Jonas Gwangwa

Jonas Mosa Gwangwa (born 1937) is a South African Jazz musician, songwriter and producer. He has been an important figure in South African jazz for over 40 years.

Jonas Mosa Gwangwa
Born	1937 (age 82–83)
Origin	South Africa
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, Songwriter, Producer
Years active	1978–present

Gwangwa was born in Orlando East, Soweto. He first gained prominence playing trombone with The Jazz Epistles. After the group broke up he continued to be important to the South African music scene and then later abroad.

In the 1960s he began to gain notice in the United States, and in 1965 he was featured in a "Sound Of Africa" concert at Carnegie Hall. The others at the concert included Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, and Letta Mbulu. Despite his international fame, he was not seen favorably by the apartheid government, and went into exile in the 1970s.

From 1980 to 1990, he was the leader of Amandla, the cultural ensemble of the African National Congress.

In later life, he became important as a composer doing the scores of films like Cry Freedom and, at the 60th Annual Academy Awards in 1988, he performed his nominated song Cry Freedom. Also, in 1988, he performed at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute in Wembley Stadium. In 1991, he returned to South Africa and in 1997 composed the theme for their Olympic bid.

He is the subject of a thesis entitled Music as a Cultural Weapon in the Life of Jonas Gwangwa (University of the Witwatersrand, 2004), written by Colette Szymczak.[1]

Gwangwa is paid tribute as the subject of the composition "Portrait of Mosa Gwangwa" by Johnny Dyani, which appeared on the CD reissue of Dyani's Angolian Cry.[2]

References

1. "Music as a cultural weapon in the life of Jonas Gwangwa", WorldCat.
2. "Johnny Dyani Quartet - Angolian Cry". Discogs.com. Retrieved 7 April 2015.

• Jürgen Schadeberg, Don Albert, Jazz, Blues and Swing: Six Decades of Music in South Africa, 2007, ISBN 978-0-86486-705-6

External links

• Allmusic