their daily interactions in the public and private domains.
It is difficult to imagine the future without this national monument. Starting with Hugh Masekela’s bra in 2018, the baton of death has been passed from year to year taking artists such as bras Willie Kgositsile, Jonas Gwangwa, Oliver Mtukudzi, as well as mam’ Sibongile Khumalo.
There is no denying that Ms. Sibongile is amazing. A towering figure in the music industry, he wore many hats in his 30-plus year career – administrator, educator, activist, singer and songwriter. He created the universe and stood on the sidelines, while the other gifts were pushed into whatever corner they needed to occupy.
He died in January 2021 of a stroke after a long illness that devastated everyone who knew him, from family and friends who had long known his condition to the wider music world of collaborators and fans.
In his tribute, Herbie Tsoaeli’s bra, which played on him Live @ Market album, also in the all-star sextet Uhadi Ensemble, reflected in the professionalism in music; how the peaks and valleys he reached remain the musicians who have accompanied him during the performance on the move. “He moved with enthusiasm,” he wrote.
Whether flexing her vocal range as part of an orchestra, magnetizing audiences as a theater performer or communing with her ancestors in her jazz offerings, she is one of a kind.
Sis’ Brenda Sisane, a close friend, remembers his larger-than-life personality. “If there is [was] something that needs a community leader, he will step up and take a position without fear or favor, just because he thinks we should be there.
“I was put in that woman’s place because of Sibongile, which then deepened my relationship with her into meeting and hanging out with Dorothy Masuka, with Abigail. [Khubeka].”
The rest tell of the man who increased his knowledge and the goodness he experienced when he came to his friends, and also to the younger ones. “[That’s why] he can be bold as an established artist. I found that from her case study, that’s how you should be as a woman.”
Kindness also applies to younger artists, like Thandi Ntuli and Nomfundo Xaluva. As Xaluva wrote in his beloved tribute: “His career is the embodiment of artistic dexterity, a tree with many branches equal to strength and solidity.”
Bra Hugh Masekela wrote about him in his biography, Still Grazing.
“There must have been close to twenty thousand people at the Moretele Park Festival that Sunday. Sibongile Khumalo, who is my broadcasting partner on the Sunday radio show and one of South Africa’s top jazz and opera divas, also performed.
“After the morning radio show, the last time we were together, I told Sibongile that I was going to rehab for substance abuse in England. He was so happy for me, he was jumping up and down with joy, screaming with joy and relief. It was raining like a torrent. when Sibongile finished his performance, the twenty thousand people who had been waiting for me didn’t care.”
There are few artists on the continent who have had a career as illustrious and extraordinary as Masekela’s. The homie from Alexandra grew up in a disciplined home that upheld the importance of education and created a learning-oriented mindset that would carry him and his siblings through many difficult situations. Pauline’s mother is a social worker, and her father is a health inspector and sculptor.
But it was his early introduction to life as a touring musician that enabled him to navigate the music industry, including the many years he spent in exile. He was a serial collaborator who recorded or produced breakthrough projects such as The Jazz Epistles, The Union of South Africa (together with Jonas Gwangwa and Caiphus Semenya) and Hedzoleh Soundz, which his friend Fela Kuti referred to when spending time. in West Africa.
He also maintained long-standing relationships with people, and nurtured an environment where young musicians would soon become luminaries.
Moses Molelekwa – who will be 50 this April – was invited to join the first South African group Hugh bra when he returned from exile in 1992, he was one of them. Earlier, Tshepo Tshola found refuge in Masekela after breaking away from Sankomota, a group he had helped.
In one of his last public engagements before his illness, Hugh Brat was joined by rapper Riky Rick in a series of conversations held at the Joy of Jazz festival. The long-time emcee bubbled over underground rap while planning and plotting a move that would make him a statesman-turned-talking artist whose rockstar status has been enjoyed by the likes of Miles Davis, what could be better? It was a memorable night.
Bra Hugh wears his usual, casual charm when he regaled both Riky Rick and the audience with stories of audacious come-up. They talk about music and about fashion, both of which they are proud of.
“Not only did he dress, he set the standard for dress in the world. In the 1930s, 40s, everybody wanted to be African-American, all over the world. I always said no to Louis Armstrong [and] everyone, we will probably still wear white-powder wigs and buckled shoes that George Washington used to wear,” said Hugh Bra, referring to how jazz musicians changed it for the better.
A few months after that connection, on the morning of January 22, 2018, the father of African jazz left Earth. To say he left behind many broken hearts would be a lie. Two other musicians met the same fate in later years.
‘If you want to name a musician whose life embodies the struggle of the South African people for national culture, it must be trombonist, composer and cultural activist Jonas Mosa Gwangwa,’ wrote sis’ Gwen Ansell after his death in 2021.
A cultural figure steeply dipped in the resistance movement against apartheid, he left behind “political education as heard through music” unlike any era, and what with the trombone what uMkhonto we Sizwe generals did in the camp.
He fights the enemy with a single focus; he channeled victory, but he knew that he could not achieve this alone. Before founding the Amandla Cultural Ensemble and touring the world in the 1980s, ntate Gwangwa kicked it with Hughie and Caiphus. [Semenya] in the United States as part of the trio The Union of South Africa, which had to disband after Gwangwa suffered a leg injury that made the tour impossible.
Remembering those years, Bra Hugh wrote in his book that he received a call from Caiphus Semenya’s father. “Jonas had come to Los Angeles and stayed with him. The three of us formed a group called The Union of South Africa.
Intense daily training ensued, the sessions resulting in an epic self-titled album. The rest of the band featured Masekela’s frequent collaborators Joe Sample as well as Wayne Henderson, and other members of the Jazz Crusaders – Wilton Felder and Arthur Adams.
“[The album] done over two weeks, especially because we have been rehearsing so intensely for at least three weeks. The result is a masterpiece.”
Bra Steve Dyer met Gwangwa’s father in the 1980s. I called him to talk about his memories, and with mukuru Oliver Mtukudzi, the successful album Send Music which was produced, along with five other projects.
“I helped him create the Shakawe group in Botswana, and this is the music division of Medu (Art Collective). He will spend half the time on tour with the Amandla Cultural Ensemble outside, going to all different places in the world, and then he will spend half the time with us.
“Some of the stuff we recorded later, we used to play in Botswana – The Storm Rises, Diphororo, He was caught in the shallows. [The music] have ordered Bra Hugh came in a couple of years later, and they were two bands there. Hugh’s bra is political in its own way, but maybe not as much as Jonas’s bra,” he said.
The story of what happened in Botswana is interesting. According to Dyer, he flew in from the US on tour. He didn’t feel like going back, so he took the money for the return ticket and had a drink at the President Hotel and then spent the night. He was always a person who loved his home community, and he was truly missed when he was outside.
The eternal work with the ensemble is one part, and has influenced musicians such as Mandla Mlangeni and Amandla Freedom Ensemble to do the work they have been doing for the past few years.
On the other hand is his oeuvre as a solo artist. The repertoire is far-reaching; everything from American blues to African wedding songs formed part of one big melting pot. In addition to the classics called Dyer, cow, Maseru, The Son and many others are a testament to the power of composition.
From producing the music of Tuku, bra Steve has said the following: “I have to do a lot less with him and the band at that stage. Many songs are arranged a lot, even the backing vocalist at that time is also good. It only adds to what is already there for me
“The microphone technique in the studio is impeccable, and so is his work ethic. He doesn’t smoke and he doesn’t drink. [It doesn’t matter] if he’s done 40 albums, if we have a rehearsal to do, he’ll be the first one at the rehearsal. He’s driven and consistent, and he’s got great songs and a great voice and a great message. What more do you need from an artist?”
One of the last times Tuku, who died on 23 January 2019, graced us eMzansi was during Jazz Arts Alive at the Lake Festival in 2018.
He couldn’t make it before the day, and left Dyer to band practice.
“They have never met [them] before going on stage. He had a gig later somewhere out of town, but I knew it would be fine. We have communicated before; we agreed on the flight list. He just went on stage, we knew the arrangement, and it happened. I’ve never done it before, but it could be done in a day.
“I didn’t know it would be the last time I was on stage with him. What can you say?” said bra Steve.
“He looked strong then. You never know it; it will happen. I never saw him after that, until I heard he was gone.”
There has been death in our lives, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, so it is difficult to think about the future with a clear head.
But the new guard is here, continuing to work and passing on the wisdom of the elders to the elders to come. The path blazed by our ancestors will shine from one generation to the next.