The Independent Ear

Fanning the Flames on the Eastern Cape

Pianist-composer Hotep Idris Galeta is one of the keepers of the flame in South Africa, the country with arguably the deepest and richest jazz tradition this side of the U.S.  Currently project manager for a new performing arts project in Johannesburg, Hotep continues to be one of SA’s most potent musical voices.  A true keeper of the flame, despite his years of self-imposed exile, Hotep has been one of my abiding guides through the history of the music in SA, contributing mightily with his voice and music to a series of ongoing radio broadcasts focusing on jazz in SA for WPFW.  More recently Hotep has developed the South African Jazz Network (southafricanjazznetwork.ning.com) as part of the growing tree of social network sites. 

 

Pianist-composer-educator HOTEP IDRIS GALETA

 

Our conversation began with an inquiry into the circumstances behind his self-exile in ’61.

 

I left Cape Town for London in September, 1961 and lived there until I went to New York in July, 1962.  As a young musician who loved jazz, that was where I wanted to be as it presented the perfect environment to be exposed to this exciting art form.

 

Detail your experiences performing away from your South African home.

 

My performing and recording experiences in the U.S. commenced in 1968 when I joined the band of fellow South African Hugh Masakela and recorded the classic album "Live at the Whisky A Go Go" in Los Angeles.  Since then I’ve recorded over 18 albums with various jazz artists such as John Handy, Joshua Redman, Jackie McLean, Hadley Caliman, Elvin Jones, Mario Pavone, Herb Alpert, Bobby Hutcherson, Woody Shaw, Hugh Masakela, Letta Mbulu, and Rene McLean.  I’ve also played gigs as a pianist in the bands of Dewey Redman, Pharoah Sanders, Charles Lloyd, and Sonny Stitt.

[Editor’s note: some of that activity came under Hotep’s former name, Cecil Barnard.]

 

Would it be accurate to characterize you as one of the SA jazz artists who were in kind of self-exile from apartheid (ala Abdullah Ibrahim, the Blue Notes, etc.)?

 

Yes, I guess you can characterize me that way.

 

As an aspiring young musician in SA what kind of training did you benefit from?

 

As a young, aspiring musician in Cape Town I hung out and played with many older musicians.  Abdullah Ibrahim became my mentor.

 

When did you finally return home and what were the circumstances?

 

I returned back to South Africa in December, 1991 after thirty years in exile as South Africa was [then] moving towards the establishment of a democratic society after the release of Nelson Mandela from prison.

 

When you returned to SA, how had the jazz "scene" evolved in the ensuing years?

 

Since the advent of democracy and South Africa’s new political dispensation jazz has evolved quite rapidly as a result of the establishment of annual national jazz festivals and the development of top shelf jazz education structures at both community and college level.

 

You’re currently involved in music education yourself; talk about your efforts in that arena.

 

Since my return to South Africa I’ve been involved in setting up performing arts structures.  I was the project manager that established and built the Miriam Makeba Center of Performing Arts for the University of Fort Hare in the city of East London.  I’m currently the project manager for the establishment of the Hugh Masakela Academy of Arts and Entertainment being built in the city of Johannesburg. 

 

What’s your sense of jazz in South Africa currently?

 

There is a core of extremely talented young up and coming jazz musicians which bodes very well for jazz performance and development here in South Africa.

 

What would you say are the most optimistic aspects of the overall South African music scene?

 

The fact that there is such an abundance of musical talent existent in our various ethnic communities.

 

Tell us about emerging SA jazz artists we should hear — or even prominent musicians on the current scene, since they remain relatively off the radar for U.S. jazz listeners.

 

My suggestion would be to listen to the music of Mark Fransman, Kyle Shephard, Zim Ngqawana, Judith Sephuma, Jimmy Dludlu, Marcus Wyatt, and Carlo Mombeli.

 

NEXT TIME: Hotep on the jazz history of South Africa…

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Ain’t But a Few of Us: Black jazz writers tell their story #6

Installment #6 in this ongoing series of stories on their development, trials, tribulations and in some cases recommendations from black music writers continues with a contribution from RON SCOTT, who comes from a perspective unique to our contributors thus far.  And that’s because Ron is a regular contributor to what has long been referred to in black communities as "the black dispatch."  Ron’s primary vehicle for his jazz writings is the venerable Amsterdam News, for many decades the New York City community’s most reliable dispatch of news in and around the black community and of concern to black folks.  Ron is certainly unique in that respect as other traditional black dispatches such as the Chicago Defender, Pittsburgh Courier, and (Cleveland) Call & Post have long neglected this art form we call jazz, which is a unique development of the African experience in America.  Per usual we started this virtual conversation trying to learn what motivated Ron Scott to write about serious music.

 

To be honest writing wasn’t really in my program…  English was my favorite subject in high school.  As a senior I submitted two short poems for the yearbook; unfortunately they weren’t accepted and I was very disappointed.  While in college I continued writing poems as I pursued my goal to become a social worker.  After college I attended NYU graduate school, the school of social work.  While looking for a part-time job I noticed on the school bulletin board a freelance writing position for a soul [music] magazine (Soul Sounds) in Brooklyn.  I went for the interview and was immediately hired; that was the beginning of my career as a music writer.

 

When you started on this quest were you aware of how few African Americans there were writing about serious music?

 

At the time I was not aware.  It should be noted that I started out writing about R&B music and later met and became close friends with the writers in that genre; at that time I wasn’t aware of the writers in jazz.  When I started reading the Village Voice on a regular basis I became a fan of Greg Tate and Stanley Crouch.

 

Why do you suppose that is still such a glaring disparity — where you have a significant number of black musicians making serious music but so few black music writers or commentators?

 

I view jazz like the NBA (National Basketball Association) — a host of black players but very little representation as commentators, managers, lawyers, promoters, agents or writers.  Unfortunately I feel that institutional racism is alive and well in jazz.  As a point of reference just look at our representation in the major jazz publications like DownBeat and JazzTimes (and what happend to Stanley Crouch at that publication).  Even Amiri Baraka, who has written a wealth of books, including my bible Black Music, is not a welcomed contributor to any of the major jazz publications or dailies.

 

Do you think that disparity of African American writers contributes to how the music is covered?

 

Most definitely music is objective, it’s based on emotions, life experiences, societal stimuli, and cultural background.  When black writers aren’t proportionately involved in sharing their thoughts about the music the coverage becomes one-sided.

 

Since you’ve been writing about serious music, have you ever found yourself questioning why some musicians may be elevated over others and is it  your sense that has anything to do with the lack of cultural diversity among the writers covering this music?

 

It’s similar to Benny Goodman being called the "King of Swing".  How could that be possible when he played under the time of Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington?  A lack of cultural diversity is a mild phrase for stating the obvious.

 

What’s your sense of the indifference of so many African American-oriented publications towards serious music, despite the fact that so many African-American artists continue to create serious music?

 

This is a difficult question, but most of it has to do with black history.  I feel if more blacks were really aware of their history and the role that jazz has played in society they would be more apt to promote the music.  However, the same could be said for the electronic media; just look at the Grammy Awrds.  Where is jazz on their prime-time priority list?  Or radio?… Only one jazz station in New Jersey and not one in New York City, the multi-media capitol of the world!

 

How do you react to the contention that the way and tone of how serious music is covered has something to do with who is writing about it?

 

This relates to my answer to [the question about the dearth of black jazz writers].

 

In your experience writing about serious music what have been some of your most rewarding experiences?

 

Writing is my life, without it I wouldn’t exist.  My most rewarding encounter is being accepted into the jazz family of musicians and becoming friends with them as well as their family members.  More than anything I am honored and humbled that these music warriors have accepted me into their most significant lives.

 

What obstacles have you run up against — besides difficult editors and indifferent publications — in your efforts at covering serious music?

 

Difficult editors and indifferent publications covers it for me.

 

If you were pressed to list several musicians who may be somewhat bubbling under the surface or just about to break through as far as wider spread public consciousness, who might they be and why?

 

There are many young musicians who fit into this category, but I would say alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, saxophonist Marcus and drummer E.J. Strickland, and pianist Aaron Diehl.  All are composers bringing their own sound and personal exciting colors to the show.  They aren’t playing safe but taking chances incorporating spoken word and black history moments, connecting the dots…  Aaron, a recent graduate of Julliard, has yet to record his debut album but is already on the radar of major musicians.  He plays everything from blues to stride to straight-ahead and has a strong grasp of the music from a historic perspective.

 

As we are now in the second half of 2009, what for you have been the most intriguing records released so far this year?

 

Unfortunately, I tend to listen to the same stuff over and over when I like it, so stuff that just came out this year is still on my "to listen to" list.  But here’s a few: E.J. Strickland In This Day, Gregory Generet (re)generation, Pyeng Threadgill Of the Air, and Frank Wess Once Is Not Enough.

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Ancient Future – the radio program 7/30/2009

Ancient Future is heard Thursdays on WPFW 89.3 FM, Pacifica Radio serving the Washington, DC region at 50,000 watts.  Hosted/Produced by Willard Jenkins…

 

ARTIST
TUNE

ALBUM

LABEL

 

THE MUSIC & INFLUENCE OF GEORGE RUSSELL

George Russell

Stratusphunk

Outer Thoughts

Milestone

 

George Russell

Concerto for Billy the Kid

The Jazz Workshop

Milestone

 

Dizzy Gillespie

Cubana Be, Cubana Bop

The Complete RCA Victor Recordings

RCA

 

George Russell

All About Rosie

The Birth of the Third Stream

Columbia Legacy

 

George Russell

Swingdom Come

At the Five Spot

Decca

 

George Russell

Honesty

Ezz-Thetics

Riverside

 

John Coltrane

Africa

Africa Brass

Impulse!

 

George Russell

Waltz From Outer Space

Jazz in the Space Age

Decca

 

George Russell

It’s About Time

The 80th Birthday Concert

Concept

 

Miles Davis

So What

Kind of Blue

Columbia

 

George Russell

So What

The London Concert

Label Bleu

 

WHAT’s NEW: THE NEW RELEASE HOUR

Jackie Ryan

Dat Dere

Doozy

Open Art

 

Kurt Elling

It’s Easy to Remember

Dedicated to You

Concord

 

Kurt Elling

Dedicated to You

Dedicated to You

Concord

 

The Monterey Quartet

50

Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival

Monterey

 

Chris Potter

Ultrahang

Underground

Artists Share

 

Gerald Clayton Trio

Two Heads, One Pillow

Shade

Artists Share

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SCROLL DOWN FOR the Ain’t But a Few of Us series

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Ancient Future – the radio program 7/23/09

Ancient Future is heard Thursdays on WPFW 89.3 FM, Pacifica Radio serving the Washington, DC metro area at 50,000 watts — the station for Jazz & Justice.

 

ARTIST
TUNE
ALBUM TITLE
LABEL

 

(Featuring the music of MOACIR SANTOS)

Moacir Santos

Coisa no. 10

Coisas

Forma/Universal

 

ditto

Suk-Cha

Ouro Negro

Adventure Music

 

ditto

Coisa no. 6

Coisas

Forma/Universal

 

ditto

Maracatu

Ouro Negro

Adventure Music

 

ditto

Coisa no. 1

Coisas

Forma/Universal

 

ditto

Coisa no. 6

Ouro Negro

Adventure Music

 

Muiza Adnet

Nana

Muiza Adnet Sings Moacir Santos

Adventure Music

 

Moacir Santos

Coisa no. 2

Ouro Negro

Adventure Music

 

Luis Gasca

Coisa no. 2

The Little Giant

Atlantic

 

Moacir Santos

Coisa no. 2

Ouro Negro

Adventure Music

 

Muiza Adnet

This Life

Muiza Adnet Sings Moacir Santos

Adventure Music

 

Moacir Santos

Mother Iracemau

Ouro Negro

Adventure Music

 

ditto

Kathy

Ouro Negro

Adventure Music

 

Horace Silver

Kathy

In Pursuit of the 27th Man

Blue Note

 

Nilson Matta

Nana

Walking with my Bass

Blue Toucan

 

Gil Evans

Nana

Where Flamingos Fly

Artists House

 

Moacir Santos

Felipe

Choros & Alegria

Adventure Music

 

(Soundviews feature of the week)

Lauren Dalrymple

Stella By Starlight/Stella’s Groove

Copasetic

SoFF

 

ditto

Mama Speaks

ditto

 

ditto

Love Never Fails

ditto

 

ditto

Heart of Blue

ditto

 

(What’s New: the new/recent release hour)

Michael Thomas Quintet

Major’s Minor

Live at Twins Jazz Vol. 1

Jazhead

 

Michael Thomas Quintet

It is What it Is

Live at Twins Jazz Vol. 2

Jazhead

 

Various

Jazz re:freshed Volume One

Uprock

 

Alvin Queen

United

Might Long Way

Justin Time

 

Kora Jazz Trio

Tabou

Kora Jazz Trio

 

Markus Schwartz

Tanbou

Nan Lakou Brooklyn

Markus Schwartz

 

Joe Locke/David Hazeltine Quartet

One for Reedy Ree

Mutual Admiration Society 2

Sharp Nine

 

contact:

Willard Jenkins

Open Sky

5268-G Nicholson Lane

#281

Kensington, MD 20895

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