Cape Town Goema Orchestra :: Table Bay Concerto

“This showcase of Cape music will do Capetonians proud,” says composer Mac McKenzie. “The Table Bay Concerto in G-Major is a chronological account of Table Bay as I imagine it, my impression of its evolution from the time just before the arrival of European settlers through the era of colonialism up to the present. I’ve borrowed from various forms such as European hymnody, classical and street music (which I sometimes call tsotsi music) and assimilated them into goema, the heartbeat of the minstrel carnival.”

“The 20-piece Cape Town Goema Orchestra is a synergy of diverse performers from highly experienced classical, jazz and traditional instrumentalists to young church and street musicians, all connected to the rich culture and soundscape of our city. It’s a truly unifying force in our country that celebrates and takes our music forward with vision and passion.”

A "bootleg" concert video was produced by Profoundly South African for the Cape Town Composers' Workshop archive and documents the world première of the the Table Bay Concerto on 26 November 2011. Also featured here is the work of guest composers Mandla Mlangeni and Derek Gripper. Stream the following playlist above:

1. D-Major Goema (G.S. McKenzie)
2. Inventory (M. Mlangeni)
3. Copenhagen (D. Gripper)
4. The Table Bay Concerto in G-Major (G.S. McKenzie)
5. Healing Destination ft. Kaatjie Davids (G.S. McKenzie)

Bokamoso Ba Rona :: Youth Dialogue Forums

In early 2011, representatives of South Africa's youth assembled in Caledon in the Western Cape to take part in the Parliamentary Millennium Project's Youth Dialogue Forums (forming part of the broader Bokamoso Ba Rona Youth Campaign). Participants took part in workshops and forums, articulating the needs and concerns young people in South Africa.

Mac McKenzie :: Selected Recordings 1998-2009

The musical journey of Gerald Samuel “Mac” McKenzie is a diverse string of manifestations that spans a professional recording career of over twenty-five years. Despite surface differences, an indispensable denominator binds the brash punk riffs of the Genuines in 1986 to the sultry violin lines of the Cape Town Composers’ Workshop showcase in 2009. In a word, it’s goema. Here are some selected recordings to seek out and investigate:

► Namaqua - Daylight (1998)
1. The Mountain, Sand & Sea (G.S. McKenzie)
2. Daylight (G.S. McKenzie)
3. Stella by Starlight (V. Young)
4. Autumn Leaves (J. Mercer)
5. Green Dolphin Street (B. Kaper, N. Washington)
6. The Days of Wine & Roses (H. Mancini)
7. Concilia (G.S. McKenzie)
8. Café Camissa (G.S. McKenzie)
9. Donna Lee (M. Davis, C. Parker)

► The Goema Captains of Cape Town - Healing Destination (2004)
1. Alibama (Traditional | G.S. McKenzie)
2. Healing Destination (G.S. McKenzie)
3. Night March (Traditional | G.S. McKenzie)
4. Disentangled (G.S. McKenzie)
5. Red Rock City (G.S. McKenzie)
6. The Healing (G.S. McKenzie, H. Schilder)
7. To Wisdom (G.S. McKenzie)
8. Raa (G.S. McKenzie)
9. Goema Goema (Traditional | G.S. McKenzie)
10. Bolero (Ravel | G.S. McKenzie)
11. Goema Blues in F (G.S. McKenzie)

► Mac McKenzie - Live in Bridgetown (2009)
1. F-Major Goema (G.S. McKenzie)
2. The Healing (G.S. McKenzie, H. Schilder)
3. Colibri (Variation 1) (G.S. McKenzie)
4. D 76 (G.S. McKenzie)
5. F-Major Waltz (G.S. McKenzie)
6. Cape Town Dance (G.S. McKenzie)
7. Colibri (Variation 2) (G.S. McKenzie)













(See Goema Orchestra for 2010 recording) 
Photo © Sara Gouveia

Jou Ma Se Goema :: Film Teaser

Cape Town came about as a result of its location and the subsequent historic forces that were visited upon it. What emerged is a city with cultural and linguistic characteristics drawn from the disparate influences of Western Europe, Maritime Southeast Asia and Southern Africa (amongst others).

While Cape Town’s musicians take inspiration from the natural wonders that surround them, they inhabit an African city in the process of negotiating how it projects itself to the rest of the world. A place of musical diversity, modern Cape Town seeks to rise above tolerance to pursue meaningful cultural integration. This challenge is reflected in Cape Town’s oldest manifestation of authentic musical culture, Tweede Nuwe Jaar and the Coon Carnival.

The Carnival’s rhythm, Goema, initially a term describing the drums used in the minstrel parades and subsequently the name of the characteristic Cape beat that emerged from these drums, was adopted as a Cape Jazz idiom in the 20th century and has been interpreted through Rock, Hip-Hop and Electro in recent times. Modern usage of the word reflects a growing re-appraisal of Klopse culture and a new movement that defines Cape Town’s “sound” by the inventive blending of cultural influences.

(This teaser evolved into the documentary Mama Goema)

Cape Town Goema Orchestra :: Saturday 28 August 2010

From punk through penthouse to the university, Mac McKenzie has always pushed the boundaries of Goema, the rhythmic groove at the heart of Cape Town's carnival culture. During the 80s, he injected defiance into the idiom with The Geniunes, creating lightning-speed Rock arrangements and the resistance anthem "Struggle." In 2002, Mac guided Goema into a more refined arena with The Goema Captains of Cape Town, cloaking the Cape vibe in Cool Jazz. Now Mac’s back with an orchestra to boot! Steering Goema into Classical territory, Mac McKenzie has assembled The Cape Town Goema Orchestra to showcase a composition entitled "Goema Symphony No. 1."

Taxijam :: Jack Parow

Some refer to him as the Bob Dylan of the northern suburbs but to those who share a taxi with him on the way to work, he’s just the sweaty guy in the brown vest. Jack Parow is a resident of Belleville, a ghetto located 12 miles from the centre of Cape Town. “That’s four miles further than Eminem has to commute from his trailer park to the city,” says the rapper. Parow is currently spearheading a hip hop movement characterised by the use of his regional Afrikaans patois. “We avoid the word pidgin,” he explains, “owing to its unfortunate association with the rats of the sky.” Moreover, Parow’s sharp tongue has earned him critical acclaim. “Parrow’s indignation concerning snake tattoos on breasts,” says university professor Bo Locke, “represents a rejection of crude phallic imagery in favour of poetic discourse that interrogates the social politics of superiority.” The professor insists that Jeremy De Tolly of the Dirty Skirts is only a symbol of rock star vanity, adding, “He’s probably a nice guy in real life.” As regards the two-foot peak cap, “Purely functional,” says the professor. “Owing to the even topography of the neighbouring Cape Flats, Belleville residents require longer brims to keep the morning sun out of their eyes.”

► Taxijam :: The Smallest Gig in Town

All In One :: Self-Titled LP Launch

It’s a balmy evening in Cape Town and a crowd is dribbling into formation on Loop Street; early arrivers staking claims to the scattered tables of Alliance Française (while its humble kitchen dispatches slivers of quiche). Red lights warm a stage draped in an ethnic rug; still-life with wood and strings. Steve Newman, Errol Dyers and Hilton Schilder are shooting the breeze in the wings, their toils having culminated in the body of music they’re about to stamp on the unconscious of those present for the launch of their new album.

This extraordinary combination of Cape Town musicians evokes the spirit that brought Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía together for Friday Night in San Francisco. However, unlike the virtuosic Jazz-Flamenco trio of the early 80s, Newman, Dyers and Schilder have concretised a theory for their union, appearing as All In One and gathering their recorded material under the same name. Moreover, while prescribed structure and precise execution makes Friday Night beautiful, All In One channels its power in the process of playing and finds its voice when separate contributions become indistinguishable from the new compound that’s formed; when the trio becomes what they call themselves.

Taking the stage, Newman, Dyers and Schilder exude the tempered confidence of seasoned craftsmen. That this is a profoundly South African cast, there is not doubt, but there’s also a shamanic air that hangs about them. This could be attributed to the psychedelic drawings that adorn the stage or perhaps the white robe over leather chaps of their creator Schilder (replete with eyeliner and Mohican). Perhaps it’s Newman’s ponytail, resembling a seafaring rope, or Dyers’ beanie, which gives him the weathered look of a cosmic fisherman. That these men are conjurers of magic is confirmed when the music begins.

The two sets are characterised by sonic tapestries that reference flamenco rumba, gypsy swing, tango, maskanda and goema. In addition to Newman’s selection of exquisitely crafted guitars, instruments featured include curiosities like the rain stick, the mouth bow and the melodica (and even the manner in which the three wean sounds from their tools is novel). Each performer also commits a solo offering to the show, which sees Newman stroking inlays on the face of his guitar to produce the sound of a kalimba. Dyers brings a dirge to the table while Schilder’s piece, albeit acoustic, carries the aesthetics of prog rock.

All In One provides an engaging performance and All In One (Swett Shoppe Records) is a dazzling album. The combination of styles, instruments and influences tethered to a raw improvisational approach has produced something that bespeaks the true nature of ubuntu. When diverse sounds unite, the result is something more than the sum of its parts. It’s a motherless sound insomuch as its origins are blurred. They may be the old guard but this is a new sound for Cape Town.

► All In One - S-T (2009)
1. All In One (E. Dyers, S. Newman, H. Schilder)
2. Three Cosmic Travellers (E. Dyers, S. Newman, H. Schilder)
3. Backyard Strummers (E. Dyers, S. Newman, H. Schilder)
4. Frogs (S. Newman)
5. Ozone (E. Dyers, S. Newman, H. Schilder)
6. Trans Karoo Express (E. Dyers, S. Newman, H. Schilder)
7. C-Movement (E. Dyers)
8. Tango Very Much (E. Dyers, S. Newman, H. Schilder)
9. The Hunt (E. Dyers, S. Newman, H. Schilder)
10. Licking Angel Cakes on the Astral Plane (H. Schilder)
11. The Reluctant Spy (E. Dyers, S. Newman, H. Schilder)
12. Polka (E. Dyers, S. Newman, H. Schilder)

Taxijam :: Simon van Gend

If you think patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time is a piece of cake, there’s a hip Cape Town folkster serving a slice of humble pie called “Blinking and Breathing and Crying.” Simon van Gend is a bespectacled troubadour with a perpetual five o'clock shadow, a dark mane and a name that should be avoided by the eNews Channel weatherman. If he was a gimp, you’d bring him out for sessions of soul-searching, making the contemplative heights of Tafelberg Road at sunset a fitting location for his Taxijam. Accompanied by drummer Ross Campbell on the shakes and vocal harmonies, SVG’s offering is proof that less is more when it comes to catchy songwriting and that clapping and whistling are time-tested techniques to get toes tapping. “Blinking and Breathing and Crying” reminds us that big themes don’t need fancy lyrics and that big brothers should be encouraged to bully their arty siblings in the hopes of planting traumatic memories that will flourish into great music. Putting the inside out there is what Simon van Gend knows best and it does us all some good to join him on the train of introspection. The album Guest of my Feelings (2008) is where to hop on.

► Taxijam :: The Smallest Gig in Town

Future Shorts :: South Africa Launch

Cape Town’s Alliance Française hosted the inaugural gathering of Future Shorts South Africa last month. The UK-based short film label was established in 2003 in the interests of celebrating the form and raising its status. Future Shorts operates in over 50 cities in 15 countries and channels local material to an international hub in London where it’s compiled, distributed and screened elsewhere. As such, the platform treats audiences to independent work from around the globe while providing home-grown filmmakers with the potential to reach wider audiences.

The evening’s programme consisted of eight short films obtained via the Future Shorts network (a showcase representing the US, the UK and France that consisted of work produced between 1989 and 2007). Highlights included “City Paradise” (UK, 2003) by Gaëlle Denis, a whimsical take on London through the eyes of a foreign resident, as well as Jamie Rafn’s reflection on the schizophrenic nature of romantic relationships entitled “She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not” (UK, 2004).

Following a short interval, three South African productions were screened in collaboration with Shortcut Wednesday. The work consisted of a stop-frame styled music video by Terry Westby-Nunn (the Simon van Gend Band’s “Minor Revelation”). This was followed by the recently completed “Epitaph” by Rowan Pybus, an instalment in a series of poetic pieces that combine the artwork of Faith 47 and the music of Inge Beckmann. The screening then closed with Dave Cotton’s low-fi “Hannibal Goes on Holiday,” a story of friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, guilt (and zombies) featuring plastic dolls in the leading roles.

Present at the screening, Cotton participated in a Q&A that focused on his concern for storytelling and his mantra that “content is king.” Cotton encouraged budding filmmakers to simply produce work rather than be hindered by the trappings of high production, saying that imperfections often provide the fresh quality absent in works that are over-produced. Cotton stated that the journey to becoming a filmmaker is an evolutionary process that starts with scripts being turned into tangible works rather than being left to gather dust under a bed. Plans are currently underway for Future Shorts South Africa’s second instalment.

Taxijam :: Illiterate Skillz

If you find yourself in a taxi heading from Gugulethu to Cape Town, you’d better hope that rappers Illiterate Skillz (a.k.a. Ill Skillz) aren’t jamming in the back seat. This Mother City hip hop crew will chew off your ears and stew your brain in a sea of alphabet soup. Unless you can perform the mental gymnastics required to process the stream of consciousness that rattles from their lips (or at least have a strong Arabica piloting your system), it’s likely that their bombardment of rhyming couplets will cause you to blow a fuse. Back in the day, guys like these were heralded for their sophistry and became bosom buddies with the monarchs in the form of court jesters. Times changed and they took to the tour buses as wandering minstrels, or “original backpackers” as Illiterate Skillz like to see themselves. That’s right, these self-proclaimed illiterates have vocabulary skills that don’t bow to the gangster lexicon. They may claim to be bad at reading and writing (and their spelling is admittedly atrocious) but if African storytelling is about oral transmission then Tommy Jinnix and Jimmy Flexx score ten out of ten for the gift of the gab. Look out for the debut album Off the Radar.

► Taxijam :: The Smallest Gig in Town