The Blue Notes

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

The Blue Notes were a South African jazz sextet, with Chris McGregor on piano, Mongezi Feza on trumpet, Dudu Pukwana on alto saxophone, Nikele Moyake on tenor saxophone, Johnny Dyani on bass and Louis Moholo-Moholo on drums. Five of the six members came from the Eastern Cape, and the group was based in Cape Town. They became known at the National Jazz Festival of 1963 in Johannesburg. The first studio recordings for the South African Broadcasting Corporation did not appear until 2002 under the title Township Bop. They contain fairly ordinary bebop, unlike their later work.

Music and breakthrough

Like Dollar Brand and Hugh Masekela, the group realised that they could only play freely by leaving the country. As a mixed band, with McGregor as the only white member, they often faced police violence. In 1964 they left. After a performance at the Antibes jazz festival they stayed in Europe, played in Zürich and Geneva and in 1965 at Ronnie Scott's in London. There they found little work, partly because British musicians saw them as intruders. According to McGregor a period in Copenhagen became a turning point. In London they played mainly at The Old Place, a laboratory of British avant-garde jazz.

Influence

The Blue Notes are regarded as one of the great free jazz groups of their time. Their music acquired a sound of its own because they absorbed African styles such as kwela into progressive jazz. In this way they had a great influence on the new generation of British jazz musicians.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1976Blue Notes for Mongezi
• 2022Blue Notes for Johnny

Mentioned in other articles

• South African jazz GenreThe Blue Notes of the pianist Chris McGregor played at the Antibes festival in 1964 and stayed in London, where the big band Brotherhood of Breath later arose.