“Artists are not only artisans, they are primarily creative thinkers. Emperors of old always had musicians in their courts not only for entertainment, for ours is not about entertainment, it’s about inner-attainment”, Zimology Institute
I am musically lost, but along the way I found myself regaining consciousness in jazz especially the one with a beat of ours, the African song. The music man who has struck me with his compositions is a silent man from Port Elizabeth, Bra Zim Ngqawana, a saxophonist.His music tends to get limited airplay. It was with his song “Qula Kwedini” where I heard his name. As a winner of three South African Music Awards (Sama), I have no doubt that Bra Zim deserves more recognition here at home. The three awards for his latest album “Vadzimu”, are a full testimony to that. Bra Zim’s music fuses influences from African folk and traditions. What puts him ahead of his contemporaries is that he is firmly grounded in his African roots and is strongly percussive, improvisational and spiritually deep.His music is known in Europe, US and around Africa. He has played with greats like Abdullah Ibrahim, Hugh Masekela, Denis Mphale, Andile Yenana, Herbie Tsoaseli, Valerie Naranjo, the Brubeck Brothers and Frode Nymo and Kevin Gibson.On July 9 last year at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, I had a chance of seeing him performing live at the DSG Hall. It was a full house, after the show I was so enlightened that I had to add all his CDs to my collection. The man was telling my story, our history: the miseries, joys, soul of a migrant worker, the pride – the love of being a man, hymns of our mothers’ songs and the reality of our materialist matters. He was talking directly to us whispering in the microphone with the flute, carrying our spirits passionately along with him. Bra Zim is redefining what jazz is. “The sole purpose of music is to elevate the soul, refine one into becoming a divine being, Godlike and perfect,” he once said. On his CD sleeve covers one finds poetry, art, paintings, interviews and philosophy, proving that he is an artist – a creator. He is also a lecturer, teaching ‘Zimology’ – the study of self; dignity, respect, love, aesthetics, language and history. With five albums under his arms: San Songs, Zimology, Ingoma, Zimphonic Suites and Vadzimu – they express the evolution of our culture, journeys, pain and future. This is a story of a man with a powerful tone of renaissance. What an amazing reflection of mature creativity, really this is an African century. Bra Zimzim zim.