The Portfolio: Siphiwe Mhlambi on Jonas Gwanga, ‘a proper human being’
29 Jan 2021
Distinct sound: Jonas Gwangwa, pictured with Abigail Kubheka, had a down-to-earth way of relating to others. (Siphiwe Mhlambi)
several times. What qualities did he exude in person that you felt translated on the stage or in the photographs when you look back at them?
Ntate Jonas, when he is off stage, he is a proper, proper human being. He is like your uncle or your father or your grandfather. He has a son who is more or less the same age as me, Mojalefa. We get along very well. Whenever I see him [Ntate Jonas] I suppose maybe I see him a lot because he lives in the same neighbourhood there is that naturality that exists between us.
London singer-songwriter and poet Arlo Parks delves into her adolescence through the lens of sun-dappled indie pop, on debut Collapsed in Sunbeams. Self-described as “a series of vignettes and intimate portraits,” the album is inspired by Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, Jim Morrison and Fela Kuti – combining poetic lyricism with a shimmering guitar hooks and her halcyon vocals. It’s a heartrending debut effort from Parks, who is also bringing much needed representation to indie along the way, as well as a record that will be elevated further still when she plays it live, sometime in the hopefully not to distant future.
okayafrica Image supplied by Brownswood Recordings.
Brownswood Indaba Is album. Umdali single by Sibusile Xaba is the second single released from the album. Listen to Sibusile Xabaâs New Jazz Single Umdali
Sibusile Xaba s single Umdali featuring Naftali and Fakazile Nkosi comes ahead of Brownswood Recording s highly-anticipated contemporary jazz compilation album Indaba Is .
Sibusile Xabahas recently released his latest single
featuring Fakazile Nkosi. Umdali comes ahead of the highly anticipated jazz album
Indaba Is, a self-described improvisational soul and jazz compilation. Umdali is the fifth track on the upcoming album by Brownswood Studios and aptly speaks to reconnecting with a creator and having faith during uncertain times.
This story was first published in New Frame.
Our music is contributive rather than competitive,” the great, late pianist Horace Tapscott said, speaking about the Black community arts movement of south Los Angeles. This forms the core sentiment behind
Indaba Is, which is curated by artists Thandi Ntuli and Siyabonga Mthembu and brings together some of the brightest minds and talents in the South African music landscape. The eight-track album is scheduled for release at the end of January by London-based label Brownswood Recordings.
Indaba Is forms part of a series of compilations providing overviews of the jazz scenes in various cities. Previous releases by Brownswood Recordings include