Bheki Mseleku was an exiled South African musician who throughout his life worked, recorded and shared

the stage with the likes of Courtney Pine, Jean Toussaint, Eddie Parker, Joe Henderson, Abbey Lincoln, Elvin Jones, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins (Ornette Colemans famous rhythm section) and Ravi Coltrane. Born in March 1955 in Natal, Mseleku was a completely self-taught musician and could play piano, saxophone, guitar as well as sing and arrange. His two main instruments were piano and saxophone , and was usually compared to Mccoy Tyner and fellow South African Abdullah Ibrahim for his piano style. After playing for a few local Johannesburg bands, Bheki left South Africa and moved to Botswana, London and Sweden, before finally moving back to London where he settled down in 1985. Ronnie Scott, owner of his own famous Jazz club, Ronnie Scotts, was very vocal and public about this new talent from Africa, and highly publicised Mselekus debut run of gigs at the iconic club. Mseleku performed that string of gigs totally unaccompanied, and played piano with a saxophone on his lap, and often played the two together. Those gigs caused him to explode as a star on the London scene, and international touring Jazz stars often made a point of watching him perform whilst they were in London. After that, Mseleku found himself shying away from the spotlight, as well as all the labels like black , exiled and South African which he found stuck on him. He stopped performing for two years and instead chose to teach music and spend the majority of his time in a Buddhist temple during that period. Recorded 6 albums: Celebration (World Circuit, 1991) Meditations (Verve Records, 1992) Timelessness (Verve, 1993) Star Seeding (Polygram Records, 1995) Beauty of Sunrise (Polygram, 1997) Home at Last (Sheer Sound, 2003) In 1992 he recorded his first album Celebration as well as released a live recording entitled Meditations. (Play Angola. Talk) Angola composed by Mseleku, Celebration album recorded in England in 1991. Michael Bowie Bass Marvin Smith Drums Mseleku piano/ saxophone Eddie Parker flute Thebe Lipere percussion

The Song has four distinct sections. The A section in C minor, in 4/4. the B section, which goes through various tonal centers and odd time signatures. Features a lot of loud hits. The contrasting C section, which starts off quiet and sweet and ends similarly to the B section. D section. Solo section. Rhythmically, the track exhibits an interesting blend of South African and South American influences. The drums are holding a beat typical of western central Africa, with the snare hits on the and of two suggesting a South African township flavour too. The bass holds a I-V bass line throughout most of the song, reminiscent of a South American samba. Harmonically, the head follows very conventional Jazz harmony, and the chords in the solo section, most of which are based off various melodic minor modes, have an exotic feel to them. The solos by Eddie parker on Flute and Mseleku on piano both follow a decidedly modal feel, and each trade choruses and then eventually fours. In 2003 Mseleku released his final album, Home at Last. Recorded in South Africa with an array of local musicians and was the album closest to his roots. Belinda Ananda. The song from the beginning has a warmer, more South African feel, and is harmonically less complex than a lot of his earlier stuff. The track features piano, drums, bass, tenor saxophone and trumpet. Beginning with just piano, the tune then kicks in with a distinctively South African groove, which is prevalent throughout. The bass plays the root notes and often makes use of anticipation similar to the piano to help drive the song forward. The melody is simple both harmonically and rhythmically. The A section is warm, groovy and melodic. Harmonically it has two II-Vs which Mseleku often expands upon with his comping. The section is repeated with harmonic and melodic variation and Mseleku takes a short piano solo over the section. The B section focuses less on groove and is a further variation on the progression. As the section is repeated and builds, the two horns also harmonise slow descending lines to make an interesting wallpaper over which the melody is played on piano. The C section is a further variation on the A section, with the harmonised horns playing lines that ascend and help to build to the tension. The various instruments take turns soloing over the two sections The drums and bass are relatively constant throughout the tune, and the focus of the tune seems to be on building harmonic tension as well as maintaining a steady, South African-sounding groove. Mseleku had returned to England to find more regular work in 2006, and though his severe diabetes sometimes hampered his playing life and worsened, it seemed to be under control. He was about to go back to South Africa for concerts, including a gig at Johannesburg's Bassline club, at the time of his death. He is survived by a wide extended family including his brother Langa, his sister Millicent, and seven children. Bheki Mseleku died in September 9 2008