Winston Monwabisi "Mankunku" Ngozi (21 June 1943 – 13 October 2009) was a famous

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

n tenor

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

player."Ngozi, Winston Monwabisi 'Mankunku' (South Africa)"
''music.org.za''.

Early life

He was born in Retreat,

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

, on 21 June 1943, the first child in a musical family. He played piano at the age of seven, and later clarinet and trumpet. In his mid-teens he learned the alto and tenor saxophone. He cites John Coltrane, local saxophonist "Cups & Saucers", pianist Merton Barrow, as well as bassist Midge Pike as major influences.

Career

Mankunku chose to remain in his native

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

during

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. This meant that he was subjected to the

Separate Amenities Act Separate Amenities Act, Act No 49 of 1953, formed part of the apartheid system of racial segregation in South Africa. The Act legalized the racial segregation of public premises, vehicles and services. Only public roads and streets were exclude ...

and similar apartheid legislation. A classic tale tells of his performance with an all-white big band in the Cape Town City Hall in 1964, where, because a mixed-race band was unlawful, he was forced to play behind a curtain so as to remain out of sight. In 1968 he recorded the famous blockbuster "Yakhal' Inkomo", with

Early Mabuza Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

, Agrippa Magwaza and Lionel Pillay. It won him the

Castle Lager Castle Lager is a South African pale lager. It is the flagship product of South African Breweries and has been recognised as the National Beer of South Africa , based on the fact that it is 100% grown and produced in the country, and for its abil ...

"Jazz Musician of the Year" award for 1968. Another colleague was Abdullah Ibrahim.

Death

He died on 13 October 2009 after a long struggle with illness.Statement by Patrick Craven, Congress of South African Trade Unions spokesperson, on Winston Ngozi
''Cosatu''

Discography

* ''Yakhal’ Inkomo'' (1968, with Lionel Pillay, Agrippa Magwaza, Early Mabuza) * ''The Bull and The Lion'' (1976, with Mike Makhalemele, Trevor Rabin, Ronnie Robot and Neil Cloud) * ''Winston Mankunku & Mike Perry Jika'' (1987, with Richard Pickett, Mike Campbell, Bheki Mseleku, Russell Herman, Claude Deppa, Lucky Ranku) * ''Winston Mankunku & Mike Perry Dudula'' (1996, with Spencer Mbadu, Richard Pickett,

Errol Dyers Errol Dyers (29 March 1952 – 21 July 2017) was a South African musician, composer and guitarist and pioneer of Cape jazz/ goema. Career Dyers came from a musical family but taught himself music playing on the streets of Cape Town, and be ...

, Charles Lazar, Buddy Wells, Marcus Wyatt, Graham Beyer, The Merton Barrow String Quintet) * ''Molo Africa'' (1997–1998, with Feya Faku, Tete Mbambisa, Errol Dyers, Basil Moses, Lionel Beukes and Vusi Khumalo) * ''Abantwana be Afrika'' (2003, with Andile Yenana, Herbie Tsoaeli, Prince Lengoasa and Lulu Gontsana)

External links

Winston Ngozi Mankunku
on answers.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mankunku Ngozi, Winston 1943 births 2009 deaths African jazz (genre) saxophonists South African jazz composers South African jazz musicians South African jazz saxophonists 20th-century saxophonists 20th-century jazz composers