Robbie Jansen

Robbie Jansen ( born 1949 in Cape Town, † July 7, 2010 ibid; born Robert Edward Jansen ) was a South African musician (alto saxophone, flute, vocals), who has especially found among the pioneers of Cape Jazz attention.

Life and work

Jansen learned as a self-taught accordion and harmonica before he switched to guitar. He began his career as a guitarist for the Rockets, who played British pop and beat music. On a trip the band to London he first came into contact with African-American music. He learned saxophone and dealt with the Modern Jazz. In the early 1970s he played with Oswietie and with Abdullah Ibrahim; he was involved initially at the legendary album Miner Is Where It 's Happening (1974). Together with Basil Coetzee, he founded the fusion band Pacific Express. In 1979 he became a member of Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunus group Juluka and remained there until 1981. Moreover, he worked with Russell Herman Estudio. Since then he has pursued a solo career with his own groups The Hearthrob and later Sons of Table Mountain, with whom he also appeared in Cuba and Switzerland ( 2004). In addition, he also played at Sabenza with which he was twice in the late 1980s in Europe. In the early 1990s it was also for a fresh collaboration with Abdullah Ibrahim ( Fashion Mantra, 1991).

Due to illness could not take any more foreign tours Jansen since 2007. In June 2010 he joined during the Football World Cup 2010 at the FIFA Fan Fest in Cape Town in front of 25,000 people.

Disco Graphical Notes

• Vastrap Iceland (1989 )
• The Cape Doctor ( with Alex van Heerden, Jack Momple and Steven Erasmus, 1998)
• Praises ( with Alex van Heerden, Hilton Schilder, Brydon Bolton, Ivan Bell and Jack Momple, 1998)
• Nomad Jez (2006, with the South African Music Award ( SAMA ) excellent)