Basil Coetzee
Encyclopedia
Basil "Manenberg" Coetzee (2 February 1944 - 11 March 1998) was a South Africa
n musician, perhaps best known as a saxophonist
.
Mountain Records
describes Basil thus: 'His distinctive raunchy tenor sound and the untiring commitment to his cultural roots made him one of the best known jazzmen to come out of South Africa. He earned the nickname "Manenberg" after the hugely successful collaboration with Dollar Brand in the late seventies.
Basil toured and recorded extensively with Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim
). Together with Robbie Jansen
they created the unique brass sound of the group Pacific Express
inspiring many younger cape jazz
musicians in Cape Town
.'
Coetzee was born in an area of Cape Town, South Africa called District Six, an area which shared the poverty common to all townships, but which also fostered a vibrant music scene. His first instrument was the readily available penny-whistle
, and he began performing within the township on that instrument in 1958. He turned next to drums, before finally settling on flute and the instrument most closely associated with him, tenor saxophone
, and was entirely self-taught on all of these instruments. He is probably best known for his recording work with Dollar Brand (as he was then, before he took the name Abdullah Ibrahim after his conversion to Islam
in the late 1960s). Ibrahim recorded "Manenberg" with Basil Coetzee — it became an enormous hit in the townships and impressed musicians as the recording is reputed to have been made in just one take.
Abdullah Ibrahim is quoted by the BBC
as saying, "Even Basil himself said that in later years he would use that solo as a study exercise. We also use it now in our teaching as a required solo that young musicians have to play."
The composition "Manenberg" became a South African jazz
classic, and is also internationally renowned (indeed, a visit to the Cape Town waterfront will still today reward the jazz enthusiast with the "Manenberg" jazz venue).
Many artists left South Africa during the apartheid era — like Hugh Masekela
, Abdullah Ibrahim
, Chris McGregor
, Dudu Pukwana
, Johnny Dyani
, and Louis Moholo
. They established new satellite South African jazz communities, notably in London. Basil Coetzee chose to stay and make whatever impression he could on his home ground, despite the many difficulties and deprivations which that struggle involved.
The Coetzee family were forcibly removed from the soon to be demolished District Six to Manenberg in 1969, and it was his composition of that name which became his best known work. Basil adopted the name as a middle-name, and became known as Basil "Manenberg" Coetzee.
Basil Coetzee toughed out those years, apparently supplementing his income working in a shoe factory through the 1970s and early '80s. He became active performing again around that time. In 1986 the band Sabenza (derived from S.A.Band and the Zulu
word for work, sebenza) was formed under his leadership. He was also a founder member of Cape Town music school, MAPP.
An article in The Scotsman records that 'Coetzee developed a soulful, gospel-influenced instrumental voice which had a raw, impassioned urgency at its core. He often explained that his sound was reflection of the life around him, a product of the fact that "there's a lot of poverty in the townships, and people are frustrated, and my sound is created within that environment."'
In 1988 he toured Europe, and released the album Sabenza which was the work of Basil, Robbie Jansen
, Paul Abrahams (bassist) and Jack Momple who had all left American-influenced jazz in search of their Cape roots. Recorded in one week, this album changed perceptions about local jazz and includes some Cape Jazz jewels. It was followed by the album Monwabisi, Basil's second solo project. It was recorded in difficult times for the artist as he sought to establish his name away from previous successful associations. In the period between leaving his former Pacific Express associates and playing only sporadically for Abdullah Ibrahim, Coetzee and bass player Paul Abrahams
worked together as a duo. Many of the works on this album were arranged and written by them.
After Abdullah Ibrahim's return to South Africa from exile, Basil Coetzee regularly performed in Ibrahim's various ensembles. The band Sabenza was active on the local scene, and regularly featured bassist Paul Abrahams, guitarist James Kibby, and drummer Vic Higgins.
B: was his third solo album released at about the time of his death in March 1998. This album contains some of his best work and includes contributions from players who worked with him for many years.
Basil Coetzee died during the night of 11 March 1998, after a long struggle with cancer. His funeral took place on Saturday 14 March 1998 in Mitchell's Plain, and he is buried in the Garden of Eden
in Ottery. Abdullah Ibrahim was one of those who paid tribute to Basil's memory at his funeral, announcing plans for the establishment of a Basil Manenberg Coetzee Music Academy in his memory. Basil's son, Basil Coetzee, Jr., played saxophone in the service. Basil was survived by five children and six grandchildren.
flute. He has 18 recording sessions to his name, and a selection of these
albums includes:
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n musician, perhaps best known as a saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
.
Mountain Records
Mountain Records
Mountain Records is a record label started in Cape Town, South Africa in 1980 by Patrick Lee-Thorp.The record label produces mostly South African music and is known as the home of Cape Jazz recordings, having issued a number of albums by such names as Basil Coetzee, Robbie Jansen, Jonathan Butler,...
describes Basil thus: 'His distinctive raunchy tenor sound and the untiring commitment to his cultural roots made him one of the best known jazzmen to come out of South Africa. He earned the nickname "Manenberg" after the hugely successful collaboration with Dollar Brand in the late seventies.
Basil toured and recorded extensively with Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim
Abdullah Ibrahim
Abdullah Ibrahim , born Adolph Johannes Brand, 9 October 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, and formerly known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer...
). Together with Robbie Jansen
Robbie Jansen
Robert Edward Jansen was a South African musician and a folk hero in the Western Cape. He was born in Cape Town, South Africa.-Biography:...
they created the unique brass sound of the group Pacific Express
Pacific Express
Pacific Express Was an airline was formed in 1981 by the management of the commuter airline, West Air headed by Terry Ashton, a former Hughes Airwest executive. Based in Chico CA. The original plan was to begin high frequency, low fare service in the Los Angeles- San Francisco corridor. PSA...
inspiring many younger cape jazz
Cape jazz
Cape jazz is a genre of jazz, similar to the popular music style known as marabi, though more improvisational in character, which is performed in the very southern part of Africa...
musicians in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
.'
Coetzee was born in an area of Cape Town, South Africa called District Six, an area which shared the poverty common to all townships, but which also fostered a vibrant music scene. His first instrument was the readily available penny-whistle
Tin whistle
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
, and he began performing within the township on that instrument in 1958. He turned next to drums, before finally settling on flute and the instrument most closely associated with him, tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
, and was entirely self-taught on all of these instruments. He is probably best known for his recording work with Dollar Brand (as he was then, before he took the name Abdullah Ibrahim after his conversion to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in the late 1960s). Ibrahim recorded "Manenberg" with Basil Coetzee — it became an enormous hit in the townships and impressed musicians as the recording is reputed to have been made in just one take.
Abdullah Ibrahim is quoted by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as saying, "Even Basil himself said that in later years he would use that solo as a study exercise. We also use it now in our teaching as a required solo that young musicians have to play."
The composition "Manenberg" became a South African jazz
South African jazz
South African jazz is the jazz music of South Africa, also often mistakenly called "African jazz".-History:As in the United States, South African jazz was strongly influenced by the music styles of the black population. That said influences from the US led to its formation...
classic, and is also internationally renowned (indeed, a visit to the Cape Town waterfront will still today reward the jazz enthusiast with the "Manenberg" jazz venue).
Many artists left South Africa during the apartheid era — like Hugh Masekela
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...
, Abdullah Ibrahim
Abdullah Ibrahim
Abdullah Ibrahim , born Adolph Johannes Brand, 9 October 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, and formerly known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer...
, Chris McGregor
Chris McGregor
Christopher McGregor , was a South African jazz pianist, bandleader and composer born in Somerset West, South Africa.- Early influences :...
, Dudu Pukwana
Dudu Pukwana
Mtutuzel Dudu Pukwana was a South African saxophonist, composer and pianist .-Early years in South Africa:...
, Johnny Dyani
Johnny Dyani
Johnny Mbizo Dyani was a South African jazz double bassist and pianist, who played with such musicians as Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, David Murray and Leo Smith....
, and Louis Moholo
Louis Moholo
Louis Tebugo Moholo , is a South African jazz drummer.He formed The Blue Notes with Chris McGregor, Johnny Dyani, Nikele Moyake, Mongezi Feza and Dudu Pukwana, and emigrated to Europe with them in 1964, eventually settling in London, where he formed part of a South African exile community that made...
. They established new satellite South African jazz communities, notably in London. Basil Coetzee chose to stay and make whatever impression he could on his home ground, despite the many difficulties and deprivations which that struggle involved.
The Coetzee family were forcibly removed from the soon to be demolished District Six to Manenberg in 1969, and it was his composition of that name which became his best known work. Basil adopted the name as a middle-name, and became known as Basil "Manenberg" Coetzee.
Basil Coetzee toughed out those years, apparently supplementing his income working in a shoe factory through the 1970s and early '80s. He became active performing again around that time. In 1986 the band Sabenza (derived from S.A.Band and the Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
word for work, sebenza) was formed under his leadership. He was also a founder member of Cape Town music school, MAPP.
An article in The Scotsman records that 'Coetzee developed a soulful, gospel-influenced instrumental voice which had a raw, impassioned urgency at its core. He often explained that his sound was reflection of the life around him, a product of the fact that "there's a lot of poverty in the townships, and people are frustrated, and my sound is created within that environment."'
In 1988 he toured Europe, and released the album Sabenza which was the work of Basil, Robbie Jansen
Robbie Jansen
Robert Edward Jansen was a South African musician and a folk hero in the Western Cape. He was born in Cape Town, South Africa.-Biography:...
, Paul Abrahams (bassist) and Jack Momple who had all left American-influenced jazz in search of their Cape roots. Recorded in one week, this album changed perceptions about local jazz and includes some Cape Jazz jewels. It was followed by the album Monwabisi, Basil's second solo project. It was recorded in difficult times for the artist as he sought to establish his name away from previous successful associations. In the period between leaving his former Pacific Express associates and playing only sporadically for Abdullah Ibrahim, Coetzee and bass player Paul Abrahams
worked together as a duo. Many of the works on this album were arranged and written by them.
After Abdullah Ibrahim's return to South Africa from exile, Basil Coetzee regularly performed in Ibrahim's various ensembles. The band Sabenza was active on the local scene, and regularly featured bassist Paul Abrahams, guitarist James Kibby, and drummer Vic Higgins.
B: was his third solo album released at about the time of his death in March 1998. This album contains some of his best work and includes contributions from players who worked with him for many years.
Basil Coetzee died during the night of 11 March 1998, after a long struggle with cancer. His funeral took place on Saturday 14 March 1998 in Mitchell's Plain, and he is buried in the Garden of Eden
in Ottery. Abdullah Ibrahim was one of those who paid tribute to Basil's memory at his funeral, announcing plans for the establishment of a Basil Manenberg Coetzee Music Academy in his memory. Basil's son, Basil Coetzee, Jr., played saxophone in the service. Basil was survived by five children and six grandchildren.
Albums
Basil Coetzee's recording years spanned 1962-1991, playing both tenor saxophone andflute. He has 18 recording sessions to his name, and a selection of these
albums includes:
- Sabenza MOU522 - 1988
- Monwabisi MOU592 - 1993
- B: MOU7522 - 1998