My Encounter with Jazz
Looking at jazz from a personal perspective
Shado Twala grew up with music, specifically vocal or played on various indigenous, hand-made instruments. In the 1950’s music was inspired by cultural traditions, religion and an association with the African American music that filtered through the wireless.
These inspirations produced a melting-pot of rhythms and sounds, now known as jazz. This music also gave way to a new language for social commentary, to communicate the dire conditions of living in South African townships – it became politicised and drove an endless list of musicians into exile, including Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, The Brotherhood of Breath with Chris McGregor, Sathema Benjamin, Jonas Gwangwa, Abdullah Ibrahim.
Many others, such as Winston Mankunku Ngozi, Thandi Klaasen, Dolly Rathebe, Abegail Kubheka, Barney Rachabane, Sipho Hotstix Mabuse and many others, stayed in South Africa, and gave a new-found energy to a new generation of musicians, poets and story-tellers. These included Moses Molelekwa, Sibongile Khumalo, Estelle Kokot, Judith Sephuma, Zim Nqawana, Hilton Schilder and more.