Tabane gave an indigenous zing to SA music
Malombo jazz leader was brave and innovative
Died: May 18 Born: December 22 1947 Funeral: On Sunday at Vista University in Mamelodi, Pretoria, starting at 7am Burial: Mamelodi Cemetery
Malombo music legend Philip Nchipi Tabane, who died last week, spent the last days of his life listening to his music.
Tabane died of an agerelated illness at the Mamelodi Hospital, Tshwane, on Friday. He had been in and out of hospital since last year. He was born in 1947 in Riverside, east of Pretoria.
According to my thesis published in 2009 by University of Pretoria on Malombo music and its origin, Tabane’s music career was nurtured at Dorkay House – a haven for black performers and musicians in Joburg during apartheid era.
His passion for music and determination to advance his family’s sacred musical tradition gave Tabane the enthusiasm to approach musical practice from the framework of his indigenous music idiom.
It was around 1963/1964 that Tabane’s Trio band used the name Malombo for the first time. The Trio was known for its historic win at the Castle Larger Jazz and Variety Show in 1964.
It was a big win because Tabane had finally gotten to win a talent search for originality and novelty through a minimal musical format that captured the essence of Malombo music. The winning band, led by Tabane, featured him (guitar, vocals, concert flutes and dipela), Julian Bahula (African drums) and Abby Cindi (flutes).
It was the first band that Tabane led that received rave reviews and was popularly known as Malombo Jazzmen in the public domain.
His mother was a healer, therefore her malombo spiritual style of song and dance was transferred to him. Tabane’s music borrowed different music instruments from other cultures to express the Malombo feeling and spirituality.
The legend finally got a big breakthrough to perform in the US through Peter Davidson, who was Hugh Masekela’s road manager in the 1970s.
The legend’s career flourished in the US after that. He got another deal to write music for an anti-apartheid movie by Nana Mahomo called Last Grave at Dimbaza.
In 1965, Tabane parted ways with band-mates Julian Bahula and Abbey Cindi, who are both still alive.
He has released albums like Malombo, Indigenous Afro-Jazz Sounds of Philip Tabane and his Malombo Jazzmen, The Indigenous Afro-sounds of Philip Tabane, Pelepele, Silent Beauty, Badimo, Ke a Bereka, and Muvhango, among others.
Muvhango was the theme song for the SABC2 television soapie of the same name shortly after it was launched in 1997.
Tabane, who will be buried on Sunday, is survived by his son and daughter.