Wind Of Change by Julian Bahula.

It is Monday morning; the sun is shining, and my kitchen is filled with the sound of African rhythms. I am listening to an album called Wind Of Change by Julian Bahula featuring Chico Freeman. I bought this album because Julian Bahula has lived in my town of Westbury for the best part of 20 years. It was only in the last few years that I found out that he is a famous musician. I looked on Wikipedia to find out more about him. Julian was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1938. He came to prominence in South Africa in the 1960s as a drummer and percussionist in a band called Malombo playing a form of African jazz. Because of the situation with Apartheid in 1973 he moved to London where he formed the group Jabula with Ernest Mothle, Lucky Ranku and Eddie Tatane. As well as making their own albums the band appeared on three albums by Mike Oldfield, Ommadawn (1975), Incantations (1978), and Amarok (1990). Julian played on a Stevie Wonder album in 1987. He also founded the band Jazz Afrika, and in the 1980s he played with Dick Heckstall-Smith’s Electric Dream group. 

Julian also established a regular Friday night featuring African bands at the London venue The 100 Club. He booked a lot of musicians who were also political refugees; his series began to symbolise a movement for change. Players such as Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba, and Hugh Masekela were among the performers whose early British appearances were organised by Julian. With the Anti-Apartheid Movement, he also organised in 1983 African Sounds, a concert at Alexandra Palace to mark the 65th birthday of Nelson Mandela, drawing a 3,000-strong audience and raising the international profile of Mandela and other political prisoners. I have shared Julian’s Jazz Africa song about Nelson Mandela to this page. Jerry Dammers of The Specials has said this song was the inspiration for the song Free Nelson Mandela.

When Nelson Mandela was finally freed, Julian made a return trip to South Africa which was the inspiration for the music on the Wind Of Change album of 2001 which I discovered only last week. In the sleeve notes Julian says, ‘Music was my only weapon, and I wanted to use it for the struggle of my people’. You can feel that optimism in the joyful infectious rhythms of the music. Julian composed all the music of the eight tracks. As well as his drums and percussion there are tenor, alto and soprano saxophones, trumpets, flugelhorn, keyboards, synthesizers, Hammond organ, guitars, and bass. All the tracks are instrumentals. I have really enjoyed hearing this album. I bet this music would sound even better played live on a sunny day at a festival. In 2012 the President of South Africa presented Julian with the Order of Ikhamanga (Gold) which is the highest honour in South Africa awarded for artistic achievement, so I think we are privileged to have such a great musician living in our town and I’m pleased I discovered his music.