Soweto Kinch and Theon Cross fire up BBC Proms’ South African Songbook

The Metropole Orkest’s recent performance of classic South African jazz provokes some interesting questions about setting, format, and the knotty dynamics of reinterpretation. Hosted at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms, the arrangement and orchestration - for the most part by South African composer Marcus Wyatt - is fitting considering the historically classical emphasis of the Proms but no less surprising given the nature of the original recordings. Where at the performance we have an orchestra of 54 musicians (including a 27- piece string section), the music featured here was first performed and recorded by small jazz ensembles. The compositions, written by the likes of Dudu Pukwana, Hugh Masekela, Winston ‘Mankunku’ Ngozi, and Bheki Mseleku, were notable for their integration of distinctly South African stylings within a structure established by the American jazz band of the 1950s and 60s.

Though these musicians would forge their own distinct styles and would even introduce the more expansive harmonic structures of the African choral tradition, they never completely eschewed the intimacy, immediacy, and rawness that is afforded by a small group of players. Nonetheless, this is not to say there is no precedent for the adaptation of these works in an orchestral context. Indeed, just as South African artists looked to Coltrane and Bird, many would have grown up with the popular lexicon of the American big band. Duke Ellington’s orchestra would have exerted a notable influence over the nascent South African jazz scene. So as this performance aptly demonstrates, there is in fact a structure within many of the original compositions that can be extracted and expanded to the orchestra setting. But what this ambitious treatment lends to these works is a more divisive matter.

This dichotomy appears from the start of the set and seems to grow throughout the first half. We begin with Dudu Pukwana’s ‘Tete and Barbs in my Mind’. Over bubbling drums, cascading harps, and grand string and horn arrangements, the magnificent Siyabonga Mthembu beautifully illuminates the music’s rebellious, anti-apartheid subtext. It’s a slightly mournful opener that swiftly erupts into the propulsive, joyous tone of another Dudu Pukwana track, ‘Mra’. The third and final Pukwana track follows and is a terrific showcase for saxophonist Soweto Kinch’s magnificent soloing.

At this point, though the exploratory free-jazz influence of Pukwana has been largely - though not entirely - substituted for a more accessible style, there’s nothing that could be considered too jarringly out of step with the spirit of the original recordings. Even if some of the raw, unadorned power of the originals is lost, the Metropole Orkest’s performance is undeniably entertaining when channeling these classics through the orchestra’s maximalist framework. It helps that the solos throughout are magnificent.

Moving on, the simple beauty of Bheki Mseleku’s melody on ‘The Age of Inner Knowing’ breaks through any distance created by the grand ornamentation. Nonetheless, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that some of Mseleku’s deftness of touch is lost when transposed into this context.

For some, the sweeping orchestration may even begin to resemble the lush, pristine orchestral scores of an old-Hollywood soundtrack. Though the arrangement and execution is brilliant - and incredibly entertaining - it can occasionally feel like a gentrified version of South Africa’s rebellious, anti-establishment jazz idiom. Given the setting - with its suggestion of the ‘highbrow’ - this potential misgiving grows stronger.

This view is perhaps cynical and is complicated by the brilliant performance of the traditional South African ballad, ‘Lakutshoni Ilanga’. As Wyatt explains, this rendition will be partly based on Louis Moholo’s deconstructed free-jazz arrangement. Faithful to Moholo’s vision, after a swooning intro, the song bursts into chaos. It’s surprisingly uncompromising and a fitting ode to the unique free-jazz legacy of Moholo and his collaborators in the Blue Notes.

Following a jovial arrangement of Zim Ngqwana’s beautiful ‘Bantu’, we arrive at the interval. For the most part, this first half can be assessed as a big-band interpretation of South Africa’s jazz classics. Interestingly, Wyatt’s arrangements - with their inclusion of the string section - are arguably closer to the jazz orchestra stylings of Paul Whiteman than of Duke Ellington. Given the terrific soloing, and bombastic energy of the players, it makes for a great listen.

The second half is equally curious, eschewing the bombastic big-band renditions of older classics and opting instead for more modern works by the likes of Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, and conductor Marcus Wyatt himself.

After Wyatt’s own composition, ‘Connected’, we move on to the work of Masekela. ‘Stimela’ is a pretty faithful rendition of Masekela’s R’n’B-jazz composition marking a dramatic shift from the big-band tone of the first half. Here, the brilliant Siyabonga Mthembu appears again to deliver a highlight of the concert.

Continuing this delve into a more modern approach, we have an initially unrecognisable interpretation of Winston ‘Mankunku’ Ngozi’s wonderful composition, ‘Yakhal’ Inkomo’. Here, the shift in style becomes more apparent. The Mankunku Quartet’s original composition, with its casually uplifting tone and subtly swinging rhythm, has been substituted for something more complex and bombastic. Halfway through, the style shifts from an RnB-big-band merger to an explosive Latin-inflected interpretation. The arrangement by Afrika Mkhize is brilliant on its own terms but no less strange when compared to the original. The only thing that feels concretely derived from Ngozi’s work is the magnificent soloing on the tenor by Soweto Kinch.

The following song, ‘Diphororo’ by Jonas Gwangwa, turns to a slow-jam RnB feel. A lyrical solo from trombonist Robinson Khoury is a welcome addition amidst the slightly Hollywood orchestration. We then have the penultimate piece, ‘Annake Tassou’, which returns to the danceable, joyful heart of so much South African township music. Theon Cross, known for his work with Sons of Kemet, reappears here with a terrific tuba solo.

The encore of the evening, the moving and sparse ‘Dear Africa’, is a beautiful closer and a powerful reminder of the legacy of the Blue Notes (it was written by members Mongezi Feza and Johnny Dyani). Here, Theon Cross lays the track’s groundworks with a breath-defying opening solo.

All in all, the concert is a thought-provoking and entertaining showcase of the South African jazz scene. But the question remains about whether the format is suited to these wonderfully grounded and earthy compositions. Of course, any championing of this music is a positive, but one might ask what is lost in the maximalism and sheen of the orchestration. Does the orchestra’s scale and string-kissed gloss erode some of the immediacy and rawness of the originals? Does the vast, glamorous setting impede the sense of individuality and instrumental focus that was so important on the first recordings?

On the other hand, certain things are effectively and sincerely communicated. There is a keen awareness of the dual purposes of South Africa’s jazz; a sense that beneath the danceable, ebullient surface there is a rebellious political subtext. Additionally, the driving, infectious energy of the works is palpable and perhaps even expanded through the orchestra’s mass of players.

Finally, in addition to Moholo’s free-jazz on ‘Lakutshoni Ilanga’, the solos throughout by Siyabonga Mthembu, Soweto Kinch, ESKA, Theon Cross and others channel some of the spontaneity and wild abandon found on the originals.

So ultimately the concert doubles as both a worthwhile, powerful experience and a reminder of the unique and irreplaceable quality of the original works. All audience members and listeners should seek out the recordings of these pioneering jazz artists. They are entirely worthy of your time.