In 2001 Jannie Hanepoot van Tonder was handed a breather by the gods, when his short-lived corporate career disintegrated overnight. This band is a direct result of unexpectedly having a bit of time on his hands ...

“I always wanted to be part of a South African big band playing indigenous material. I was fortunate enough to learn about the cultural (as opposed to commercial) power of ‘tunes’ during the 1980s when music played a definitive role in changing the face of this country for ever -- learning African Jazz on the road with the African Jazz Pioneers, being shown by the likes of James Philips & Johannes Kerkorrel the importance of being yourself and expressing it through the music, finding the power of jive with Winston Nyaunda & his Jive Mixup. Then, while spending some time working as a musician in Europe, I realised that although in South Africa musicians are eternally hampered by practical obstacles like lack of infrastructure and financial support, here we have the power of the music itself in a way that few other nations will ever experience.

“So, eventually tired of finding myself as a trombonist drawn into big bands in the eternal rut of playing American standards, I decided to have a go at it myself. What was important was to find people who wanted to play the music for the sake of doing it, not to prove anything or get recognition, but purely for pleasure. It’s taken 4 years with the help of some great composers, and a large group of mostly non-professional and very patient musicians who could share a vision to get to this point where we’ve now documented this project.

“The band exists by the grace of the musicians and composers who contribute mostly freely of their time (and money!) to make it happen. The great Duke Ellington and others perfected the 18-piece line-up with its very dynamic range of tone and colour. We’ve brought it back to the southern tip of Africa, and combined it with the unique flavour of the music from here.... and in the process we also pay tribute to some composers past and present who have moulded uniquely South African styles over many years.

“This recording was done in limited time with limited resources, but what it might lack in technical correctness, it certainly makes up for with pure ‘pluck’ and commitment. It’s milestone in a cycle of growth and improvement, the kind of energy one only finds in this sort of independent entity, which exists purely for the sake of itself.

“For me personally it’s hugely satisfying. We’ve managed to provide a unique platform for composers, arrangers and musicians to play purely South African music in this format, and found enjoyment along the way. We’re also learning and improving all the time and when the band plays it is pure magic. Often the audience wants more at the end of it but we have to decline .. purely because we put so much into our performances that when we’re done, we’re done ...“

My personal thanks to these people for inspiration to getting this project off the ground, and keeping it in the air: Merton & Cynthia Barrow of the Jazz Workshop, James Phillips (they say "die young, have a good-looking corpse", but you made a real mess of that!), Ntemi Piliso of the African Jazz Pioneers (Bra Ntemi on the other hand was an 80-something good-looking diabetic!), Jonathan & Graemophone Handley, Winston Nyaunda, Adam Reinecke, Sean Bergin, Douglas Armstrong, Graeme Thorne, Nick Green, Liz Brouckhaert, Russ Nerwich, David Poole, David Ledbetter, Lee Thomson, Mandisi Dyantyis, Julian Ford, Rick Beckman, the Birkenhead, Janine Venter, Shelley-Ann van Tonder, Nica & Zakes ... and all the current and past band members.

Hanepoot, Cape Town, October 2005

This album is dedicated to the memory of Eddie Jooste, a gentle soul and truly inspiring musician who like so many South Africa musicians died young, on the road, on the way to a gig.