Parliament mourns SA jazz legend Dr Philip Tabane.
Parliament has offered its condolences to the friends family of South African jazz legend Dr Philip Tabane. Tabane died at a Mamelodi Hospital, aged 84, yesterday. It is understood he died from natural causes.
Best known for his hit songs Nkupi and Muvhango, Tabane formed the Malombo Jazzmen in the early 1960s.
“He was amongst the South African jazz greats whose pioneering music defied the constraints of oppression during the height of apartheid and showcased our country's unique and remarkable talent to the world,” Parliament has said in a statement issued today, “The Malombo Jazzmen toured the United States in the 1970s, where renowned musicians, such as, Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis played with them. Their album, Malombo, was a commercial and critical success”.
Parliament says that through his masterpieces, Tabane “made the world pay attention and recognise South Africa's rich traditional culture and appreciate the timeless beauty of the boundless quality of its arts”.
It describes his music as a “uniting force that not only connected South Africa with the word but also bridged different generations”.