SOWETO BLUES **1st Edition**

Jazz, Popular Music & Politics in South Africa. Gwen Ansell's Soweto Blues is the book South African jazz lovers have been praying for. Originally conceived as a radio show entitled "Ubuyile, the book is the result of over 80 hours of interviews with multiple generations of South African jazz artists; from earlier pioneers of the style to the new artists; from the exiled musicians to those who stayed to carry the torch during apartheid. To accompany the book, the South African label Sheer Sound has issued a companion CD of the same name.
The book is conceived to be a useful resource to anyone interested in South African jazz—in South Africa and abroad—with varying levels of knowledge about the music. Consequently, the first two chapters function to bring people who don't know South African history up to speed, providing a summary of key points of 19th to early 20th Century South African history. While covering 100+ years of history in about 60 pages obviously does not give a fantastic account of South Africa, it provides a solid enough base for anyone who doesn't know the history to be able to better understand the context of South African jazz-making. Excellent condition. First edition softcover published by Continuum, 2005. Some b/w illustrations. Tracked P&P is R30.00.