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Winston Mankunku Ngozi
Mankunku chose to remain in his native Cape Town during apartheid. This meant that he was subjected to the Separate Amenities Act and similar apartheid legislation. A classic tale tells of his performance with an all-white big band in the Cape Town City Hall in 1964, where, because a mixed-race band was unlawful, he was forced to play behind a curtain so as to remain out of sight.
In 1968 he recorded the famous blockbuster "Yakhal' Inkomo", with Early Mabuza, Agrippa Magwaza and Lionel Pillay. It won him the Castle Lager "Jazz Musician of the Year" award for 1968. Another colleague was Abdullah Ibrahim.
He died on 13 October 2009 after a long struggle with illness.
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Two Tenors South Africa Style
by Chris May
The latest batch of albums from Canada's We Are Busy Bodies label, which specialises in vinyl reissues of South African jazz, spotlights saxophonists Winston Mankunku Ngozi and Mike Makhalemele, separately and together, on three discs originally released in 1975 and 1976. Ngozi and Makhalemele both opted to remain in South Africa during the apartheid era, thus missing out on an international career. Each player, now passed, deserved wider recognition, Ngozi as a post-John Coltrane stylist, Makhalemele for soul jazz. Historical ...
read moreThose Who Remained Behind, Part 1
by Seton Hawkins
Many Jazz artists leave South Africa for exile in the 1960s and 1970s, but many remain behind, facing horrifying working conditions and oppression. In these two episodes, we'll explore their music and their efforts to resist apartheid within South Africa. Playlist Chris McGregor and the Castle Lager Big Band “Now" from Jazz/The African Sound (Jazzman Records) 1:59 Mahotella Queens “Umkhovu" from Next Stop...Soweto (Strut Records) 9:40 Amakhosi “Easy Way" from The Best of Accordion and Sax Jives (Gallo ...
read moreYakhal' Inkomo: A South African Masterpiece at Fifty
by Seton Hawkins
On July 23, 1968, a now-legendary recording session took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, one that would ultimately prove a defining moment in the country's Jazz history and development. Led by tenor saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi, a quartet that included pianist Lionel Pillay, bassist Agrippa Magwaza, and drummer Early Mabuza would record the album Yakhal' Inkomo. Comprising two originals of Mankunku's--the title track “Yakhal' Inkomo" and “Dedication (For Daddy Trane and Brother Shorter)"--as well as John Coltrane's “Bessie's Blues" and ...
read moreWinston Mankunku Ngozi: Abantwana Be Afrika
by AAJ Staff
While legions of South African jazz artists left the country in the '60s to escape apartheid, saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi stayed home, and he paid a heavy price for his choice. Expatriates like Abdullah Ibrahim and Hugh Masekela circulated within American and European jazz communities, earning exposure and recognition. Mankunku labored under a regime which restricted his personal and musical freedom, sometimes performing under a psuedonym or behind a curtain. But his 1968 record Yakhal' Inkomo stands as one of ...
read moreWinston Mankunku Ngozi: Molo Africa
by Javier AQ Ortiz
Quick and to the Point : Burning Down the House!.
Winston Mankunku Ngozi had no blowing restrictions on this date, that’s for sure! Although there are only seven compositions in this Ngozi production, there is enough in all of the cuts to please and fill anyone’s appetite in this fantastic oeuvre that varies itself repeatedly keeping you attentive at large. Bottom line is, you must get this one.
“Khanya” has a hyphenated identity where African jazz ...
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