UWinston ‘Mankunku’ Ngozi wabhekana ngqo nosizi lobandlululo
UNGOMUNYE wamaciko omculo weJazz owaziwa kakhulu. Waduma ngengoma yakhe esihloko sithi ‘Yakhal’ inkomo. Lowo nguWinston, Monwabisi ‘Mankunku’ Ngozi. Wazalelwa eRetreat eCape Town ngowe-1943. Abazali bakhe nabo babewuthanda umculo. Lokhu kwamdonsela kuwona eneminyaka eyisikhombisa nje kuphela edlala upiyano. Akagcinanga lapho kodwa wafunda ukudlala iclarinet netrumpet. Wanamathela kusaxophone edlala kahle i-alto netenor sax. Amaciko ayewalandela efunda kuwo ngoJohn Coltrane wase-United States of America, umdlali wopiano uMerton Barrow nomdlali webass uMidge Pike ayedlala ebhendini yakhe.
UWinston wasebenza namaciko ejazz adumile okubalwa kuwo uChris Macgregor, uDudu Phukwana noBarney Rachabane. Akayanga yena ekudingisweni njengamanye amaciko angesikhathi sakhe. Lokhu kwamnikeza inkinga enkulu uma umbuso wobandlululo usuvimbela amabhendi axube izinhlanga ngenxa yomthetho iSeparate Amenities Act neminye. Ngeminyaka yowe- 1960 izinhlangano ezazilwela inkululeko zivalwe umlomo kwakufanele uWinston adlale ecashe emuva kwamakhethini esiteji ukuze agweme ukuboshelwa ukudlalela iqembu lomculo elixube izinhlanga.
Ingoma yakhe esihloko sithi ‘Yakhal inkomo’ ayikhipha ngowe-1968 yaduma kunazo zonke izingoma zejazz eNingizimu Afrika yathengwa ubuthaphuthaphu. Le ngoma wayeyididiyele nezinkakha okwakukhona kuzo u-Early Mabuza, u-Agrippa Magwaza, uLionel Pillay no-Abdullah Ibrahim. Lena yingoma eyamenza wahlabana ngeCastle Lager Jazz Musician of the Year of 1968’ Kwabuye kwalandela enye esihloko sithi, ‘Jika’ ayihlanganisa noMike Perry nabaculi ababesekudingisweni njengoBheki Mseleku, uRussel Herman noLucky Ranku ohambeni lwakhe lokujikeleza amazwe ase-Europe noPerry.
Izingoma zakhe yilezi: ‘Molo Afrika’ ayihlanganisa noFeya Faku, uTete Mbambisa, u-Errol Dyers, uBasil Moses, uLionel Beukes noVusi Khumalo. I‘Winston Mankunku & Mike Perry Dudula’ ayihlanganisa noSpencer Mbadu, uRichard Pickett, u-Errol Dyers, uCharles Lazar nabanye. I ‘The bull and the lion’ ayihlanganyela noMike Makhalamele, uTrevor Rabin, uRonnie Robot noNeil Cloud.
Ziningi ezinye izingoma zakhe athandwa nahlonishwa ngazo. Ngaphezulu kokuhlonishwa ngekhono lakhe lobuciko, uWinston udume njengomunye wamaciko ambalwa abhekana ngqo nenqubo yobandlululo. Wadlala namabhendi amaningi indaba yobuhlanga kuyinto engekho nhlobo emizweni yakhe. UWinston, Monwabisi ‘Mankunku’ Ngozi udlule emhlabeni zili-13 kuMfumfu ngowezi- 2009 emuva kokuxinwa ukugula isikhathi eside.