Hanepoot & The Biggish Band - Salt & Vinegar CD [South African Big Band Jazz]

In 2001 Jannie "Hanepoot" van Tonder was handed a breather by the gods, when his short-lived corporate career disintegrated overnight. This band is a direct result of unexpectedly having a bit of time on his hands ...

I always wanted to be part of a South African big band playing indigenous material. I was fortunate enough to learn about the cultural (as opposed to commercial) power of tunes during the 1980s when music played a definitive role in changing the face of this country for ever -- learning African Jazz on the road with the African Jazz Pioneers, being shown by the likes of James Philips & Johannes Kerkorrel the importance of being yourself and expressing it through the music, finding the power of jive with Winston Nyaunda & his Jive Mixup. Then, while spending some time working as a musician in Europe, I realised that although in South Africa musicians are eternally hampered by practical obstacles like lack of infrastructure and financial support, here we have the power of the music itself in a way that few other nations will ever experience.