The Jazz Epistles were South Africa's first important (albeit short-lived) bebop band. Inspired by Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, its members included Dollar Brand (later known as Abdullah Ibrahim) on piano, Kippie Moeketsi on alto saxophone, Jonas Gwangwa on trombone, Hugh Masekela on trumpet, Johnny Gertze on bass, and Early Mabuza or Makaya Ntshoko on drums. The group became famous after performing in the jam sessions called Jazz at the Odin in the Odin Theater in Sophiatown.
The group was formed in the mid-1950s when Brand and Mackay Davashe began working together initiated a collaboration with Gwangwa and Masekela.[1]
In 1959 just before breaking up, the Jazz Epistles recorded the first album by a black South African band, Jazz Epistle, Verse 1. That same year, composer Todd Matshikiza's musical King Kong became a hit in Johannesburg. It used a jazz score to tell the tragic story of South African heavyweight boxer Ezekiel "King Kong" Dhlamini. Miriam Makeba, members of the Manhattan Brothers, and the Jazz Epistles musicians were involved in the production.
The 1960 Sharpeville Massacre marked the beginning of an era of vicious apartheid and greater repression of African culture. After the Sharpeville incident, the government imposed a State of Emergency, made mass arrests, issued thousands of bannings, and put activists who challenged apartheid laws on trial. The repression extended to African arts. Jazz was an expressive force seeking musical and social equality. The apartheid system could not tolerate it. Performances were not allowed, jazz was prohibited from radio broadcasts, and prominent musicians were threatened.
When the producers of King Kong received invitations to perform in Europe, the South African government, believing the musical would be helpful propaganda, issued passports to African performers who otherwise would not have had opportunities to leave the country. Members of Jazz Epistles welcomed the opportunity. Most of them found the freedom and the contacts with other musicians in Europe irresistible and chose exile over returning. Thus many of the most adventurous strains in South African music were pursued outside its borders for several decades.
Following a 56-year hiatus, in June 2016 several members of the Jazz Epistles played two reunion concerts in Johannesburg.[2] In 2017–18 they played several concerts in North America and Europe, including San Sebastian (Spain) Jazz Festival on 25 July; Berlin on 4 August[3][4] and Ann Arbor on 13 April 2018.[5][6]
^Merz, Christopher Linn (2016). "Tracing the Development of the South African Alto Saxophone Style". The World of Music. 5 (2): 31–46. ISSN 0043-8774. JSTOR 44651147.
^"IN PICTURES: Jazz Epistles reunite for two concerts", ENCA, 17 June 2016.
^"The Town Hall & Le Poisson Rouge Present The Jazz Epistles ft. Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya + Lesedi Ntsane with Dorothy Masuka feat. Bakithi Kumalo", Le Poisson Rouge, 27 April 2017.
^The Jazz Epistles at Front Row Tickets.com.
^"A Tribute to The Jazz Epistles –Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya featuring Freddie Hendrix, trumpet", University of Michigan.
TheJazzEpistles were South Africa's first important (albeit short-lived) bebop band. Inspired by Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, its members included Dollar...
Ntshoko, Jonas Gwangwa, Johnny Gertze and Hugh formed the JazzEpistles, the first African jazz group to record an LP. They performed to record-breaking...
contributors to the international jazz scene. One of the first major bebop groups in South Africa in the 1950s was theJazzEpistles. This group consisted...
American jazz. He became well known in jazz circles in Cape Town and Johannesburg. In 1959 and 1960, Ibrahim played with theJazzEpistles group in Sophiatown...
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in Blue. Over the years he played with several bands, including Shantytown Sextet, the Harlem Swingsters and famously theJazzEpistles that brought fame...
composer with the Manhattan Brothers and later theJazzEpistles. Davashe was born in 1920 in the South African city of East London. He played the pennywhistle...
Algerian jazz singer James Purify, 76, American R&B singer (James & Bobby Purify) 23 Jonas Gwangwa, 83, South African jazz trombonist (TheJazzEpistles) Gabriel...
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Hugh Masekela, who both played for TheJazzEpistles. Matshikiza covered township life in his regular column "With the Lid Off". Amongst his close associates...
with the group which was about to become theJazzEpistles". His final recordings, as a trio, were made in 1960. He wrote numerous books on jazz, including...
hearing him play with theJazzEpistles. Ibrahim knew Vally by reputation, while Vally had followed Ibrahim's career since the 1950s. Vally produced two...
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18th-century Swedish, Baroque-style music, Fredman's Epistles | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 29 October...
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