Encountering Bheki Mseleku:a biographical-analytical consideration of his life and music

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis presents a study of one of the seminal figures in South African jazz,Bheki Mseleku (1955-2008). Born in South Africa, Mseleku is notable for hiscompositions, virtuosic pianism, recordings with leading jazz figures includingAbbey Lincoln, Pharoah Sanders, and Joe Henderson, as well as his musicalinfluence locally in South Africa and in London where he lived in exile. By drawingon journalistic accounts and interviews with Mseleku's family members, fellowmusicians and acquaintances, as well as my own perspectives as a performing jazzpianist, this thesis constitutes the first academic study of Mseleku's life and music.The opening chapter documents Mseleku's biography, drawing on disparate sourcesfrom print media and documentary film, alongside personal interviews. Thisprovides the backdrop for the next two chapters, which explore two constitutiveaspects of Mseleku's life and music: his exile from South Africa in the 1980s andearly '90s, and his deep spirituality. Chapter Two situates the sound of exile inMseleku's music, comparing his experiences and music with that of the earliergeneration of South African exiles from the 1960s, particularly Louis Moholo. Aconsideration of his album, Home At Last (2003) plots the coordinates that informthe notion of 'home for Mseleku. I argue that exile, read against the notion of'home, represents a disconnect from community, but also signals the turn fromhome as a physical space to home understood as a spiritual construct. Theintroduction of spirituality in this chapter opens onto a prolonged exploration ofspirituality in Mseleku's life and music. Chapter Three explores the diverseinfluences – from Mseleku's Zulu upbringing and his engagement with Easternspiritual practices – that shaped Mseleku's conception of spirituality, and how theseinfluenced his piano pedagogy and compositional style. Chapter Four is an analysisof Mseleku's album Meditations (1992). Here I highlight the importance ofspiritualism in his music, but also trace the other influences audible in his sound,including African music practices and American jazz.Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za8I close the thesis with my personal reflections on Mseleku, based on my experienceswith his music and teachings through our brief friendship. It is my hope that thisstudy lays the foundation for future scholarship on Mseleku, whose life and musichas been neglected in South African jazz historiography.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University