Malcolm Jiyane Xorile

Trombonist Malcolm Jiyane, the Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O is a genre-crossing ensemble with a sound that blends jazz and traditional African music with elements of pop, funk, and R&B. It’s a vibe that evokes the work of African musical icons like Hugh Masekela and Abullah Ibrahim and which Jiyane debuted to acclaim on 2021’s Umdali. The Tree-O returned in 2024 with True Story. The story of the Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O is the story of Jiyane himself. Born in 1982 in Katlehong, a township in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, Jiyane had a difficult upbringing.

His mother left him with relatives when he was six years old and he soon left school, earning money as a street parking attendant. At age 13, he met legendary trumpet player and music school founder Bra Johnny Mekoa who recognized potential in the young Jiyane, finding him a home at a local children’s shelter and enrolling him at his Gauteng Music Academy. At school, Jiyane excelled quickly, starting out on drums before moving to piano and finally the trombone.

By 2007, he had formed his Tree-O, joining forces with fellow Gauteng Academy classmates drummer Kgorogile Makgatle and bassist Senzo Nxumalo. Together, they became fixtures on the vibrant Johannesburg club scene. Jiyane also branched out, performing with bands like Future History, GSand, and Plantation Miners, as well as recording with Herbie Tsoaeli and Tumi Mogorosi.

He also made vital contributions to the soundtrack to the 2017 film UPRIZE!, about the 1976 Soweto student protests. However, just as the Tree-O was taking off, Nxumalo died. The loss sent Jiyane into a period of depression that threatened to pull him away from his music. Amidst the turmoil, Jiyane welcomed the birth of his daughter, a blessing that helped to refocus his attention on performing. He formed a new, larger version of his Tree-O and in 2020, released his debut album, Umdali, whose cover art featured his young daughter. Recorded over a brief, two-day period in a loose, jam-like atmosphere, the album drew critical acclaim, including comparisons to the work of artists like Hugh Masekela and Miles Davis.

Included on the album was the song “Senzo seNkosi,” a tribute to the trombonist’s late-bandmate. In 2024, he returned with his sophomore Tree-O album, True Story. More composed and narrative in structure than its predecessor, the album found Jiyane explicitly drawing upon his own life experience.

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