Moses Taiwa Molelekwa
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Moses Taiwa Molelekwa
Quotes & Tributes

Powerful tributes and reflections on Moses Taiwa Molelekwa — his genius, struggles, and enduring legacy in South African jazz. Dive into every chapter of his story.

YOUNG MOSES​

“Geniuses like that come along once in 100 years” Khaya Mahlangu

“Born In 1973 and by the time Hugh Masekela asked  to join his bands in 1988 Moses Taiwa Molelekwa already played with Miriam Makeba, Jonas Gwangwa, and others. 
His solo career began in 1994 with the debut album Finding Oneself.”

Gwen Ansell

Moses Taiwa Molelekwa

FINDING ONE’S SELF

“The album, Finding One’s Self (1994), is almost self-evident that it’s your first offering if one looks closely at its title. The songs show a serious pianist who is trying to carve his path. Songs like ‘Nomkhosi’, the opening number. It’s refined keys and recognizably contemporary jazz. It sets the tone and the mission of the whole album. Blues influenced, no doubt. Here, you are engraving your name among the great names of African jazz.

I like the tenderness of ‘Nobuhle’. It’s melancholic. Sad. And meditative. However, its beauty is not devoid of the influences of your musical forebears. I’m thinking particularly of Bheki Mseleku’s ‘The Age of Inner Knowing’. Poised and sophisticated melodies. Maybe ‘Nobuhle’, she who is beautiful, is a metaphor for a lady whose beauty you deeply admired. Or maybe a muse that one day you would marry and die for. That’s what I love about speculative thinking: the boundless possibilities of meaning!”

Sinethemba Sankara Bizela

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OUTER NATIONAL MELTDOWN

In 1994, Moses Taiwa Molelekwa joined a groundbreaking musical collective assembled by Robert Trunz of B&W/M.E.L.T. 2000 at Johannesburg’s Soul Brothers (later Downtown) Studios. The lineup featured global talents including Brazilian legend Airto Moreira, Native American percussionist Valerie Naranjo, and UK jazz artists Andrew Missingham and Byron Wallen. South Africa was well represented by Zim Ngqawana, Sipho Gumede, Dizu Plaatjies, Madala Kunene, Pops Mohamed, and others. Dubbed Outernational Meltdown, the group produced four genre-defying albums: Jazzin’ Universally, Healers’ Brew, Free at Last, and Hungry on Arrival.

These sessions also birthed the live outfit Barungwa and allowed Taiwa to refine original compositions first developed at FUBA. Many of these works later shaped his acclaimed album Finding One’s Self. For Molelekwa, the experience was transformative—both creatively and philosophically. He discovered the power of spontaneous creation and free improvisation.

“Every composer dreams of how their tunes will sound with a band,” Molelekwa reflected. Working with Airto Moreira, he embraced a process where spontaneous collaboration produced music worthy of record. This moment was pivotal in defining the experimental, pan-global ethos of post-apartheid South African jazz.

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Moses Taiwa Molelekwa

BARUNGWA​

The first Anglo/South African Acid Jazz collaboration was given birth after Andrew Missingham participated at the 1994 Outernational Meltdowm recording sessions in Joburg and Cape Town. During the mid-nineties the band performed and toured in the UK and all over South Africa providing artists a platform to further boost their solo careers.

Andrew Missingham – Drums. Moses Taiwa Molelekwa – Piano, Keys. Chris Bowden – Sax Dave Mayakana – Guitar. Shaluza Max- Vocals Feat. Ike Leo – Double bass

Robert Trunz

FIN DE SIECLE FESTIVAL NANTES FRANCE 1997

The 1997 Festival du Fin de Siecle in Nantes, western France, aimed to showcase cultural representatives from three major global cities, illustrating their creativity at the dawn of the third millennium. The event began in October 1997 with a focus on Johannesburg, representing Africa as the “continent of roots.” Approximately 380 artists from a wide range of creative fields were meticulously chosen, necessitating extensive preparation.
Moses Taiwa Molelekwa, just out of the studio in Johannesburg, participated in various musical groups alongside Zolani Mkiva and Sibongile Khumalo. The Moses Taiwa Molelekwa Band’s rehearsals and performances took place at The Cultural Centre La Tour de Plomb in Coueron, France, from October 21st to 23rd, 1997.

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GENES & SPIRITS, AND THE DROP-OUT OF WAMPONA

“Today, it does not require much of a leap of the imagination to hear Moses’s influence when listening to much of the deep house music being produced by popular South African acts like Black Coffee and Culoe De Song.”

Steffan Horowitz

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Moses Taiwa Molelekwa

FINDING ONE’S SELF

Finding One’s Self bears careful repeat listening. The initial impression of softness and occasional cheesiness obscures Molelekwa’s genius. But you don’t have to be a jazz fundi to be moved, or a musical idiot to be impressed.

Molelekwa melts traditional African jazz and township sounds into California fashions, blends new age phrasing with pure jazz diligence on this debut CD. His intelligent, uncluttered arrangements mix instruments as diverse as subtle marimbas, synths and sax Jean Barker

The album won both “Best Traditional Jazz” and “Best Contemporary Jazz” categories at the 1996 SAMA / FNB music awards.

Moses Taiwa Molelekwa

OUTER NATIONAL MELTDOWN

During the sessions, Andrew Missingham, a pivotal figure in the London Acid Jazz movement, met Moses Taiwa Molelekwa, Shaluza Max, and Dave Mxolise Mayekana. This meeting sparked the formation of the group Barungwa. After touring with Barungwa in both the UK and South Africa, Moses enlisted Missingham to co-produce his forthcoming album, “Genes & Spirits.”

Robert Trunz

FIN DE SIECLE FESTIVAL NANTES FRANCE 1997

MOSES TAIWA MOLELEKWA

DVD CREDITS:
Camera Team in Nantes Dick Jewell & Mark Conway
Video Editing by Dick Jewell (UK) and Lianne Cox (South Africa)
Video Director: Lianne Cox , Executive Producer: Robert Trunz

AUDIO CD CREDITS
Jan De Groot – Live Recording engineer (The Van – Mobile Recording Studio)
Richard Edwards – Assistant and Co-Ordination
Recorded at La Tour de Plomb, Quai Emile Paraf, Coueron, France during the period of October 21st and 23rd, 1997
Chris Lewis – Mixing and Mastering Engineer at Brownhill Farm Studios, Wiston, West Sussex, England

Executive Producer – Robert Trunz

Genes & Spirits

GENES & SPIRITS

“Genes & Spirits” by Moses Taiwa Molelekwa features collaborations with notable artists such as Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés, Brazilian jazz artist Flora Purim, Cameroonian drummer Brice Wassy, London Acid Jazz veteran Andrew Missingham, and South African Kwaito legends TKZee. This diverse array of musicians helped shape the album into a fusion of futuristic and deeply rooted South African Jazz, filled with global influences.

Contributing artists on “Genes & Spirits” include Faith Kekana, Byron Wallen, Vusi Khumalo, Lungiswa Plaatjies, Fana Zulu, John Hassan, Khaya Mahlangu, Zim Ngqwana, Geoff Gasgoyne, Valerie Narano, Lawrence Matshiza, Jose Luis Melendez (Irakere), Dennis Rollins, Rowland Sutherland, Frances Reardon, and Bassie Mahlaselea.

Tracks like ‘NtateMoholo’ and ‘Sogra (Mmatswale/Mamazola)’ combined various cultural sounds and influences, solidifying Molelekwa’s role as a connector between South Africa’s musical heritage and the wider world.

“Genes and Spirits is almost busy, fusing jazz with reggae; especially the song, ‘Tsala’. I want to imagine the life of a twenty-seven-year-old established jazz musician in Jo’burg. Stoned with friends at the studio and trying to make music. ‘Spirits of Tembisa’ is restless and violent like a township life at times. The song dramatises a troubled soul; perhaps, you thought you were only giving a musical interpretation of Tembisa but the song also gives us glimpses into your interior life. It speaks of visceral communication in significant ways.”

Sinethemba Sankara Bizela

The album Genes & Spirits received a substantial budget, granting Moses Taiwa Molelekwa complete creative control to achieve a rich sound quality. One of his special requests was to record at Rhino Studios, the only studio in Southern Africa equipped with Italian Fazioli Grand Pianos.

After the initial mastering and extensive production work, Moses sought to revisit some tracks and decided to bring Brice Wassy to the UK. This led to a return to MELT2000’s Brownhill Farm Studios in the UK to finalize the changes, culminating in a masterpiece of South African jazz from the 90s.
Recording and mixing of the album took place at multiple renowned locations, including Rhino Studios in Bophuthatswana, SA; Downtown Studios in Gauteng, SA; The Garden in London, UK; Real World in Bath, UK; Brownhill Farm in West Sussex, UK; and Livingstone Studios in London, UK. The project was supported by a skilled team of engineers and assistants such as Richard Mitchell, Jasper, Richard Edwards, Pete Hoffman, Mark Braithwaite, Russell Kearney, Chris Lewis, and Peter Thwaites (Dance to Africa), with additional help from Neelam, Sie Medway-Smith, Derek Fischer, and Simon Burwell.

The Executive Producer for the project was Robert Trunz.

Genes & Spirits
Genes & Spirits
Moses Taiwa Molelekwa

WA MPONA - LOOKING FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES

“Wa Mpona” was recorded during the “Genes & Spirits” sessions in London and at the Rhino Studios in South Africa. Moses Taiwa Molelekwa decided to exclude “Wa Mpona” from the “Genes & Spirits” album, citing its “Kwaito” style as potentially misaligned with the album’s Jazz focus. He also had personal reasons for its exclusion, which remained somewhat ambiguous. Both “Wa Mpona” and “Tsala” feature vocalists Lungiswa Plaatjies and Faith Kekana, whom I deeply admire. After Moses’s untimely death, I released “Wa Mpona” as part of a compilation that included alternate versions of tracks from “Genes & Spirits” found on the session and master tapes. The Kwaito-infused “Wa Mpona,” alongside “Tsala,” quickly became popular among Afro House DJs and remixers.

Robert Trunz Founder of M.E.L.T. 2000