(Mushroom Hour Half Hour)A figure in his country’s jazz scene since his early teens, Jiyane’s skill comes to the fore in his anticipated debut as a bandleader, a set full of hope and momentum
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Ever since Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim formed the Jazz Epistles in the 1950s, South Africa’s jazz musicians have reworked the
American genre. The country’s sound combines the chromaticism of bebop with a deeply-swung lope; within its
economy of phrasing lay anthemic melodies. Multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Jiyane sits squarely within this tradition. Mentored by trumpeter Johnny Mekoa, whose big band he joined at the age of 13, and trombonist Jonas Gwangwa, Jiyane has since made his name as a pianist for Johannesburg-based collective Spaza.
His anticipated debut as a bandleader, Umdali, is at first glance a minimal affair, running to five tracks and 45 minutes. Yet it channels the subtle depth familiar from the
music of Ibrahim, as if pulling at silk threads to unravel a tapestry. Senzo seNkosi is a tribute to Jiyane’s erstwhile collaborator, the bass player Senzo Nxumalo, moving from an orchestral fanfare of horns and vamping keys into a downtempo refrain, which clear for a delicately phrased solo from saxophonist Nhlanhla Mahlangu. Umkhumbi kaMa continues at the same pace, referencing Herbie Hancock’s jazz-funk in its undulating bass, while drummer Lungile Kunene’s groove becomes increasingly frantic atop a triplet horn refrain.