School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Louis Moholo

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Louis Tebogo Moholo, later also known as Louis Moholo-Moholo, was a South African jazz drummer, born in 1940 in Langa, Cape Town. From the late 1950s he played in South African bands, including Ronnie Beer's Swinging City Six, and in 1962 he performed at the Cold Castle National Jazz Festival. He then formed the Blue Notes with pianist Chris McGregor, Johnny Dyani, Nikele Moyake, Mongezi Feza and Dudu Pukwana. In 1964 the group emigrated to Europe, for the Antibes jazz festival. In 1965 the musicians settled in London, where they formed part of a South African community in exile that made an important contribution to British jazz.

Music and breakthrough

Moholo played in Brotherhood of Breath and in Assagai, and worked with many innovators of free jazz, including Derek Bailey, Steve Lacy, Evan Parker, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp and Peter Brötzmann. His first album under his own name was Spirits Rejoice. Others followed, including Tuned Boots in 1978, Human Aspect in 1990 and Mpumi in 2002. In 2005 he returned to South Africa. He died in Cape Town in 2025.

Influence

Moholo brought the energy of South African township jazz to European free jazz. His playing is powerful and full of rhythmic shifts, and he showed how African singing and melodies can be combined with improvisation.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a recording of Spirits Rejoice and notice how the drums do not merely keep time but speak along with the horns like a voice of their own. Can you hear how rhythm and melody flow into one another?

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists