JULIAN BAHULA

The year was 1964; the venue, Orlando Stadium, the era's music mecca of South Africa; the occasion, the Castle Lager Jazz Festival, organised by impresario Sipho Sydney Sepamla, the internationally known poet. Three young men from Mamelodi, a township in Pretoria, created a great impact on the crowd of 60.000; the new sound of their music heralded a cultural awakening.


This was the public birth of the Malombo Jazzmen, consisting of leader and guitar wizard, Philip Tabane, flautist and harmonica player, Abbey Cindi and Julian Bahula on traditional African Drums. These drums gave the group it's distinctive sound and became known simply as Malombo drums.


In the 60's, festivals in South Africa were run on a competitive basis, and the honours went to the Malombo Jazzmen; primitive yet sophisticated, simple and soulful. The 1964 Castle Lager Festival was the first time that Julian Bahula had played for such a large crowd of people and he describes his drums as sounding like a call for freedom.


"As for me, I am clamouring for more of the medicine from the dispensary, from that day, from that sound. Many moons have passed since that memorable day in Orlando Stadium and I have come a long way and travelled thousands of miles across the seas."


Julian also played with Abbey Cindi in Alfred Herbert's show "African Follies", with the Tekon players in their show called "Into the Heart of Negritude" and with "Freedoms Children".


Julian Bahula, famous throughout the 60's and early 70's in South Africa because of Malombo music, came to Britain, to exile from his home, in 1973, to begin all over again. He came to Europe with the band Jo'burg Hawk at a time when the politics of Apartheid were impacting both life and music making.


The move to London heralded the start of a new era for Bahula, who immediately started working with musicians around town and forming his very first band as a leader, "Jabula". Those musicians included Terri Quaye, Australian drummer Graham Morgan, Britons Ken Ely, Bob Howes, Dave Defries, bringing in fellow South Africans Lucky Ranku, Pinise Saul, Ernest Mothle, Afro-Caribbean's Mike Rose and Steve Scipio. Julian also worked in collaboration with the late Dudu Pukwana and his band "Spear", performing as "Jabula Spear".


Throughout the remainder of the 70's, Jabula toured extensively in Europe, working with the African National Congress, S.A.C.T.U, together with the Anti-Apartheid Movements, raising awareness about the Struggle. Julian went to Chicago for Black History Month, performing on the University circuit; to Nigeria for the cultural festival Festac, to Cuba for the Youth Festival, to France Fete L'Humanite, and to Portugal's communist Party Festival, to Helsinki for the Peace Festival and many other major political events in Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and all other European countries. "Jabula" often provided the musical voice at festivals and rallies alongside the powerful voice of the struggle, the late President Oliver Tambo.


The early 80's brought about the birth of "Julian Bahula's Jazz Afrika", with Denmark's Michael Nielson and Britain's Dave Chambers on saxophones, South Africans Pianist Mervyn Africa on keyboards and Lucky Ranku on guitar, Italian bassist Roberto Bellatalla, bassists Dill Katz and Chucho Merchan, trumpeter Peter Segona and drummer Alan Jackson. The album made was called "Son of the Soil". Jazz Afrika, the name described the accent of the music rather than the ethnic composition or nationalities of the musicians; it brought together musicians from many backgrounds and countries; an exhilarating ensemble of excellence.


In 1983, during the "Release Nelson Mandela and All Political Prisoners Campaign", Julian Bahula decided to diversify. Because African Music had not been promoted in Britain, he felt that his own experience provided him with the insight to fill the gap. Tsafrika Productions was formed by Julian and launched itself with the first Nelson Mandela Birthday Concert on July 18th 1983 at the Alexandra Palace, co-promoted by Julian and the Anti-Apartheid Movement. Julian invited Hugh Masekela from Botswana, where he was in exile, to come and perform for Mandela's 65th birthday celebration. The occasion and the celebration had everyone on their feet cheering wildly for Hugh Masekela's performance. The event included African Groups from Ghana with members of Osibisa and many other African musicians and Artistes. This first birthday concert for Mandela acted as a precursor to the 1988 Mandela festival at Wembley Stadium and helped to galvanize World opinion in favour of the African National Congress.


Julian Bahula did not look back, bringing over musicians of high calibre from the U.S.A., South America, Europe and Africa. What became a premier London venue, the Forum was, along with the 100 Club in Oxford Street, the main site for Tsafrika's promotions. The Forum Club was then only a weekend venue for Irish dances and Julian's promotions were the vehicle that put the venue on the map. Other venues where concerts were held included the Hackney Empire, Electric Ballroom, the Camden Centre and Royal Festival & Queen Elizabeth Halls. He promoted many exciting projects for all the community and ethnic groups in London. Julian's work as an international musician, bandleader and promoter has been of great importance for both other international musicians and for arts and culture in the UK.


Artists who appeared for Tsafrika included Manu Dibangu, Lee Konitz, Hugh Masekela, Archie Shepp, James Blood Ulmer, Airto & Flora Purim, Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, Xalam, Jon Hendricks, Philip Tabane's Malombo, Yousso Ndour, Paquito D'Rivera and many other bands, both major and minor and reflecting many musical genres.


Other musicians who have worked with Julian Bahula over the years are the late Dick Heckstall Smith on multi-saxophones and the great South African bassist the late Johnny Dyani; still alive and kicking are keyboardist Andy Smith, bassist Earl Lewis, trumpeter Claude Deppa, drummers Steve Washington and Nana Tsiboe, vocalists Audrey Motaung and Busi Mhlongo, the list is endless!


Julian also composed music for documentaries including Basil Davidson's massive series on the history of Africa called simply "Africa", David Max Brown's "Wasted Land" and Rapitse Montsho's series "South Africa Under the Skin". He also appeared alongside other exiled musicians in "Musicians in Exile" by Jacques Hollender.


After the release of Nelson Mandela, when exiles where going back home, the adventure of Julian's lifetime as a musician promoter entered a fresh and exciting chapter. He received a call from Morris Rhoda at Jomo Sono's office in Johannesburg, asking him to come back home to help produce a huge music event that was to be called Unity 91 Festival. This was to appreciate and honour the work of the exiles and to welcome them back with joy, peace and happiness. Julian went to assist in the Unity 91 Festival in South Africa; also involved in the promotion of this event was Caiphus Semenya who came in from LA.


Julian Bahula then started thinking along new lines, forever innovative, seeking to develop his music for the sound of today; an offering for the young and old, for those with a variety of musical tastes and from diverse backgrounds. Julian Bahula's continuing musical development and ever expanding imagination then led to a recording of a new album, composed of musicians from various musical experiences in Jazz. The CD he then made is called "Wind of Change" and featured Chico Freeman, Peter Lemer, Geoff Castle, Micky Jacques, in addition to many other musicians of excellence. Music from the Wind of Change CD has since been featured on radio and television in South Africa.


Julian Bahula began to divide his time between Britain and South Africa. His dream was to start a school in Pretoria for music sound and technology, based on the Islington Music Workshop in London where Julian is a member of the board of trustees. Julian was waiting to know if he was going to get an unused empty building to house the school and was enjoying being back home after all those many years exiled years.


All dreams can be subject to delay and for Julian Bahula, the delay came in the form of a serious road traffic accident that nearly robbed him of his life; the accident occurred in Mamelodi South Africa where he suffered a smashed hip and very serious head injuries. He considers himself lucky to be alive and this is confirmed by those people who saw him whilst he was hospital; none of whom thought he could ever survive.


Since the accident, Julian has been bravely battling to recover; the road to recovery has been long and torturous so his career took a back seat. The documentary filmmaker David Max Brown made "The Spirit of Malombo" which featured Julian Bahula, Abbey Cindi and Philip Tabane, as they were then and now. This encouraged Julian to push himself on towards a fuller recovery.


Future Plans
After painstaking rehabilitation, soul searching, trying to get back into the music industry and missing out, Julian Bahula's musical legacy has driven him forward to achieve his dream of getting back to perform again. While he has been recovering, Julian has been working on a new album and his autobiography, together called "Live Again". He retraces the route he took from youth and the time he was a founder member of the original Malombo Jazz Men right through to the present.


So many things have been written about things that happened in South Africa, but not many books have been written about the role of arts and culture in South Africa. History is a vast field full of fascinating characters, accidents and unsung heroes and everyone has stories about the past that echo the experiences of so many others. There are very few people left from the old school of the arts in South Africa and they are part of history. Julian Bahula knows that it is important to keep their memory alive so that future generations should respect their heritage and learn from some of the mistakes too!


Julian Bahula has a powerful, rich tale to tell.
"While we're still around it is very important to tell our story to let people know what we've been through. I thought I should write something to tell my story about things I like and believe in, about my feelings, my experiences, my happiness, also my bad moments of the 20th and 21st century".
"I really hope that what I say in my book "Live Again" will make people to relive some of their own exciting experiences. It will also let others and especially the future generations know about how it was, to learn, understand and be aware of other parts of their history before those aspects gets brushed under the carpet and forgotten."


It looks like Julian's career is clearly marching in the direction he wants and things seems to be looking up for the new Julian Bahula and for his music. He is using the new Album to give him a focus in his recovery. Played by different musicians, from many nationalities and backgrounds, Julian Bahula sees the music and the musicians as paying tribute his survival! It is a concept album that suggests some real purpose to proceedings in life. He has recorded the music in both Britain and South Africa, which is another factor that adds to the flavour. Julian has not done any recording in South Africa since the 60's with both Phillip Tabane's original Malombo Jazzmen and that of Abbey Cindi, so going into the studio there had a very special feel and gave added inspiration. All the music is composed by Julian Bahula and each composition tells it's own story, in a different pattern; a colourful mixture of musical tastes and sounds. "Live Again" is a high point of for Julian, based on episodes directly from his own life, the songs on the album a true reflection of his thoughts and feelings. "Live Again" is for the people who like music!

Disabled but still growing, Julian says
"The music I play is music in quest of knowledge, a readiness to receive inspiration, an exploration towards developing that which comes naturally; an artistic gift which is there to benefit others, to bring happiness, a legacy to be passed on"