It was another Tuesday night at Tagores, the Observatory hangout so loved by the young musos. Another night with a jazzy facelift, this time with Blacki Tempi’s group.
 | |
| Tete Mbambisa on keyboards; Blacki Tempi on trumpet. |
Sullen lights exposed a Christ-on-cross sculpture on the wall behind the stage, creating a weird ambiance as one watched the musicians slip into their moods of sounds. Blacki and his group hail from Guguletu, which has produced some of Cape Town’s best jazz musos over time. Many have passed to spirit-worlds, leaving their songs to ring true through Blacki and others. Mandla, another impetuous trumpeter, pitched up to howl those township tunes of history: Winston Mankunku’s tunes; Abdullah Ibrahim’s “Manenberg”; and the late Ezra Ncqukana’s “You Don’t Know Me”. And keeping the rhythm going behind them all was drummer Andre Swarts, another 'local' of note.
 |
| Tete on Keys; Letch Mdingi on double bass; Mandla on trumpet |
A chat with musician/composer extraordinaire, Neo Mayanga, revealed his initiative to bring more black jazz musicians on board and make Tagores a ‘regular’ night spot for good local talents. And there’s plenty, for sure!
For instance, a previous night, I waltzed into Café Sophia in Rondebosch which has been nicely renovated to include an outside deck. Guitarist Bruce Muirhead’s eclectic group played their own improvised songs – my favorite drummer, Jonno Sweetman, was not his wispy spiritual self, but rather a thumping, rocking, hard-hitting maestro sweating out his performances; and Mark Fransman’s wailing sax with frantic runs, as usual. Bruce likes to experiment (as they all do) and this is one venue where like-minded fans, fellow students, and other jazz geeks can sit and listen and appreciate. Well done, Café Sophia!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Saturday 26 November 2011, at the UCT College of Music, jazz lovers were treated to another exquisite evening of Kyle Shepherd's wizardry, this time as a quartet featuring the usual trouble-maker of sound, Mark Fransman on his soprano and alto saxes. This time, it wasn't soft, spirit-real, intellectual improvisation we know of Kyle, but an eclectic mix of blues, gospel, free jazz, traditional, and solo improvs. The song I liked best was the one he composed for his Mother, who steered him at a very young age into musicality and skills. A stunning solo/dual between Kyle's piano and Shane Cooper's double bass also held us all spell-bound. No wonder this evening's performance received standing ovations, both before and after the break! How I wish such live delivery was recorded.....it was one of the best jazz 'concerts' I have had the privilege to join all year! Thirteen hours after his performance, Kyle boarded the big bird to fly off to Japan, and show those musos a thing or two. Well done, Kyle! another cudo for your persistence and professional commitment to this genre of music.
