South African Jazz legend Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi born 1943 in Cape Town, playing his popular tune from the album with the same name recorded in 1968. Mankunku - Saxophone Lionel Pillay - Piano Agrippa Magwaza - Bass Early Mabuza - Drums
As I prepare going to work on my Fathers 4th heavenly birthday this morning so thankful that I was introduced to classic South African soul food by my dear pops, I’ll always cherish you sir as Winston was your favourite artist ❤
My dad is a huge jazz lover, and is a jazz musician himself. The first time i had ever heard this song was when it was sung by sbongile khumalo and i asked dad about it. He told me that there are different versions. I went out and hunted allllll of the different versions and my favourite is still the original, followed by sbongile's version
That's our South African "John Coltrane" Winston "mankunku" Monwabisi Ngozi for Guguletu, Cape Town, a Xhosa of the Tshawe kingdom, the kings... He was once offered a scholarship by the great Duke Ellington, to go and study more in the USA but he turned down the offer saying: " No, I love my country, I don't want to leave it. " In fact he had nothing more to learn about jazz and saxophone, he was a complete self-taught saxophonist. Initially he was taught by another saxophonist from Langa township, Cups Nkanuka, and Mankunku went on learn all else by himself until he turned professional. I know how he used to practise!!! He is my uncle.
It was my honour to to present this legend a whisky and share a drink with him at the second North Sea Jazz festival in my and his City of Cape Town it was about after 1am and the festival was basically done and chatting to him for that 30 min was priceless we chatted about Robbie,Basil,Tony,Duke,Ezra etc.... THE MAN I will take conversation to grave tx Sir for.your music and insight 🎷🎷🎷
Wheew!!! I like this song. It reminds me of my younger days during primary school. After school while assisting cleaning the house and it will play on the radio.
You know....often wonder hardly anyone i know personally appreciates great art, etc.. over the years have not even bother sharing, most often no acknowledgement, let alone dialogue. These year old comments. My dad was like so, Jamaica 🇯🇲
This rendition makes me so emotional, I had planned to introduce my son to Mankuku's music. Unfortunately he has passed away before I could even hold him.
It’s a rainy day and l am in a warm house just outside Chester, getting over a cold so nothing much planned for the day. I love the warmth of the playing
I know it's 14 years ago but it doesn't matter I thought of my uncle Winston Mankunku Ngozi, the greatest tenor saxophonist black South Africa had. I don't care what any critic says this man was a musical genius of South Africa. He listened to all Jazz giants of black America and he came out with his South African version of Jazz without any music education, only self-taught from records. He never ran away from apartheid years of black music and musicians humiliation but he just put his mark on black South African musical creativity. I know that he was never honoured like other musicians who came from exile after the notorious white apartheid "Swart gevaar" or "Black Danger" policies. he play behind curtains with white musicians to hide his black skin because white venues had "no black" policies in their windows all over our country South Africa. Just imagine you go to colonise Holland where these colonialists come from and you declare all musical venues and other facilities " no Whites!!!" you wouldn't survive a second. I remember my uncle who never taught me music but gave me some advice here and there when he discovered that during his absence in Capt Town, I became a musician, a saxophonist like him but different.
Just came from a debate at the Arts Cape Theatre in Cape Town about this Legend Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi, it was actually about a the new book titled "Yakhal'Inkomo" that is about to hit the stores in July this year, written by the award winning, Arts writer and columnist Mr. Percy Mabandu... Which He explores the life and work of Mankunku. Never been so inspired by music like this tune and what it meant to the saxophonist himself! He has left a great legacy that will never be forgotten. It has been a privilege to have experience his work and It was so touching to hear other people's testimonies about this song. Thanks to the Cape Town International Jazz Festival for organising the debate, and to the great Percy Mabandu and also to the Ngozi family for gracing us with their presence and sharing with us the legends life memories.
When it comes to Jazz there is an overload of talent in SA. The great thing about it is the music will never die over there due to the amount of young talent coming through. Look out for young Cape Town pianist by the name of Randal Skippers.
What a GEM! Oh, yes please, I am glad to be still alive!! Back in the early 1970s, when the Sunday afternoon beer was flowing freely, we would swing slowly under the shade of some tree and be carefree (almost)... THANK YOU!!!
A real jewel, masterpiece, ingcwenga(in siSwati), this is one of the best if not the best Jazz music pieces Africa has ever produced in my opinion. I know it sounds crazy but it makes me feel like I've heard this song before, maybe I've heard it on a different lifetime(that's how deep it touches me)
Incredible how such beautiful music came out of such an ugly time in human history. Thank you NPR for featuring Winston's music it now plays during brunch on the weekends with my family where we can all revel in the musical genius of Winston
Ich komme aus Deutschland aber ich liebe Afrika leider, ich liebe jazz, für die alles auf meinem leben, ich habe neder jazz musik gehören, aber jetzt, ich kann nicht genug bekommen!
I still say, if I ever found this original LP, which is mighty rare, I would pay a thousand at least, no words can describe how much love and admiration I have for the Yakhal' Inkomo album, Mankunku is like a wandering and mysterious god to me, this album though I'm super in love with it, for years now, wow what a legend indeed..
This number reminds me of my all time favourate DJ Mr Admire "The Most Admired" Taderera, his Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays morning sessions on Radio 3, before it was changed to something else. How are you my brother? I Big you up.
@@thenjiswakhumalo2781 I'll take one orange juice thank you 🙂... If you see this message on time, there's a Jazz On The Lake live stream taking place tomorrow. Check it out: artsalive.joburg/jazz-on-the-lake/
My dad, born in 1959, argues that this song was actually first played by Mankunku in 1964 and he officially knew about it in 1967 when he was in Standard or Grade 1, just wonder if anyone else could verify this, since what i know from the net is that it is 1968, or perhaps that is when the album came out, no information that aligns with what my dad said
This song was first recorded by Winston Monwabisi Ngozi in 1968. I know this because he is my uncle from Guguletu, Cape Town, and I know personally the musicians he recorded with. However, it was argued at some stage that there was a group that used to sing a song by this title in the early 60's.
