Double Vision - Kemal Kusabbi

 Our interview with U.K. based Jazz musician Kemal Kusabbi:

Describe for us your musical journey from the time you realised you wanted to be a musician.

My journey started when I was about 6 or 7 years of age. There was always some kind of music being played at home. My mother used to play a whole range of contemporary pop songs upsetting the neighbours. We were neighbours from hell.

My older brothers used to buy albums which I used to listen to so I developed a good ear for music. I was big on soul music as a teenager and used to go to a lot of soul clubs to learn the latest moves. It was always the tunes that had saxophone solos that used to send me crazy like Wilton Felder’s saxophone solo on Street Life and Manu Dibango’s Big Blow. My mum bought me a cheap alto saxophone when I was about 18 to check that It was not just a faze I was going through. A couple years later I rewarded myself and bought a good quality saxophone as well as a second hand piano.     

Take us on the journey that led to your band, Double Vision.

Around the early 90’s, I was part of a duo consisting of Sax and Steel Pans. We performed regularly in a wine bar in London’s west end calling ourselves Double Vision. I managed to talk the owner into hiring extra muscians such as bass and drums and we held jam sessions where we would perform a mixture of jazz, funk and soul with original tunes. The weekly sessions used to attract top musicians like Courtney Pine and provided the group with exposure and the opportunity to develop songs. The band took off from there.

Also tell us about Eddie Pillar’s Acid Jazz label and your subsequent album.

Acid Jazz is a London based record label founded by Eddy Pillar that specialises in urban rare grooves. They signed Jamiroquai before they sold him to Sony records. Eddy liked what we were doing and signed us on an album deal. The band toured Catalunya, Switzerland and the UK on the back of the album that I co -wrote and produced with my good friend and top guitarist Colin Robinson.   

Who were the other members of Double Vision?

I met Colin in the early 90’s at Pyramid Jazz Workshops in Dalston Hackney. The workshops were facilitated by Alan Weekes- Guitarist of Jazz Jamaica and the late great ex-Sunra drummer, Clifford Jarvis. Colin and I developed as muscicians together. I met Daniel Louis, the Steel Pans player at Goldsmiths University. We used to attend the Saturday morning Jazz Workshops together run by pianist, Howard Riley. In the afternoon, we raced down to Pyramid to perform our latest licks. I met Eustace Williams, our bass player after performing at a gig. Eustace had come to check the music. I booked him for a gig and he blew me away so he became our regular bassist. Eddie Pillar recommended Robin McCoy, our vocalist, Valerie Etienne and Siohban Siam backing vocals for the recording of the album ‘Doublevision’. Our keyboard player was Tom Morgan and our drummer was Steve Washington. Steve recorded on the album but left us for the famous boy band,’Take That’. However, he introduced us to child protégé drummer, Tom Meadows who was only 16 when he joined. 

Tell us how you met Julian Bahula, one of South Africa’s great musicians. What was his club called?

I first met Julian through Sankomota. Julian had brought Sankomota from Lesotho and they rehearsed at Diorama where Julian Bahula was based. Julian promoted Jazz and African music and managed Sankomota who arrived in the UK as political refugees.

For the benefit of our younger readers in South Africa, and our readers from other parts of the world, please give us an idea of who Julian Bahula was as a musician and his status during this period in the London music scene.

Julian was a great Molombo percussionist. As a musician, Julian had played with all the great Jazz musician from around the world. He promoted African music and promoted an African night each week at the 100 Club central London, the African Centre , Covent Garden and at the Bass Cleff in Hoxton Square. These nights presented some of the best African artists. In fact, I first met Sankomota after they performed at the 100 Club. Their sound blew me away so much that I approached Frank Leepa  after the set. We got chatting and when he discovered that I played Saxophone , he invited me to a rehearsal session. I played with Julian throughout the mid to late 1990’s performing alongside some of the greatest African muscicians.

How exactly did you come to perform in Lesotho and South Africa, and when was this?

After the rehearsal, Frank asked whether I would join the band on a six week tour of Germany? It was an offer I could not refuse. It was the early 1980’s and I was in my early 20’s. Being young and bold, I went along for the ride.

The purpose of the tour was to raise the profile of the ANC. I lacked awareness of what was going on in South Africa at the time for me it was an opportunity to play. 

I was oblivious to what was going on around the world but I soon learned. Frank Leepa, Tsepo Tshola, Moss Nkofo and Pitso Sera made sure of that. We toured Germany on two occasions promoting the struggle in support of the ANC. The band recorded the album; ‘Dreams do come true’ in Germany which produced Sankomota’s first hit- ‘ Now or Never. On the back of the album, Sankomota toured Lesotho and took me and Keyboardist Dhevdhas Nair with them. We played all over Lesotho from Maseru to remote villages in the mountains. Sankomota were still banned from entering South Africa so the limitations of being restricted to performing in Lesotho alone were quite obvious. Despite this, Sankomota had a successful tour and I had the experience of a life time. In 1986, Sankomota returned to the UK where the band toured the UK and returned to SA again in 1987. On this occasion, the SA authorities lifted the ban and allowed Sankomota on to the SA music circuit performing in townships alongside the likes of Brenda Fassie, Stimela and Luky Dube et al. During this time there was a cultural boycot of international musicians in SA. This meant that international groups would perform in Southern Africa such as, Botswana and Namibia, with groups that included the UK’s UB40. My most memorable gig was The Princes Trust in Swaziland where Sankomota shared the stage with top performers like Eric Clapton and Joan Armatrading.   

  

How long were you with Sankomota for?

I was with Sankomota from 1984 and left the band in 1990. I was living in Lesotho at the time and missed my family and friends so I returned home. A little while later Julian Bahula contacted me to deliver the sad news that Sankomota had been involved in a car crash and my worst nightmare had come true, some of my best friends had been killed.   

What were your impressions of the music industry and scene in Lesotho and South Africa?

Lesotho blew my mind. Eventhough the country is quite small in comparison to SA, the music scene was buzzing and the musicians were scary. Downtown Maseru was where it was at. SA had a bigger music scene and Sankomota were part of the music circuit performing regularly at Shareworld in Johannesburg,and in other parts of SA such as Natal and Cape Town. My personal favorite was performing in Pretoria because the crowd created an atmosphere that I have never experienced in my life. They certainly made me feel special which always brought the best out of my playing.

I also got to know musicians from ‘Sakhile’, Stimela’s Ray Phiri and Sipho Hotstix.

Describe for us your most memorable experiences of this time.

My most memorable time was the opening concert of the band’s tour of Lesotho at the Maseru Sun Hotel in Maseru. I blew my first note on the Saxophone and the crowd went wild. I was initially anxious about how I might be received for the first time and as we say in London’; ‘There’s your answer’.   

You also toured with them in Europe. Which countries did you go to and what was that experience like?

In Europe Sankomota toured Germany and the UK. I loved Germany. They are so organised there but I’ll always remember playing at Hackney Town Hall and the Hackney Empire. Despite my being a native of Hackney, the opportunity would have never have passed me by had it not been for Sankomota. I even met the Mayor of Hackney.

How did you feel the tours in Europe and Africa differed? Do you have any special memories from either?

In Africa, musicians are more conscious of their duty to challenge oppression and that’s why I think Sankomota were so popular. There was no compromise in the music because it had to convey the message of empathy and the struggle against oppression and make people dance at the same time. Frank and Tsepo wrote songs that combined Sesotho with English so that everyone could enjoy and appreciate the music. I have lots of memories of the people I have been blessed to know. Sankomota not only taught me all I need to know about music, but how to be a good human being. Tsepo Thsola was the energy of the band, he would always raise the spirit and bring the best out of others. Frank was the coolest dude on this planet and a dear friend who humbled me with his genius. Pitso was a down to earth type of guy who gave Sankomota it’s character (the dancing horse). Moss Nkofo was a great drummer and dear friend. Moss lived with me in London and probably the closest member of the band.

What are you currently busy with, in terms of your music career, and how would you describe your sound?

I have been writing my own songs which I hope to record with a view to producing an another album in  the not too distant future. My songs are heavily influenced by Sankomota in that I try to write music with a conscience. I continue to perform with my own band- ‘The Kemal Kusabbi Collective’ as well as performing for other musicians. I love Jazz but it is very difficult in the UK to survive on Jazz alone so I try to combine Jazz with soul funk so I get to enjoy myself as well.  I am a great fan of  alto saxophonist -Kenny Garret who took off when he was first introduced by Miles Davis. Miles Davis was famous for bringing with him his entourage of fine up and coming musicians who would appear both on his albums and his live concerts. You knew when Miles came to town that it would be special. I try to emulate Miles in this respect by ‘show boating’ up and coming talent. I just wish they stuck around a bit longer.

What are your plans for your continuing musical journey and the Kemal Kusabbi Collective?

To continue writing my own compositions and performing. There is nothing better than performing in front of a live audience. Thanks to Sankomota, I learnt so much about getting the best from others on stage and working the crowd. Whenever there is one of course. It has always been my dream to one day return to SA with my own band but who knows what life has yet to offer?

To keep up with Kemal and the Kemal Kusabbi Collective visit his website at  www.kemalkus.com