Julian Bahula
Julian Bahula (Order of Ikhamanga) (born 13 March 1938) is a South African drummer, composer and bandleader, based in Britain.[1][2]
Biography
Sebothane Julian Bahula was born in Eersterust, Pretoria. He first gained a reputation as a drummer in the band Malombo.[3] He migrated to England in 1973 and subsequently formed the group Jabula,[4] which in 1977 combined with the group of saxophonist Dudu Pukwana to form Jabula Spear.[2] Another later project for Bahula was the band Jazz Afrika. In the 1980s he played with Dick Heckstall-Smith’s Electric Dream ensemble.
As Eugene Chadbourne of AllMusic has written: "Bahula has been as tireless a promoter of the music of his homeland in his adopted country as he is an on-stage rhythm activator. One of his most important moves was establishing a regular Friday night featuring authentic African bands at the London venue The 100 Club.[5] He booked a lot of musicians who were also political refugees; his series began to symbolize a movement for change. Players such as Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba, and Hugh Masekela were among the performers whose early British appearances were organized by Bahula."[3]
With the Anti-Apartheid Movement, Bahula organised in 1983 African Sounds, a concert at Alexandra Palace to mark the 65th birthday of Nelson Mandela, drawing a 3,000-strong audience and raising the international profile of Mandela and other political prisoners.[5]
In 2012, President Jacob Zuma presented Bahula with the Order of Ikhamanga (Gold).[6]
References
- ^ “Musicians born in March” Archived 2016-08-17 at the Wayback Machine, JazzLife.
- ^ a b "13 March — Julian Bahula" Archived 2016-08-06 at the Wayback Machine, All Jazz Radio.
- ^ a b Eugene Chadbourne, Julian Bahula biography, Music.
- ^ "Jabula", Strut Records, 21 October 2014.
- ^ a b Clyde Macfarlane, "Jabula Happiness: Julian Bahula Interviewed", The Quietus, 21 January 2015.
- ^ Ntando Makhubu and Mogomotsi Magome, "Jazz legend no longer an unsung hero", Pretoria News, 4 May 2012.
External links
- Julian Bahula biography, Jabula Music
- "Julian Bahula, Malombo and Jabula — Discography", Flatint, 2 November 2011
- Eugene Chadbourne, "Julian Bahula", Allmusic
- "Julian Bahula" at Discogs
- Clyde Macfarlaene, "Jabula Happiness: Julian Bahula Interviewed", The Quietus, 21 January 2015.
- Webarchive template wayback links
- Use dmy dates from April 2022
- AC with 0 elements
- 1938 births
- Living people
- South African jazz musicians
- South African jazz drummers
- 20th-century jazz composers
- People from Pretoria
- Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga
- 20th-century South African musicians
- 21st-century South African musicians
- South African expatriates in the United Kingdom
- All stub articles
- South African musician stubs
- 2023 deaths