Bheki Mseleku

Bhekemuzi " Bheki " Mseleku ( born March 3, 1955 in Durban, † September 9, 2008 in London; Complete name: Bhekemuzi Hyacinth Mseleku ) was a South African jazz pianist and composer, also a guitarist, saxophonist and singer. Stylistically based on his countrymen Louis Moholo Dudu Pukwana and he played a " gripping blend of vital, all clichés cored Township Music and modal jazz " (Wolf Kampmann ). In his piano playing, he integrated the influence of McCoy Tyner, Randy Weston and Abdullah Ibrahim.

Life and work

Mseleku, whose father and uncle William and Wilfred Mseleku in the 1930s led the then much- recorded vaudeville group Amanzimtoti Royal player, was informed on his father's piano. He started his career as an organist in an R & B band in 1975 and then went to Johannesburg, where he played with the hard bop band, The Drive, before he formed the group Spirits Rejoice with Sipho Gumede and Russell Herman. With Philip Tabanes formation " Malombo " he joined in 1977 at the Newport Jazz Festival; then he worked in Botswana with Hugh Masekela. In 1980, he first moved to Sweden, where he worked with Johnny Dyani and Don Cherry. During this time it also came to work with Abdullah Ibrahim and Chris McGregor. In 1985 he came to England; mediation of Horace Silver, he appeared at Ronnie Scott 's Jazz Club. He also worked with South Africans as his earlier exiled guitarist Russell Herman and drummer Brian Abrahams and Courtney Pine and Steve Williamson. In 1989 he retired from the music business for the time being back in a Buddhist temple. His first album release under his own name appeared in 1991 and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. On this first album "Celebration" he was accompanied by Steve Williamson, Courtney Pine, Jean Toussaint and Marvin Smitty Smith. On his third album " timelessness " (1994) worked with guest musicians such as Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders, Elvin Jones, and singer Abbey Lincoln. With the later albums, however he could, according to Kampmann " no longer connect to the level of his first two releases. " In 1994 he returned to South Africa, but ultimately failed in being able to live there by his music, so he was mainly active as a music teacher and again in 2006 moved to London.

Awards

Discography

  • Celebration ( World Circuit, 1991)
  • Meditation ( Verve Records, 1992)
  • Timelessness ( Verve, 1993)
  • Star Seeding ( Polygram Records, 1995)
  • Beauty of Sunrise ( Polygram, 1997)

Lexigraphic entries

  • Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather & Brian Priestley. Jazz Rough Guide. Metzler, Stuttgart 1999
  • Richard Cook & Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, 6th Edition, Penguin, London, 2002, ISBN 0-14-017949-6.
  • Wolf Kampmann: Reclam Jazz Encyclopedia, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-15-010528-5

Pictures of Bheki Mseleku

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