Mankunku R.I.P.

I learnt yesterday that the great South African saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi died on 12 October at the age of 66. There is a brief obituary here and a more extensive, but slightly out of date, summary of his career here.

In general jazz has always left me completely cold, but I do have a fondness for the South African jazz that mixes in the traditional sounds and limits the noodling. Hugh Masekela is the arch exponent, but Mankunku was up there in the first rank. In particular "Jika", the album he made with Mike Perry in the late 1980s, is something of a standard. It is also perfect Sunday morning music.

Here are a couple of tracks in memory of a great man.

"Wajikeleza" - from "Jika" (1987)

"Khawuleza (Hurry Up)" - from "Dudula" (1996)

Here he is in action. R.I.P. Mankunku.