10 January 2018

Tete Mbambisa - Did You Tell Your Mother - 1979

Here is one record by one of the most unknown hero of the south African jazz. Tete Mbambisa has been considered as a major reference by musicians like Johnny Dyani or Dudu Pukwana. But Mbambisa have recorded only few records, less than ten for a man who is more than 80 years old. Here we have some very beautiful cape jazz, relaxed music with positive vibrations. Some of the musicians on this session can also be found on some records by Dollar Brand recorded and published by the same label like « Cape Town Fringe » or « Mannenberg Is Where It’s Happening ».

  • Trane Ride - Past Time - Winter time - Irene

Bass: Zulu Bidi
Drums: Monty Weber
Piano/composition: Tete Mbambisa
Tenor Sax/Flute: Basil Coetzee

The Sun ml4258 published in 1979

Recently the label Matsuli Music have reissued the first session by Mbambisa under the name « The Soul Jazzmen »

In 2012 independent producer Jonhattan Eato have recorded and published a superbe solo piano by Tete Mbambisa that can be found here
or

Last but not least: a recent recording by Tete with British musicians have been published in south Africa in the end of 2017 in a very limited quantity, it will probably be issued in the world very soon. In preparation is also the first time issue of an unreleased session from 1978.

19 comments:

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  2. great release on BandCamp...
    BIG THX!...

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  3. both ''Inhlupeko'' by The Soul Jazzmen... couldn't resist to such a good main JAZZ...fall for it completly...many thanks C.S....do you have it?...

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  5. Great to have this. Thanks for sharing correct silence.

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  6. wonderful and captivating album, totally new for me! thanks
    (anyone can share the artwork scans? it's great)

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  7. This musician is underrated. Not only Pukwana and Dyani admired him but also Chris McGregor who played some of his compositions (i.e. Umsengi Mabele Lo on his Piano solo Vol2-Musica records 3023 and also with Blue Notes in concert )
    Thank you very much correct silence for sharing this hard to find record. I'm eager to listen to his new record with british musicians.

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  8. @Geronimo
    I had the luck to listen to his new record with british musicians including Julian Argüelles but to be honest I have been a bit disappointed by this new record. As you said Tete Mbambisa is a great composer and I feel that this new band doesn't value those compositions. In fact this album have been recorded the day after a concert at the York university two or three years ago and it should have been better to publish the concert than a studio recording. Actually few hundred copies of this new cd have been printed but all have been sent to Tete Mbambisa, so it is only available in south Africa through shops. Obviously more copies will be printed for a international distribution.
    But I really recommend his solo album "black heroes", this one is totally great in the fact that it represents well the power of Tete's compositions.

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  9. Wow! Thanks a lot, CS! BTW, do you have "Dennis Mpale & Kippie Moketsi - Our Boys Are Doin' It " ?

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  11. Actually, Tete cried out that Chris McGregor stole Dudu from him as Dudu was in Tete's band. And Chris actually apologized saying sorry to Tete but he needed Dudu. Chris then got Ronnie Beer to be on Tete's band

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