Zim Ngqawana (25 December 1959 – 10 May 2011) was a South African

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

and saxophonist. He was later known as Zimology.

Biography

The youngest of five children, Ngqawana started playing flute at the age of 21, eventually becoming proficient on alto, tenor and baritone saxophone as well. He dropped out of school prior to meeting university entrance requirements but won entrance to a place at

Rhodes University Rhodes University is a public research university located in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is one of four universities in the province. Established in 1904, Rhodes University is the province's oldest ...

. He later studied for a diploma in Jazz Studies at the

University of Natal The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-N ...

. He was offered

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

s to the

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He work ...

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

jazz workshop and later a scholarship to the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...

, where he studied with jazz musicians

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

and

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

. After his return to South Africa in the 1990s Ngqawana worked with South African jazz musicians

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...

and

Abdullah Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

. He collaborated with Bjorn Ole Solburg on the Norwegian San Ensemble album, ''San Song''. On that album he wrote two songs, "San Song" and "Migrant Workers". He toured the United States with his band "Ingoma" in 1995, and he made an appearance at Black History Week in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. He performed a duet with poet Lefifi Tladi in the documentary ''Giant Steps'' (2005), directed by Geoff Mphakati and

Aryan Kaganof Aryan Kaganof (born 1964 as Ian Kerkhof) is a South African film maker, novelist, poet and fine artist. In 1999 he changed his name to Aryan Kaganof. Partial filmography * 1992: '' Kyodai Makes the Big Time'' (91min, Netherlands), drama feat ...

. In January 2010, Ngqawana's Zimology Institute was vandalised by scrap metal thieves. He performed a duet concert in the rubble of the vandalised building with Cape Town pianist Kyle Shepherd. This performance was filmed as ''The Exhibition Of Vandalizimiop'' by

. The Vandalizim concerts were subsequently performed at the MOMO Gallery in Johannesburg and at a scrapyard in

Stellenbosch Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

, organised by Stellenbosch University's music department and DOMUS.

Death

Ngqawana suffered from stroke during a rehearsal and was taken to Helen Joseph hospital and succumbed from bleeding on the brain. He is survived by his wife and five children.

Discography

* ''San Song'' (1996, with the Norwegian San Ensemble) * ''Zimology'' (1998) * ''Ingoma'' (1999) * ''Zimphonic Suites'' (2001) * ''Vadzimu'' (2004) * ''The Best of Zim Ngqawana'' * ''Zimology Quartet'' (2007) - Live at Bird's Eye, Switzerland * ''Zimology In Concert (USA)'' - Featuring the UT FACULTY ENSEMBLE (2008) * ''Anthology of Zimology - Volume One'' (2009)- Recorded Live in Hieldelberg, Germany, 2008 * ''50th Birthday Celebration'' (2010) - Recorded Live at The Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg * ''Exhibition of Vandalism''

References

External links

Music.org.za
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngqawana, Zim 1959 births 2011 deaths South African jazz musicians Musicians from Port Elizabeth University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni