Harry Moyaga (b. 1954, Pietersburg, now
Polokwane, Limpopo) is a prolific South-African jazz musician, saxophonist, and visual artist. He began playing music early on, learning from his adult bandmates in a Mmama Greenside Band. In 1962, Harry formed his first trio, Young Aces, which later became a
Jazz Oxide band. Over the next few years, Jazz Oxide shared the stage with many acclaimed South-African musicians, including pianist
Gideon "Mgibe" Nxumalo, guitarists
General Duze and
Allen Kwela, bassist
Danny Boy Sibanyoni, drummer
Early Mabuza, saxophonists
Kippie Moeketsi and
Nick Moyake, and trumpeter
Elijah Nkwanyana, solidifying Moyaga's reputation as an uprising star on the northern South Africa jazz scene.
In 1967, Jazz Oxide participated in Mmamelodi Jazz Festival in Pretoria, impressing the promoter
Ray Nkwe, who introduced Moyaga to prominent musicians and producers from central and southern regions. In 1969, Harry Moyaga created a series of miniature clay busts inspired by hand-drawn illustrations from Barbara Tyrell's book "
Tribal peoples Of Southern Africa." Several Pretorian galleries began exhibiting his work; the Bantu Investment Co-Op subsequently purchased Moyaga's sculptures, manufacturing them from "verdite" stone for international distribution.
In 1971, Harry moved to Johannesburg and got involved in the Black Consciousness movement. He collaborated with the renowned
Ravan Press publishing house, drawing posters and
Stuffrider magazine covers, subsequently banned by the Apartheid government; Moyaga also illustrated the first edition of
Mothobi Mutloatse's "
Forced Landing" book. In 1973, he joined the South African Arts Association — an organization sponsored by [url=https://discogs.com/label/152408]South African Airways[/url] to promote and disseminate modern black art from South Africa abroad, including Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Greece. Harry Moyaga had a solo exhibition in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1977.
Between 1986 and '95, Harry Moyaga extensively traveled across the most rural areas to discover the southern African's true musical roots. The artist wanted to look beyond the "South African township jazz,"
marabi, clearly inspired by the US jazz and church soul traditions, and met musicians of the oldest tribes, known as Khoikhoi, Saan ("bushmen") or Khoisan (Masarwa). He thoroughly researched and mastered the music of Zulu, Sotho and Northern Sotho (Sesotho), Xhosa, Venda, Tsonga (Shangaan), Mapoka village, Northern Ndebele people, Bakwena tribe's "Borankana" and other dance rhythms and tribal melodies of different indigenous groups.
Since 2001, Harry Moyaga has been living and working in Great Britain. He formed the
Harry Moyaga Band in 2007 with
Jim Paris, bassist and [url=https://discogs.com/artist/151608]Carmel[/url] founding member, featuring a rotating cast of 4-5 saxophonists and a rhythm section.
