As-Shams/The Sun Records: 1978

The 1970s is regarded as a period of experimentation, boundary-breaking and hybridization in modern music and this spirit certainly informed the mushrooming of ideas that occurred in South African jazz during this time. In the shadow of more commercial township jive and soul, South African jazz evolved on the fringe, nurtured by passionate and enterprising independent producers who courted the interest of the mainstream with enchanting concoctions of jazz with folk, rock, soul and funk.

With a lineup hailing from far-flung regions of South Africa, the mercurial sound of Spirits Rejoice and its willingness to weave a patchwork of different influences into its recordings is not hard to account for. More difficult to reconcile is that the band didn’t manage to level up to the status enjoyed by its peers in larger music markets abroad. Nevertheless, Spirits Rejoice has maintained its revered status in the collective memory of South African jazz for over four decades and their recorded artifacts return in the 2020s with the group’s vitality and energy undiminished.

LINER NOTES

Tenor Sax – Duke Makasi

Alto Sax/Flute/Vocals – Robbie Jansen

Trumpet – George Tyefumani/Thabo Mashishi

Piano – Mervyn Africa

Guitar – Paul Petersen

Bass – Sipho Gumede

Drums – Gilbert Matthews

Backing Vocals – Joy

Originally issued on Jo'Burg Records

Cat. No. TJC 13029

Paul Petersen (L) and Mervyn Africa (R) in Kenilworth, Cape Town in July 2020

(Photo: Calum MacNaughton)

While Barney Rachabane did not have a release of his own on As-Shams/The Sun in the 1970s, he was no stranger to Rashid Vally's South African jazz enterprise. The alto saxophonist played alongside three of the label's most iconic artists by way of Dollar Brand/Abdullah Ibrahim (on the album African Herbs in 1975), Tete Mbambisa (on the album Tete's Big Sound in 1976) and Kippie Moeketsi (on the album Blue Stompin' in 1977). Rachabane is also to be found supporting pianist Lionel Pillay on Deeper in Black in 1978 as well as on the second half of the 1987 release Shrimp Boats (check out his take on Mankunku’s “Yakhal 'Inkomo”), which was culled from the same sessions.

That the As-Shams archive contained unreleased material by Barney Rachabane in the role of composer and bandleader is not widely known. Recorded in 1978, the tracks "Tegeni" and "Mafuta" emmerged in the late 1980s for a series of compilations distilled from the vault. In the wake of Rachabane's passing in 2021, in celebration of his enormous contribution to South Africa jazz and in collaboration with his family, we now present "Tegeni" and "Mafuta" in the form of an EP - an official release from As-Shams/The Sun with catalogue number SRK 897248. Through the fog of time, we're not certain that these two tracks represent the entirety of what the 1978 Rachabane session yielded but this is all we've managed to restore from the tape collection for now.

As with his Lionel Pillay recordings, Barney Rachabane can be found in the company of Spirits Rejoice on these tracks with Sipho Gumede on bass, Gilbert Matthews on drums and Duku Makasi stepping in on "Mafuta" on tenor. Notable too, putting in an exquisite performance, is former Drive and early-period Spirits Rejoice pianist Bheki Mseleku. With effortlessly swinging big-hearted deep marabi vibes, these recordings stand beside "Mannenberg" and "Tshona!" as some of the most joyful expressions of South African jazz during its 1970s golden age.

Composed by Barney Rachabane

Barney Rachabane – Alto Sax

Bheki Mseleku – Piano

Sipho Gumede – Bass

Gilbert Matthews – Drums

Duku Makasi – Tenor Sax on "Mafuta"

Cat. No. SRK 897248

DIGITAL ALBUM

SPIRITS REJOICE - Spirits Rejoice!

BARNEY RACHABANE - "Tegeni" / "Mafuta"