As-Shams/The Sun Records: kippie moeketsi

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AS-SHAMS ARCHIVE VOL. 2

As-Shams Archive Vol. 2: Super Jazz from Joburg & Soweto 1974-1978

MAY 2026: As-Shams Archive Vol. 2: Super Jazz from Joburg & Soweto 1974-1978 is a digital release that compiles tracks originally issued by the Jo'Burg, Soweto and R&T labels of the Satbel Music Company, which ran a cutting-edge recording studio on Marshall Street in Johannesburg during the 1970s. A batch of the company's jazz, funk and soul titles were later acquired by producer Rashid Vally for As-Shams/The Sun, including works by sax heavyweights Winston Mankunku Ngozi and Mike Makhalemele, guitar heroes Themba Mokoena and Allen Kwela, indigenous jazz innovators Batsumi and the fusion supergroup Spirits Rejoice.

With 12 tracks representing 12 classic albums, As-Shams Archive Vol. 2 showcases the depth and breadth of modern, independent music in South Africa in the 1970s and celebrates the ambition and spirit of the artists, engineers, producers and promoters who helped build the country's eclectic and enduring jazz scene.

DIGITAL ALBUM

1. THEMBA feat. THEMBA MOKOENA – “Fana Fana” (M. Dlamini)

From the album Themba (Soweto, 1976)

Guitar – Themba Mokoena.

2. THE CLIFFS feat. WINSTON MANKUNKU NGOZI – “Gu Gu Lethu” (W. Ngozi)

From the album Alex Express (R & T, 1975)

Alto Sax – Winston Mankunku Ngozi, Trumpet – Stompie Manana/George Tyefumani, Organ – Roger Khoza, Guitar – Allen Kwela, Bass – Philip Kiti, Drums – Peter Jackson.

3. ALLEN KWELA – “Quaphela” (A. Kwela)

From the album Black Beauty (Soweto, 1975)

Guitar – Allen Kwela, Alto Sax – Kippie Moeketsi/Barney Rachabane, Tenor Sax – Stanley Sithole, Trumpet – Dennis Maple, Piano – Dimpie Tshabalala, Bass – Boy Ramotsie, Drums – Gilbert Matthews.

4. THE HEADQUARTERS – “Mthuthuzeli” (B. Piliso)

From the album Thando (Soweto, 1976)

Tenor Sax – Boikie Piliso, Alto Sax – Lemmy Mabaso, Trumpet – Peter Segona, Piano – Dimpie Tshabalala, Bass – Justice Maphumulo, Drums – David Ramogase.

5. BEN NOMOYI – “Jubliee” (D. Makasi)

From the album Born to Lose (R & T, 1974)

Trumpet – Dennis Mpale, Tenor Sax – Duke Makasi/Themba Koyana, Piano – Bucs Gongo, Bass – Zulu Bidi, Drums – Max Diamond, Percussion – Bingo Mbonjeni.

6. MIKE MAKHALEMELE – “Gone and Forever” (M. Makhalemele)

From the album Peaceful Eyes (Jo’Burg, 1976)

Tenor Sax – Mike Makhalemele.

7. SOUL OF THE CITY feat. KIPPIE MOEKETSI – “City Soul” (T. Rabin)

From the album Diagonal Street (Jo’Burg, 1975)

Alto Sax – Kippie Moeketsi, Tenor Sax – Mike Makhalemele, Trumpet – Themba Mehlomakulu, Guitar/Keyboards/Bass/Vibes – Trevor Rabin, Guitar – Malcolm Watson, Drums/Percussion – Kevin Kruger.

8. THE COOL CATS – “Monty’s Bar” (C.B. Matiwane)

From the album Sikiza Steady (Soweto, 1976)

Tenor Sax – Mike Makhalemele, Trumpet – Banza Kgasoane, Piano – Jabu Nkosi, Guitar – Anderson Nkosi, Bass – Given Sabela, Drums – Gilbert Matthews.

9. SAUL MALAPANE – “Dijo” (S. Malapane)

From the album Of Mice and Men (Soweto, 1975)

Guitar – Saul Malapane.

10. MIKE MAKHALEMELE & WINSTON MANKUNKU NGOZI – “Togetherness” (M. Makhalmele)

From the album The Bull and the Lion (Jo’Burg, 1976)

Sax/Voices – Mike Makhalemele/Winston Mankunku Ngozi, Guitar – Trevor Rabin, Piano – Tete Mbambisa, Bass – Ronnie Robot, Drums – Neil Cloud.

11. SPIRITS REJOICE – “Emakhaya” (S. Gumede)

From the album Spirits Rejoice! (Jo’Burg, 1978)

Tenor Sax – Duke Makasi, Alto Sax/Flute – Robbie Jansen, Trumpet/Spoken Word – George Tyefumani, Second Trumpet – Thabo Mashishi, Piano – Mervyn Africa, Guitar – Paul Petersen, Bass – Sipho Gumede, Drums – Gilbert Matthews.

12. BATSUMI – “Anishilabi” (J. Mothopeng, L. Mothopeng, B. Zwane, T. Masemola, Z. Bidi)

From the album Batsumi (R & T, 1974)

Percussion/Drums – Lekgabe Abel Maleka, Vocals/Bongos – Buta-Buta Zwane, Acoustic Guitar/Vocals – Maswaswe John Mothopeng, Organ – Sello Lancelot Mothopeng, Tenor Sax – Themba Koyana, Drums/Flute – Thabang Masemola, Bass – Zulu Bidi.

• Tracks 1, 6 and 9 credited to album artists only as complete lineups are undocumented. Performer credits for tracks 5, 7, 10, 11 and 12 as listed on original album sleeves. Speculative lineups provided for tracks 2, 3, 4 and 8.

• Album artwork inspired by the Soweto label's two-volume Super Jazz compilation series of 1975 with photo insets of Winston Mankunku Ngozi (left) and Mike Makhalemele (right).

Audio Mastering by Richard Vossgatter

Design by Naomi e'Camara

Compiled and Produced by Calum MacNaughton

Executive Producer: Rashid Vally

Cat. No. ASA102

As-Shams Archive is home to the catalogues of As-Shams/The Sun, its predecessor Soultown Records and the reissue imprint MANDLA. The archive holds original master tapes, unreleased recordings, photographs, artwork and ephemera documenting the story of South African jazz in the 1970s.

AS-SHAMS ARCHIVE VOL. 1

As-Shams Archive Vol. 1: South African Jazz, Funk & Soul 1975-1982

MARCH 2023: As-Shams Archive Vol. 1 introduces the core catalogue of As-Shams/The Sun, the independent record label that documented some of the most exciting developments in jazz, funk and soul from South Africa in the 1970s. With 10 tracks from 10 iconic albums featuring 10 different artists and 10 original compositions, this compilation delivers 85 minutes of South African music history.

Including essential tracks by the likes of Dick Khoza, Black Disco and Harari, remastered from the original analog tapes, As-Shams Archive Vol. 1 is an unbeatable introduction to South African rare groove for new listeners as well as a long-awaited first anthology for the label’s many devoted followers.

DIGITAL ALBUM

1. KIPPIE MOKETSI – “Umgababa” (K. Moketsi)

From the album Tshona! (1975)

Alto Sax - Kippie Moketsi, Tenor Sax – Basil Coetzee, Piano – Pat Matshikiza, Bass – Alec Khaoli, Drums – Sipho Mabuse.

2. PAT MATSHIKIZA – “Dreams are Wonderful” (P. Matshikiza)

From the album Sikiza Matshikiza (1976)

Piano – Pat Matshikiza, Alto Sax – Kippie Moketsi, Tenor Sax – Duku Makasi, Trumpet – George Tyefumani, Guitar – Sandile Shange, Bass – Sipho Gumede, Drums – Gilbert Matthews.

3. TETE MBAMBISA – “Umthsakazi (The Bride)” (T. Mbambisa)

From the album Tete’s Big Sound (1976)

Piano – Tete Mbambisa, Alto Sax – Barney Rachabane, Tenor Sax – Duku Makasi/Aubrey Simani, Baritone Sax – Freeman Lambatha, Trumpet – Tex Nduluka, Guitar – Enoch Mthalane, Bass – Sipho Gumede, Drums – Dick Khoza.

4. DICK KHOZA – “Lilongwe” (D. Khoza)

From the album Chapita (1975)

Drums – Dick Khoza/Negro Mathunjwa, Tenor & Soprano Sax – Ezra Ngcukana, Tenor Sax – Aubrey Simani/Khaya Mahlangu, Alto Sax - Teaspoon Noel, Trumpet – Themba Mehlomakulu, Trombone – Willie Nettie, Electric Piano – Mac Mathunjwa, Lead Guitar – Themba Mokoena, Rhythm Guitar – Joe Zikhali, Bass Guitar – Bethuel Maphumulo.

5. MIKE MAKHALEMELE – “Spring is Here” (M. Makhalemele)

From the album Blue Mike (1982)

Tenor Sax – Mike Makhalemele, Organ – Jabu Nkosi, Bass – Zulu Bidi, Drums – Nelson Magwaza.

6. BLACK DISCO – “Night Express” (B. Coetzee)

From the album Night Express (1976)

Organ – Pops Mohamed, Flute & Tenor Sax – Basil Coetzee, Bass – Sipho Gumede, Drums – Peter Morake.

7. LIONEL PILLAY – “Blues for Yusef” (L. Pillay)

From the album Deeper in Black (1980)

Piano – Lionel Pillay, Alto Sax – Barney Rachabane, Tenor & Soprano Sax – Duku Makasi, Bass – Sipho Gumede, Drums – Gilbert Matthews.

8. HARARI – “Musikana” (S. Ntuli, A. Khaoli, S. Mabuse)

From the album Rufaro (1976)

Vocals – Selby Ntuli/Alec Khaoli/Sipho Mabuse, Alto Sax – Barney Rachabane, Trumpet – Stompie Manana, Lead Guitar – Themba Mokoena, Keyboard – Selby Ntuli, Bass – Alec Khaoli, Drums – Sipho Mabuse.

9. MOVEMENT IN THE CITY – “Blue Sunday” (P. Mohamed)

From the album Movement in the City (1979)

Piano – Pops Mohamed, Tenor Sax – Basil Coetzee, Bass – Peter Odendaal, Drums – Monty Weber.

10. SATHIMA BEA BENJAMIN – “Music” (B. Benjamin)

From the album African Songbird (1976)

Vocals – Sathima Bea Benjamin, Flute – Basil Coetzee, Bass - Louis Spears/Basil Moses/Lionel Beukes, Drums - Doug Sides/Monty Weber.

Cover Photograph by RALPH NDAWO

Gatefold Artwork (Vinyl Edition) by HARGREAVES NTUKWANA

Audio Mastering by Noah Mintz

Design Layout by Rouleaux van der Merwe

Compiled & Produced by Calum MacNaughton

Executive Producer: Rashid Vally

Cat. No. ASA101

℗ 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982 As-Shams/The Sun

KIPPIE MOKETSI - Hard Top

As-Shams Archive Vol. 5: Kippie Moketsi - Hard Top

Hard Top assembles the previously unreleased 1975 recordings of revered South African saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi (credited most commonly during the 1970s using the spelling variation Moketsi). The 2LP vinyl edition is presented in a gatefold sleeve featuring archival artwork by Mafa Ngwenya and comes from As-Shams/The Sun on the heels of Tete Mbambisa's African Day album in 2024.

By 1975, at the age of 50, saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi had already earned his stripes as a South African jazz figurehead. His tenure with the Jazz Epistles and the cast of the "South African Jazz Opera" King Kong in the late-1950s had not only marked his own rise in prominence but also seen him help catalyse the momentum of a younger generation of iconic artists who would go on to become the defining figures of modern South African jazz. While he didn't enjoy the same international attention as his protégés Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim, his noble and dedicated career on the local jazz scene until his death in 1983 saw him forge an enduring legacy.

Owing to the efforts of record producer Rashid Vally, Kippie Moeketsi's journey through the 1970s is beautifully documented, most notably on the albums Dollar Brand + 3 (1973), Tshona! (1975) and Blue Stompin' (1977), in which he shares the spotlight with Abdullah Ibrahim, Pat Matshikiza and Hal Singer respectively. As a featured performer on Soul of the City's Diagonal Street (1975) and Dennis Mpale's Our Boys are Doing It (1977), Moeketsi is seen embracing the popular orientations of South African jazz in 1970s but, having come up in the 1940s and 1950s, he never forgot his roots as an admirer and dedicated scholar of Classic American Jazz.

While Moeketsi did write some memorable compositions, it was in the role of interpreter that he shone most brightly. With its title derived from a good-natured nickname that nodded to Moeketsi's elder status by way of his receding hairline, Hard Top is a covers album that looks back in time to the era of rhythm and blues while also indulging 1970s pop and funk with a decidedly South African vibe.

Marking the 100th anniversary of Kippie Moeketsi's brith on 27 July 1925 and officially joining his catalogue 50 years after it was recorded, Hard Top celebrates the multiple dimensions of a veritable South African jazz legend. The release also provides an opportunity to reflect on the unwavering support of his producer, fan and friend Rashid Vally, who passed away in December 2024.

A1. It Was a Very Good Year (E. Drake) 06.50

A2. Swallowin' the Blues (K. Graham) 13.19

B1. New Cambridge Blues (H. Baker, C. Hodges) 11.45

B2. Untitled (By Dennis Mpale) (D. Mpale) 06.08

C. I Can See Clearly Now (J. Nash) 17.18

D1. Black Frost (B. James, G. Washington) 06.44

D2. Wavy Gravy (K. Burrell) 11.22

Alto Sax – KIPPIE MOKETSI *

Tenor Sax – DUKE MAKASI

Bass – SIPHO GUMEDE

Drums – GILBERT MATTHEWS

A1, A2, A3 – Undated / Engineer: Robin Ritchie

Piano – PAT MATSHIKIZA

A4 – Dated 18 August 1975

C, D1, D2 – Dated 2 October 1975

Alto Sax – BARNEY RACHABANE

Piano – JABU NKOSI

Guitar – ENOCH MTHALENI

Trumpet – DENNIS MPALE

Recorded in 1975 at Gallo Sound Studios,

Johannesburg, South Africa

Produced by RASHID VALLY

Cover Artwork by MAFA NGWENYA

ON VINYL EDITION

Gatefold Artwork by MAFA NGWENYA

Back Cover Photo by EVANS MAKAPANA MBOWENI

Tape Transfers by Rob Allingham

Audio Mastering by Noah Mintz

Design and Layout by Rouleaux van der Merwe

Compiled and Produced by Calum MacNaughton

Executive Producer: Rashid Vally

* NOTE ON SPELLING

Moeketsi is the standard version of the South African family name and the spelling most commonly used when referring to Kippie. Physical and digital editions of Hard Top apply the spelling variant Moketsi, which was used for Kippie's artist credits throughout the 1970s, appearing on the albums Dollar Brand + 3 (1973), Tshona! (1975), Sikiza Matshikiza (1976), Blue Stompin' (1977) and Our Boys are Doing It (1977). It is not known why this variant was adopted but it remains in use for his As-Shams Archive discography while general commentary about Kippie defers to the standard spelling.

Cat. No. ASA105

DIGITAL ALBUM

DENNIS MPALE - Our Boys Are Doing It

By the mid-1970s, trumpeter Dennis Mpale was a consummate musician with an auspicious resume that located him at all the key turning points in the evolution of modern South African jazz. In his mid-20s, he led the trumpet section of Chris McGregor’s Castle Lager Big Band and participated in the ensemble’s landmark 1963 album Jazz/The African Sound. 1968 saw him recording I Remember Nick with The Soul Giants, which joined a wave of notable late-1960s releases, including The Mankunku Quartet’s Yakhal' Inkomo and The Chris Schilder Quintet’s Spring, that ignited the ambitions of South African jazz artists and producers in the 1970s. In 1975, Mpale co-founded the “rock jazz” ensemble Roots, inaugurating the era of jazz fusion in South Africa and opening the door for Pacific Express and Spirits Rejoice.

By 1977, Mpale had earned the right to an album of his own and, having participated in the 1975 recording of Abdullah Ibrahim’s African Herbs, turned to producer Rashid Vally of the As-Shams/The Sun label for his solo debut. Vally financed the project and seized an opportunity to license it to the local subsidiary of a major international label. As such, Our Boys Are Doing It was issued in South Africa on the Mercury label in 1977. Featuring saxophone heavyweight Kippie Moeketsi, the album was a response to the global direction taken by trumpeter Hugh Masekela on The Boy's Doin' It in 1975. In contrast, seeped in the bump jive style of popular urban township music, Our Boys Are Doing It was a manifesto for an authentic, exuberant, homegrown variety of South African jazz.

While solo releases often dispensed with collaborator credits, crediting “the boys” as the album’s backing group pointed towards a collectivist, albeit gendered, conception of South African jazz as a form of cultural production. Mpale was also interested in the title’s veiled reference to the underground armed resistance to Apartheid and he would go on to spend much of the 1980s as a political exile in Botswana. This said, musicians often worked incognito for contractual reasons and producer Rashid Vally himself obscured his involvement on the credits of the Mercury release of Our Boys Are Doing It to avoid any blowback from his regular distributor. While it is believed that “the boys” included the rhythm section of the album Tshona! with Pat Matshikiza on piano, Alec Khaoli on bass and Sipho Mabuse on drums, guitar and additional saxophone contributions remain subject to speculation.

We Are Busy Bodies’ 2025 edition of Our Boys Are Doing It is sourced from the original analog masters and restores the album to its rightful place as an essential part of the As-Shams/The Sun catalogue. This title is the final instalment of a ten-part reissue series that remembers and celebrates beloved figures in the story of South African jazz and honours the passion, work and legacy of label founder Rashid Vally, who passed away in December 2024.

DENNIS MPALE – Trumpet (Leader)

KIPPIE MOKETSI – Alto Sax

AND THE BOYS

All compositions by Dennis Mpale

Artwork by Abdul Kader

Produced by Rashid Vally

Cat. No. SRK897250

The MOKETSI-MATSHIKIZA Trilogy

Three As-Shams albums from the mid-1970s that trace the interweaving discographies of saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi and pianist Pat Matshikiza. Tshona! was their collaborative effort from 1975, supported by Basil Coetzee on tenor and with Beaters/Harari holding down the rhythm section. Matshikiza would then invite Moeketsi to feature on his solo debut Sikiza Matshikiza in 1976, this time backed by Spirits Rejoice. Matshikiza later pops up on the Harold Baker/Charles Hodges composition "Hang On There" covered on Moeketsi's Blue Stompin' album in 1977. Restored, remastered and reissued in partnership with We Are Busy Bodies.

PAT MATSHIKIZA & KIPPIE MOKETSI - Tshona!

As a member of the all-star Jazz Epistles in the late 1950s, saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi (also spelled Moketsi during his tenure with the As-Shams record label in the 1970s) was one of the key pioneering forces of modern South African jazz. While Jazz Epistles bandmates Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim would go on to build their careers in the United States in the 1970s, it was at home in South Africa that Moeketsi would leave his mark on the domestic jazz scene. From the outset of record store owner Rashid Vally's forays into the production of independent jazz in the early 1970s, Moeketsi played a key role, notably as a featured sideman on Abdullah Ibrahim's Dollar Brand Plus 3 in 1973.

While Moeketsi had a reputation as a great interpreter of standards with a firm grasp of jazz as an American idiom, he stepped into deep South African jazz territory with a pair of his own compositions on the album Tshona! (released on Vally's nascent As-Shams/The Sun label in 1975). With equal participation from pianist Pat Matshikiza (also a well established South African jazz figure at the time), Tshona! emerges as one of the great South African jazz collaborations of the 1970s and is revered as a canonical recording from this era. Moeketsi and Matshikiza were flanked by the Soweto's hottest rhythm section by way of drummer Sipho Mabuse and bassist Alec Khaoli of Harari and featured on tenor sax was none other than Basil Coetzee, who's contribution to Abdullah Ibrahim's breakout hit record Mannenbeg - 'Is Where It's Happening' the year prior had earned him the esteemed appellation Basil "Mannenberg" Coetzee.

With the album cover bearing a playful illustration of a pair of township thugs by artist Mafa Ngwenya, Tshona! is the ultimate jazz document of its time and place - modern, urban, original, authentic and unmistakably South Africa. Moeketsi and Matshikiza would continue to record together for As-Shams/The Sun with Moeketsi featured on Pat Mathsikiza's Sikiza Matshikiza album in 1976. Matshikiza returned the favour in 1977, appearing on Moeketsi's Blue Stompin' album, which featured the Hal Singer Quartet on the title track.

A1. Tshona (P. Matshikiza) 11:40

A2. Stop and Start (P. Matshikiza) 05:09

B1. Umgababa (K. Moketsi) 11:11

B2. Kippie's Prayer (K. Moketsi) 03:35

Pat Matshikiza –Piano

Kippie Moketsi – Alto Saxophone

Basil Coetzee – Tenor Saxophone

Alec Khaoli – Bass

Sipho Mabuse – Drums

Dennis Phillips – Alto Saxophone on "Tshona"

Recorded at Gallo Studios

Recording Engineer: Peter Ceronio

Produced by Rashid Vally

Cat. No. GL 1796

KIPPIE MOKETSI feat. HAL SINGER - Blue Stompin'

JUNE 2021: Saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi (1925-1983) is a towering figure in South African jazz - a member of the hallowed Jazz Epistles alongside Ibrahim, Masekela and Gwangwa and part of the cast of the Todd Matshikiza's lauded King Kong musical. He is also an integral part of the the As-Shams catalogue as both featured performer and principal artist, often presented in partnership with another figure. Tshona! (1975) is recognised as a South African jazz masterpiece and one of his most enduring As-Shams releases, in which his own compositions are paired with those of pianist Pat Matshikiza. On the title track of his 1977 follow-up Blue Stompin', Moeketsi (using the spelling Moketsi during his tenure with As-Shams) joins American tenorist Hal Singer (1919-2020), revisiting Singer's 1959 composition at the behest of producer Rashid Vally. Seizing the opportunity provided by the Hal Singer Quartet's US State Department sponsored visit to South Africa in the mid-70s, Vally not only solicited a recording of new material (Hal Singer Quartet's Soweto to Harlem) but also engineered this transatlantic collaboration with Moeketsi. In addition to the title track featuring the Hal Singer Quartet, Blue Stompin' is rounded out by three other covers led by Moeketsi with a South African ensemble that demonstrate his prowess as an interpreter of American jazz idioms seeped in R&B, blues and swing. We're delighted to announce a 2021 reissue of Blue Stompin' presented by the skilled restoration team at We Are Busy Bodies, who worked with the original master tapes. This July 2021 release sees the album back on vinyl for the first time since 1977 and honours Singer's passing at the age of 100 last year.

A1. Blue Stompin' (H. Singer) 11:19

A2. Hang On There (H. Baker, C. Hodges) 06:39

B1. Scrap Iron (D. Pearson) 10:53

B2. Yes Baby (K. Burrell) 12:38

Personnel on A1:

Hal Singer – Tenor Sax

Kippie Moketsi – Alto Sax

Oliver Johnson – Drums

August "Gus" Nemeth – Bass

Alain Jean Marie – Piano

Personnel on A2:

Kippie Moketsi – Alto Sax

Duke Makasi – Tenor Sax

Pat Matshikiza – Piano

Sipho Gumede – Bass

Gilbert Matthews – Drums

Personnel on B1 and B2:

Kippie Moketsi – Alto Sax

Barney Rachabane – Alto Sax

Duke Makasi – Tenor Sax

Jabu Nkosi - Piano

Enoch Mthalani – Guitar

Sipho Gumede – Bass

Gilbert Matthews – Drums

Produced by Rashid Vally

Cat. No. GL 1912