Amandla Freedom Ensemble to launch new album in Joburg on 27 May

The six-track album is a fusion of jazz, classical and indigenous influences, with the performance a musical reflection of the 1976 student protests and the #FeesMustFall movement that began in mid-October 2015.

Led by trumpeter Mandla Mlangeni, the Amandla Freedom Ensemble will be joined onstage by The Brother Moves On, Vivacious Sounds, poet Lesego Rampolokeng, the Resonance String Quartet, Yonela Mnana and Tawanda MuAfrika.

The album is the culmination of an extraordinary collaborative endeavour between some of Johannesburg’s most formidable jazz, classical and indigenous musicians. It will be available for purchase on vinyl and CD at the concert.

Taking inspiration from the complex legacy of black consciousness, the project reimagines jazz through the lens of poetry and classical musings, evoking the restless spirit of student resistance and echoing these turbulent times’ call for change.

“Expect a powerful multidisciplinary musical experience that incorporates poetry and theatre, audaciously pairing a cutting-edge jazz ensemble with a string quartet and choir,” Mlangeni said. “Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth resonates with the spirit of where South Africa finds itself: at a crossroads of confronting its malignant past so as to heal from the trauma of generational dispossession and the realities of a voiceless majority with little to celebrate in the post-apartheid era.

“Our project expands on the interdisciplinary piece that has been performed in different formats in recent years, in order to anchor it in the collective memory by means of physical objects that will serve as archival memories. This will be articulated through the creation of a book and vinyl record to accompany the album.”

The album features the Amandla Freedom Ensemble, which includes Ariel Zamonsky (bass), Yonela Mnana (piano), Thabang Manana (alto sax) and Sisonke Xonti (tenor sax). It also includes contributions from members of The Brother Moves On – Siya Mthembu (vocals), Simphiwe Tshabalala (drums) and Muhammad Dawjee (tenor and baritone sax).

Also featured on the album is the Resonance String Quartet with Kabelo Motlhomi (violin), Kabelo Monnathebe (violin), Tiisetso Mashishi (viola) and Daliwonga Tshangela (cello). Vivacious Sounds was the featured choir under the direction of Yonela Mnana, alongside members of the Wits Jazz Ensemble including Enoch Marutha (drums), Sibonelo Kodisang (tenor sax) and Mathapelo Wesinyane (alto sax). Special guests on the album are multi-instrumentalist Mark Fransman (flute, bass clarinet, alto sax) and Lesego Rampolokeng, who wrote the libretto and recited the poetry. 

“In addition to my long-held passion for jazz and classical music compositions, our collaboration with literary giant Lesego Rampolokeng for the project’s libretto gives meaning to a deeply personal journey towards acknowledging the black consciousness tradition,” Mlangeni said. 

He added: “I witnessed first-hand the brutality of the regime when I lost my father to a booby-trapped cassette tape in 1991. Nevertheless, the physical and psychological scars were not enough to dissuade me and many others from buying into the new South Africa. My own personal history serves as the anchor in making the realisation of Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth both a rigorous academic research and performance endeavour.”

The album was produced by Mlangeni, with support from the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Wits School of Arts. It was recorded at Soulfire Studios in Johannesburg between September 2021 and April 2022 by Gavan Eckhart, who also mixed and mastered the album.

Tickets to the event are available here.