Last Thursday I was fortunate enough to attend the
first in a series of three jazz concerts hosted by BMG Africa and BMW SA
at the beautiful Spier Estate in Stellenbosch. I've never been a big jazz
fan, but it was a beautiful summer night and it was hinted that none other
than Charlize Theron might join us! She never did show up, but luckily the
evening's concert made up for her absence. For a change, my partner and I
didn't go straight to the tables filled with delicious snacks, for one
could not ignore the overwhelming presence of the brand new BMW 645i.
However, after a while my jaw got sore from
dragging on the ground, and after a second glass of bubbly, we moved on to
the snacks, which ranged from venison sosaties, curried chicken strips and
vegetable sosaties to cream cheese and salmon filled pancakes, succulent
prawns and butternut and feta snacks.
The evening's performance was by a jazz group called
The Blue Heads. Most of the songs performed on the evening were composed
by Gerard Sekoto, the well-known South African
painter, who lived as an exile in Paris from 1947
until his death in 1993. The nine member band was formed early last year,
drawing on talented jazz musicians and vocalists from South Africa and
beyond, including singer/pianist Dimpie Tshabalala, drummer Isaac Mtshali
(who has played with the likes of Stimela, Billy Joel, Paul Simon),
guitarist Ntokozo Zungu and French Congolese singer Stanley Mwamba. It
also featured special guest Kaolin, who has worked with Wendy Oldfield and
Henry Ate. Her band, Naked, had a couple of big hits in the late nineties,
and even worked with Brian Eno and Dave Stewart.
Since 2003, The Blue Heads have played at several
BMW Jazz Club-sponsored events and have also been given an opportunity to
record an album via the BMG Africa label as a result of this exposure. The
name chosen for this diverse group of musicians pays homage to the "blue
heads" style of Sekoto's 1960's era art, such as "Woman's Head" of 1963.
Gerard Sekoto's talents as composer, lyricist and musician (he played
piano and guitar to eke out a living in the tough post-war economic
climate in Paris) were only realized after his death. Author and Sekoto
expert, Barbara Lindop, discovered the manuscripts in Sekoto's suitcase -
a part of his returned estate - at the South African National Gallery in
Cape Town.
Many artworks and writings comprising his estate
were returned to South Africa in 1999 after protracted negotiations
between the South African and French governments. There are twenty-six
manuscripts comprising Sekoto's musical compositions, and although the
songs were originally composed for a solo pianist, The Blue Heads have
arranged them for a 9-piece band. The unique songs project powerful and
heart-rending compositions, and reveal the poignant yet universal struggle
for recognition and survival, of the artistic spirit in exile.
The first half of the performance comprised of ten
Sekoto-penned songs including "My lonely days", "Afrika", "Tula Tula" and
"Ingoma yama Zulu". After a short interval, The Blue Heads resumed their
performance by doing some better known jazz standards such as "Fly me to
the moon", Nina Simone's "My baby just cares for me" and a brilliant
version of "Take 5". Another five Sekoto-penned songs followed these eight
songs before The Blue Heads bowed out for the evening, much to
disappointment of the ecstatic audience.
It was truly a magical evening. The nine members of
The Blue Heads perform together like a group of old friends, putting their
hearts and souls into every song they perform. Lead-vocalist and pianist
Dimpie Shabalala effortlessly leads the group through different tempos and
styles, while the three accompanying vocalists complement his voice
brilliantly. I sincerely hope BMG records the album quickly, as it is very
accessible jazz music, and proudly South African to boot. I will be first
in line to get a copy!
-- Christo Valentyn, March 2004
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