n comparing themarabi harmonic structure and its seminalposition in vernacular jazz improvisatory practice in South Africa to that of the AfricanAmerican blues in its relationship to jazz, Ballantine explained its basis ‘on a cyclicpattern’ as ‘stretch[ing] over four measures, with one measure for each of the followingchords: I – IV - I 6/4 - V’ (Ballantine 1993:26)

The three-chord harmonic system ofmarabi is derived from the harmonic root movementof the European diatonic major scale

In including trombonist Malindi BlythMbityana and Mackay Davashe, a prolific composer in thembaqanga jazz style, acontingent of the Blue Notes

The underlying harmonic structure inmarabitypically uses the major (I), the subdominant major (IV), and the dominant (V) in aperpetually repeating structure suited to dance. In its advanced form inmbaqanga(African jazz), the simple three-chordmarabi harmonic structure was consolidated in alengthened cyclic form in which the (V) root was preceded with the tonic major in itssecond inversion (I 6/4 ). In comparing themarabi harmonic structure and its seminalposition in vernacular jazz improvisatory practice in South Africa to that of the AfricanAmerican blues in its relationship to jazz, Ballantine explained its basis ‘on a cyclicpattern’ as ‘stretch[ing] over four measures, with one measure for each of the followingchords: I – IV - I 6/4 - V’ (Ballantine 1993:26)

The revival in South Africa in the 1980s of the long-forgotten traditions of 1950s big-bandmbaqanga – most notably in the form and repertoires of Ntemi Piliso’s African JazzPioneers – filled the vacuum created by the effective disappearance of the practice duringthe long years of apartheid

use a cyclic structure

recordings by the Blue Note

Bebop

the popular South African big-band swing styleofmbaqanga orAfrican jazz (Musical Excerpts 2.14 to 2.19).

The underlying harmonic structure inmarabitypically uses the major (I), the subdominant major (IV), and the dominant (V) in aperpetually repeating structure suited to dance. In its advanced form inmbaqanga(African jazz), the simple three-chordmarabi harmonic structure was consolidated in alengthened cyclic form in which the (V) root was preceded with the tonic major in itssecond inversion (I 6/4 ). In comparing themarabi harmonic structure and its seminalposition in vernacular jazz improvisatory practice in South Africa to that of the AfricanAmerican blues in its relationship to jazz, Ballantine explained its basis ‘on a cyclicpattern’ as ‘stretch[ing] over four measures, with one measure for each of the followingchords: I – IV - I 6/4 - V’ (Ballantine 1993:26)

Mackay Davashe, a prolific composer in thembaqanga jazz style, acontingent of the Blue Notes

Chris McGregor’s ‘first real experiences of building things from riffs’ weregleaned from jam sessions with black South African musicians whose improvisationalmusical practices, relying on a stable harmonic cyclicity ofmbaqanga chords (providedby piano or guitar), would proceed as follows:[T]he lead trumpeter or sax player would improvise a melody, and then in the next eight-bar sectionout it would come, voiced and all - that was magic to me. Out of this would emerge the most amazingcomplexity of texture, instrumental colour, melodic interactions, the melodic interactions of three orfour riffs going together, and a soloist in front, improvising. (McGregor 1994:14)

An important aspect of the close musical relationships between South Africanmbaqanga,Caribbeancalypso and West Africanhighlife as a coalescence of postcolonial Africanand diasporic cultural experiences is the rhythmic element of all three dance-music styles.I have transcribed a duple-meter rhythm strain of the three genres (Musical Transcription9) in order to illustrate this musical relationship. In West Africa, particularly in 1950sGhana and Nigeria, the popularity ofhighlife resulted in hybrid musical experimentswhich gave birth to highly influential styles such as Yorubahighlife, with its use ofindigenous performance and instruments, and also influenced the development of WestAfrican popular musical genres likepal mw ine,ashiko,maringa ,jújù,makossa , andafro-beat, among others (Sadie 2001:490, vol. 11)

Harmonically, bothhighlife (Musical Excerpt 7.3) andmbaqanga (MusicalExcerpt 7.4) use a cyclic structure based on I – IV – (I6/4 or I) – V roots of the Europeandiatonic major scale.

Blue Notes

mbaqanga(MusicalExcerpt7.4)useacyclicstructurebasedonI–IV–(I6/4orI)–V

mbaqangarecordingsbytheBlueNotes

big-bandmbaqanga–mostnotablyintheformandrepertoiresofNtemiPiliso’sAfricanJazzPioneers

‘stretch[ing]overfourmeasures,withonemeasureforeachofthefollowingchords:I–IV-I6/4-V’(Ballantine1993:26).

Theunderlyingharmonicstructureinmarabitypicallyusesthemajor(I),thesubdominantmajor(IV),andthedominant(V)inaperpetuallyrepeatingstructuresuitedtodance.Initsadvancedforminmbaqanga(Africanjazz),thesimplethree-chordmarabiharmonicstructurewasconsolidatedinalengthenedcyclicforminwhichthe(V)rootwasprecededwiththetonicmajorinitssecondinversion(I6/4).

MackayDavashe,aprolificcomposerinthembaqangajazzstyle

Thethree-chordharmonicsystemofmarabiisderivedfromtheharmonicrootmovementoftheEuropeandiatonicmajorscale.Theunderlyingharmonicstructureinmarabitypicallyusesthemajor(I),thesubdominantmajor(IV),andthedominant(V)inaperpetuallyrepeatingstructuresuitedtodance.Initsadvancedforminmbaqanga(Africanjazz),thesimplethree-chordmarabiharmonicstructurewasconsolidatedinalengthenedcyclicforminwhichthe(V)rootwasprecededwiththetonicmajorinitssecondinversion(I6/4).IncomparingthemarabiharmonicstructureanditsseminalpositioninvernacularjazzimprovisatorypracticeinSouthAfricatothatoftheAfricanAmericanbluesinitsrelationshiptojazz,Ballantineexplaineditsbasis‘onacyclicpattern’as‘stretch[ing]overfourmeasures,withonemeasureforeachofthefollowingchords:I–IV-I6/4-V’(Ballantine1993:26).Thisextendedfeatureofmarabiwasarguablywhatdistinguisheditsreappearance–afterithadabsorbedAmericanswinginfluence-fromitsearlierpopularformintheproletariantsaba-tsabaurbandance-musicstyle.

popularSouthAfricanbig-bandswingstyleofmbaqangaorAfricanjazz(MusicalExcerpts2.14to2.19)