Flat Five, Flat Seventh, Flat Ninth.....

 

The brand new Morolong Jazz Orchestra, what can I say, absolutely top class! Abdullah payed tribute to Duke Ellington, he payed tribute to Thelonius Monk and he payed tribute to Kiepie Mokoetsi. This was the band's first perfomance - ever - and Pikkewyn was there.

 

 

 

There were six saxophones (two of which also doubled on flute), four trombones and four trumpets. The best was when one of the saxophonists, playing a penny whistle, broke into good South African Kwela, man, did the band swing then!

Saturday 11 February, in Roman Catholic culture, is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. It is also the anniversary of the Apartheid government's declaring District Six a whites only residential area, I think 46 years ago. During the second half of the show the band played a medley of all kinds of memories of District Six, written by Abdullah Ibrahim. One of the themes I thought I recognised, but for a moment I couldn't place it. Then I recognised it. It was a hymn, and fourteen horns played it:

'The church's one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is his new creation,
By water and the Word.....'

Words & Music by S.J. Stone, Arranged by Abdullah Ibrahim

For the duration of the set the drummer and bassist seemed to be having a love affair, exchanging glances, continuously smiling at each other, it was as though they were in love, which, if you have a jazz band, is exactly what you'd want to see. And it came together, they jelled, they layed down a real solid groove for the rest of the band to play over. I spent a good part of the performance watching the bass player's fingers fret those big strings!