PRODUCER WEST NKOSI

The popular music circle is endowed with both initiators and followers. Producer West Nkosi who tragically passed away exactly five years ago, in October 1998 in the aftermath of a car accident belonged to the former group. His contribution to the vast field of African Popular Music places him within the category of elders of the field. Other notables being Wally Badarou, Hugh Masakela, Youssou Ndour, Salif Keita and Manu Dibango.

From the republic of South Africa he came through as an embryonic force in his motherland, its musical ecosystem and the sounds that it has disseminated into the African Popular Music spectrum through the last four decades. West Nkosi’s exquisite ability to fuse traditional and modern music was vital to the reincarnation and yet subsistence of South Africa’s musical heritage amidst the external influences that befell it.

Nkosi was conspicuously a master of rhythm section and in total command of two wind instruments initially the pennywhistle and later the alto saxophone. This possibility revealed his adaptability to the winds of musical change.

West Nkosi shaped the musical direction of African Popular Music the same way Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, Denniz Pop or Teddy Riley did in his or her own traditions. Nkosi is credited as a founder member of three generic traditions in African Popular Music. Kwela, Mbaqanga and Mabone where his instruments dictated the trends.

From relatively modest origins in the 1950s Pretoria Kwela outfit, the Pretoria Tower Boys, Nkosi later enrolled in Johannesburg with the King of Kwela Spokes Mashiyane and his musical entourage The All Star Flutes.

This band also featured one of the leading proponents of Kwela, Allen Kwela and it is here that Nkosi and friends enhanced the development of Kwela a twist influenced syncopated genre modeled on the big band and jazz traditions with traditional vocal and instrumental styling and primarily the pennywhistle at its epicenter. The ironies of this whistle were of course its symbolic value as synonymous with police brutality and the siren sound of ambulances that ferried the injured from conflict zones with the police bearing. Nkosi brought pleasure from the pennywhistle.

West Nkosi was also central to Kwela’s metamorphism to Mbaqanga (Zulu soul music), with saxophonists Lulu Masilela and Thomas Phale. They made the music. In any musician’s work life, the collaboration is monumental to achievement. Nkosi’s work with producer Rupert Bopape an A&R man at Gallo records in South Africa steered the foundations of Mbaqanga.

Nkosi’s dynamism, unpredictability and diversity equaled hardly any rivalry bringing to fruition great artistic works. It also offered a fresh appeal to each project he set his mind to, preferring to allow the artists’ individuality guide their collaboration. His survival ability was phenomenal as he outlived Kwela, Mbaqanga and graduated into a Grandmaster of fusion. His production work on Oyaba’s 1993 reggae album One Foundation varied considerably from his work on Lady Smith Black Mambazo (who he actually discovered), Paul Simon and Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens projects or even surprisingly South Africa based Sierra Leonean Jimmy’Jimmy B’Bangura’s Make ‘em bounce a hip hop record.

On the vocal intro to his song two mabone I found the perfect words for his creative prowess

‘Ladies and gentlemen, the FGB label presents something wonderful.’

West Nkosi was just that.