Robbie Jansen
Encyclopedia
Robert Edward Jansen was a South Africa
n musician
and a folk hero
in the Western Cape
. He was born in Cape Town
, South Africa.
. The first instruments he played were the concertina
and the mouth organ
. The repertoire of the first bands he played with consisted of British pop of the hippie
era. But after a trip to London, which was part of a prize in a band competition, he soon discovered black music from the USA and in particular the groups with brass sections and he decided he wanted to be a brass instrument player. Brass instrument bands were not new to Robbie as his father was associated with the Salvation Army bands, but he chose the rock and jazz genre for himself. He played in the brass section of Cape Town's cult jazz/rock group Pacific Express from where he went solo as an alto-sax player and singer.
His former bands were all in some way ground breakers. Such groups as Oswietie, The Hearthrob and Sons of Table Mountain
all offered original music. Robbie was lead singer and multi-instrumentalist in these line-ups.
South African duo Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu
brought Jansen on board to play flute
and saxophone
on Juluka
's debut album, Universal Men
. Jansen joined the growing band for their next two albums, but departed between African Litany
and Scatterlings
to resume his solo career.
His history in music reflects the history of the Coloured
People under apartheid. Jansen was self taught. His work with Dollar Brand and Basil Coetzee
in the 1970s introduced him to jazz audiences in many countries, and he became leading figure in Cape Jazz
. Robbie was instrumental in encouraging his record label, Mountain Records, to collect works from their archive to issue the first definative Cape Jazz collection album.
Jansen landed in hospital after becoming very ill in July 2005. Fortunately the provincial government of the Western Cape met his medical bills as he had no medical insurance. Jansen was immensely popular with Capetonians and when he returned to performing, usually with his band Sons of the Table Mountain, he was always met with affection, love and respect.
In 2006 his album, Nomad Jazz, was finalist for a SAMA Award, as best Jazz album of the year. He has two other solo albums, Vastrap Island and The Cape Doctor. The albums were produced by Patrick Lee-Thorp for the Mountain Records
label.
A blow to his career came in March 2007 when his doctors said that he could no longer travel long distances by air due to his respiratory condition. This forced the cancellation of his 2007 European tour and put an end to his international performances. Robbie collapsed while on tour in Grahamstown, RSA, in the winter of 2010, when his respirator malfunctioned. He died in hospital in Cape Town.
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
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and a folk hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
. He was born 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...
, South Africa.
Biography
Jansen began his musical journey in pop bands such as The Rockets, performing music made popular by the South African radio stations such as Springbok RadioSpringbok Radio
Springbok Radio was a South African radio station that operated from 1950 to 1985.-History:On 1 May 1950, the first commercial radio station in South Africa, Springbok Radio took to the airwaves broadcasting in both English and Afrikaans...
. The first instruments he played were the concertina
Concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
and the mouth organ
Mouth organ
A mouth organ is a generic term for free reed aerophone with one or more air chambers fitted with a free reed.Though it spans many traditions, it is played universally the same way by the musician placing their lips over a chamber or holes in the instrument, and blowing or sucking air to create a...
. The repertoire of the first bands he played with consisted of British pop of the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
era. But after a trip to London, which was part of a prize in a band competition, he soon discovered black music from the USA and in particular the groups with brass sections and he decided he wanted to be a brass instrument player. Brass instrument bands were not new to Robbie as his father was associated with the Salvation Army bands, but he chose the rock and jazz genre for himself. He played in the brass section of Cape Town's cult jazz/rock group Pacific Express from where he went solo as an alto-sax player and singer.
His former bands were all in some way ground breakers. Such groups as Oswietie, The Hearthrob and Sons of Table Mountain
Sons of Table Mountain
Sons of Table Mountain is a jazz band of Robbie Jansen, a South African musician from Cape Town. The band members are Robbie Jansen, pianist Hilton Schilder, Steven Erasmus, Jack Momplé and Alex van Heerden...
all offered original music. Robbie was lead singer and multi-instrumentalist in these line-ups.
South African duo Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu
Sipho Mchunu
Sipho Mchunu is a Zulu musician best known for his partnership with 'white Zulu' Johnny Clegg in the band Juluka from the 1970s to the 1990s. Mchunu's Zulu compositions, vocals and guitar work brought traditional Zulu styles such as maskanda and mbaqanga to a wider crossover audience both in South...
brought Jansen on board to play flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and saxophone
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...
on Juluka
Juluka
Juluka was a South African music band formed in 1969 by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. Juluka means "sweat", and was the name of a bull owned by Mchunu.-Career:...
's debut album, Universal Men
Universal Men
Universal Men is the debut album from Juluka, a South African band led by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. It was first released in 1979 and has acquired the status of a classic album in the history of South African music....
. Jansen joined the growing band for their next two albums, but departed between African Litany
African Litany
African Litany is the second studio album from South African band Juluka, released in 1981. It features lyrics sung in English and zulu....
and Scatterlings
Scatterlings
Scatterlings is a studio album from Juluka, a South African band led by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. It was first released in 1982."Scatterlings of Africa", arguably the band's biggest hit , is featured on this album, lending it part of its name.-Personnel:* Johnny...
to resume his solo career.
His history in music reflects the history of the Coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
People under apartheid. Jansen was self taught. His work with Dollar Brand and Basil Coetzee
Basil Coetzee
Basil "Manenberg" Coetzee was a South African 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...
in the 1970s introduced him to jazz audiences in many countries, and he became leading figure in 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...
. Robbie was instrumental in encouraging his record label, Mountain Records, to collect works from their archive to issue the first definative Cape Jazz collection album.
Jansen landed in hospital after becoming very ill in July 2005. Fortunately the provincial government of the Western Cape met his medical bills as he had no medical insurance. Jansen was immensely popular with Capetonians and when he returned to performing, usually with his band Sons of the Table Mountain, he was always met with affection, love and respect.
In 2006 his album, Nomad Jazz, was finalist for a SAMA Award, as best Jazz album of the year. He has two other solo albums, Vastrap Island and The Cape Doctor. The albums were produced by Patrick Lee-Thorp for the 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,...
label.
A blow to his career came in March 2007 when his doctors said that he could no longer travel long distances by air due to his respiratory condition. This forced the cancellation of his 2007 European tour and put an end to his international performances. Robbie collapsed while on tour in Grahamstown, RSA, in the winter of 2010, when his respirator malfunctioned. He died in hospital in Cape Town.
Discography
- Vastrap Island (1989)
- The Cape Doctor (with Hilton Schilder, Jack Momple und Steven Erasmus, 1998)
- Nomad Jez (2006, with the South African Musik Award (SAMA) nominated)
External links
- music.org.za: Robbie Jansen
- Durbanet: Robbie Jansen
- See featured artists page
- Sheetmusic http://www.sheetmusic.co.za/scores-capejazz
- Sapa Report http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=125&art_id=qw1115208541933B225
- Award Story http://www.mio.co.za/newsitem.php?id=1535
- Review http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=20209