Andrew Hill has been a great and even groundbreaking composer and pianist, yet the relatively circumscribed scale of his innovations might have originally caused him to get lost in the shuffle of the '60s free jazz revolution. While many of his contemporaries were totally jettisoning the rhythmic and harmonic techniques of bop and hard bop, Hill... [+] Read More

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A superior altoist whose bluesy sound is often more accessible than the music he plays, Carlos Ward is best known as a valuable sideman. He grew up in Seattle, started on clarinet when he was 13, and while in the military studied at the Navy School of Music. He had opportunities to play music while stationed in Germany (including with Albert... [+] Read More

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Chris McGregor was born the son of a Scottish missionary, brought up on church hymns, and Xhosa dances. He studied at the Cape Town College of Music and discovered the black jazz scene. His septet played in the 1962 National Jazz Festival and after founding the Blue Notes in 1963, he led a big band. Harassed by the authorities, they escaped the... [+] Read More

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Dudu Pukwana grew up studying piano in his family but in 1956, he switched to alto sax after meeting tenor sax player Nick Moyake. In 1962, he won first prize at the Johannesburg Jazz Festival with Moyake's Jazz Giants (1962 Gallo/Teal). Chris McGregor then invited him to join the Blue Notes; the interracial sextet, increasingly harassed by... [+] Read More

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Hugh Masekela has an extensive jazz background and credentials, but has enjoyed major success as one of the earliest leaders in the world fusion mode. Masekela's vibrant trumpet and flugelhorn solos have been featured in pop, R&B, disco, Afropop and jazz contexts. He's had American and international hits, worked with bands around the world, and... [+] Read More

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Johnny "Mbizo" Dyani was from a musical family and began playing the piano and singing in a traditional choir at an early age. At 13, he switched to bass, but would use both voice and piano later on. Chris McGregor hired him for the Blue Notes after hearing him play with pianist Tete Mbambiza; the group left the country in 1964, playing first at... [+] Read More

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Louis Moholo comes from a musical family and is a self-taught drummer. His band the Cordettes took part in the 1962 Johannesburg Jazz Festival, where Moholo won first prize for drums. After this, Chris McGregor asked him to join the Blue Notes, replacing the original drummer. After leaving South Africa in 1964, the Blue Notes worked in France,... [+] Read More

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An enchanting, evocative vocalist, Satima Bea Benjamin has made several recordings as a leader since establishing herself in Abdullah Ibrahim's (her husband) band during the '70s. Benjamin has performed and recorded show tunes and standards, traditional South African and African music, and improvised on her originals and other jazz pieces.... [+] Read More

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The Bluenotes were a '50s vocal group from Asheboro, NC, consisting of Ralph Harrington, Pat Patterson, Tom Underwood, and Joe Tanner. They had a pop singles chart entry in 1959 with "I Don't Know What It Is." ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

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Chris McGregor, a pianist who had formed the Blue Notes in his native South Africa, hatched the idea of the Brotherhood of Breath in his transplanted home of London. The group got its start at the end of the Blue Notes tenure in 1969. This new group was essentially the same band with the addition of several members of the British jazz community.... [+] Read More

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