Zuko Komisa
The Jazz Standard with Brenda Sisane celebrates jazz giant Khaya Mahlangu’s 70th Birthday.
The Jazz Standard with Brenda Sisane recently celebrated the 70th birthday of veteran Soweto-born jazz composer and saxophonist Khaya Mahlangu who rose to prominence as a jazz musician and achieved considerable success over four decades. He joined the show for a memorable performance on the day of his birthday with an ensemble of talented young musicians.
Mahlangu has influenced orchestration with the Gauteng Jazz Music Orchestra and his passion for life is evident in his partnerships with industry titans, making him a force to be reckoned with in the jazz world. Mahlangu’s dedication to musical brilliance is evident in everything from the struggles of apartheid to his positions in bands like Sakhile and Harari.
Speaking to Brenda Sisane, reflected on the state of jazz music in South Africa and some of the industry-specific issues that need to be rectified.
“Every generation writes its own chapter”
Speaking to Brenda Sesane, reflected on the state of jazz music in South Africa and some of the industry-specific issues that need to be rectified.
“Every generation writes its own chapter, and errors overlap, I am still around and they are my contemporaries today even though I am much older than them. For them they have to define themselves as mirrors of society, to reflect all the socio-economical and political influences, because the music we have chosen to play and the music we love so much is not funded the way it should. I don’t see why an overseas company would come all the way from overseas to sign South African artist and there’s no proudly South African company that does so.”
“We are part of a cog-wheel of an ongoing tradition”
Mahlangu gave a masterclass on some of the jazz musicians that had a profound influence in his approach to music, he spoke of how all musicians are part of a lineage of greatness.
“We part of a cog-wheel of an ongoing tradition, both constant and gradual, therefore Khaya Mahlangu is a product of my people. He is a product of people that have done stuff before me. When I talk of these characters, it is partly because they had a hand in my growth as a musician, not only that but also as a person in terms of how I see and do things.”
Listen to the full conversation here:
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