FREE NELSON MANDELA
Julian was born in the rural South African village of Nelspruit, which is in the Eersterust province, close to Pretoria. His full name was Sebothane Julian Bahula.
Eersterust was unusual in apartheid times, as it was one of the few areas in the country that allowed black people to own their own property on freehold – Julian’s parents were amongst them.
In the late 1950s, President Hendrick Verwoerd passed the Group Areas Act, where black home owners had their property seized. Julian’s parents were victims of this. The family moved to Mamelodi.
Julian had played the pennywhistle as a small boy but as he grew up he moved to the drums. He loved the traditional native music of South Africa.
His first band were called ‘The Crotchets’. Pretty soon, he built up a reputation for his vibrant drum playing.
Then Julian formed the Malombo Jazzmen (sometimes known as Malombo Jazz). The other two members were Philip Tabane on guitar, and flautist Abbey Cinoi. They played the jazz clubs of Johannesburg.
Later on, Lucky Ranku joined the group as an additional guitarist.
It was at this time that Julian realised that a western-style drum kit did not suit his music or his style, so he started playing Pepi Malopo drums, which were traditionally used in healing rituals.
In 1964, at the height of Verwoerd’s ‘Grand Apartheid’ ( when the repressive policy was at its height), Malombo Jazz entered the second Castle Lager Jazz Festival, held in Johannesburg.
This festival broke all the rules as both the performers and the audience were of mixed race. It was too large an event for the police to break it up.
Playing a fusion of jazz and traditional rhythms, Malombo Jazz won joint first prize, alongside another drummer, Early Mabuza.
They then featured on the best-selling LP, ‘Castle Lager Jazz Festival 64’. Julian is on the cover. The band did not receive a penny in loyalties.
Shortly afterwards, Philip Tabane quit the band and went off to form his own group.
New members joined them, so they changed their name slightly to Malombo Jazz Makers. They had three top selling albums on the South African record label ‘Gallo’, but again received no royalties.
They had become South Africa’s top band. Julian was the first person to bring indigenous music into a jazz scene that had always previously looked towards America.
Very quickly, other groups copied this ‘new music’. It was seen as alien to the apartheid government who wanted things to stay the same and desired the country’s music to remain ‘white’.
This new music became seen as a symbol of resistance and became increasingly politicised.
At this time, the Malombo Jazz Makers were managed by Peter Mugubane, who was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) activist. He introduced Julian to political activism.
Julian would smuggle crucial documents into neighbouring Botswana in his drum kit. He became close friends with Steve Biko and helped the South African Student’s Organisation.
The group broke the law by playing with the white psychedelic band ‘Freedom’s Children’ and regularly played in front of mixed audiences.
Such concerts were illegal, so Malombo painted their hands and faces with fluorescent paint and played in the dark – enabling them to easily escape if necessary.
The gigs were frequently raided by the police, and the group were under constant harassment, as were their families. Julian found he had to move from house-to-house on a daily basis, to avoid arrest.
In 1973, Julian Bahula fled to England.
One foggy day in London, Julian had a chance meeting with his boyhood hero, American drummer Art Blakey (of the Jazz Messengers).
“The same year I arrived, I was walking along in Soho and saw a man I recognized from my Jazz Messenger record covers, so I approached him. He was very friendly and made my day by inviting me to see the Jazz Messengers that very night. And there on the front row was the most beautiful woman…From that day onwards, my life changed completely.”
The gig was at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club. The woman was Liza Carpenter (nee Breen). Julian married her in 1978.
Julian subsequently founded his own band, Jabula (later Jabula Spear), releasing two albums and gaining international recognition.
Julian had one daughter, Nancy, from a previous relationship, who was still living in South Africa.
He was increasingly politically active, raising money for the ANC, giving speeches and attending protests. He would always perform for free at these events. He is believed to be largely responsible for raising the profile of imprisoned ANC leader, Nelson Mandela, in the UK.
Julian also turned to music promotion, founding his own production company, Tsafrika. It operated on a shoestring budget and was funded by the GLC (Greater London Council).
He organised Friday night concerts at the London venue ‘100 Club’ on Oxford Street. Many acts played there and they became a meeting point for South African political refugees. Julian became a symbol of the desire for change in his native country.
He also introduced British audiences to the likes of Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela, amongst others.
Julian kept playing jazz music himself. He founded the group ‘Jazz Afrika’ in 1980 and played with Dick Heckstall-Smith’s ‘Electric Dreams’ ensemble.
In 1983, as apartheid awareness grew in the UK, Julian organised the ‘Afrika Sounds’ concert at the Alexandra Palace, to celebrate the 65th birthday of Nelson Mandela. Three thousand people attended and the international profile of the cause was raised higher.
Nelson Mandela suddenly became a household name in Britain.
The concert also encouraged a young musician, Jerry Dammers, to write a song entitled ‘Free Nelson Mandela’. It became a massive number one hit for his band ‘The Special a.k.a’ (also known as The Specials), that same year.
In 1987, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, closed down the GLC. She openly encouraged the South African government and tried to curb the anti-apartheid movement in the UK. Funding for Julian’s production company stopped immediately.
That same year, Julian appeared on Stevie Wonder’s ‘Characters’ LP.
Jerry Dammers and another musician, Dali Tambo, founded the ‘Artists against Apartheid’ and were supported by Julian. They organised a Nelson Mandela 70th birthday concert at Wembley on the 11th June 1988. Julian performed at the concert.
Subsequently, the 11th of June became designated as South African Political Prisoners Day.
The following day, a massive Nelson Mandela Freedom March started from Glasgow. Julian was marching.
In 1994, apartheid collapsed. Julian returned home to South Africa.
There, Julian successfully sued the record company Gallo (on behalf of the Malombo Jazz), for lost royalties. He also managed to get back the publishing rights to his songs.
In the mid-1990s, Julian was involved in a car crash in South Africa and received serious head injuries. There was a long convalescence.
Julian and Liza went back to London and from there moved to Westbury in Wiltshire. They lived in a retirement bungalow.
Julian had made very little money from his musical career. He believed spreading the political message was more important.
In 2012, Jacob Zuma, the President of South Africa, awarded Julian the ‘Gold Order of Ikhamanga’, the highest honour for artistic and cultural work, in the country.
Julian said that his work in the UK had merely been an extension of what he had done in his native South Africa.
In 2016, Julian’s wife, Liza, died.
In 2018, he remarried, to Pinky Miles.
Julian remained active, calling for all political prisoners around the world to be released.
His daughter, Nancy, predeceased him.
After a long struggle with cancer, Julian died in London.
A music journalist noted, “His music was always joyous. As a musician, he was inspirational”.
The British Anti-Apartheid movement said, “Hamba Kahle ( Goodbye, farewell) Julian Bahula – a hero of the heroes.”
RIP – Received Ikhamanga (for) Percussion
