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Winston Mankunku Ngozi

He was born in Retreat, Western Cape, in 1943, the first child in a musical family. He played piano at the age of seven, and later clarinet and trumpet. In his mid-teens he learned the alto and tenor saxophone. He cites John Coltrane, local saxophonist "Cups & Saucers", pianist Merton Barrow, as well as bassist Midge Pike as major influences.

Mankunku chose to remain in his native Cape Town during apartheid. This meant that he was subjected to the Separate Amenities Act and similar apartheid legislation. A classic tale tells of his performance with an all-white big band in the Cape Town City Hall in 1964, where, because a mixed-race band was unlawful, he was forced to play behind a curtain so as to remain out of sight.

In 1968 he recorded the famous blockbuster "Yakhal' Inkomo", with Early Mabuza, Agrippa Magwaza and Lionel Pillay. It won him the Castle Lager "Jazz Musician of the Year" award for 1968. Another colleague was Abdullah Ibrahim.

He died on 13 October 2009 after a long struggle with illness.

Nkomo Records: Protest and Poetry

by AAJ Staff
June 20, 2026

This article was first published on All About Jazz on January 10, 2004. Keyboard player Mike Perry shares the management of Nkomo Records, an independent South African jazz label, with saxophonist Winston Mankunku. The two musicians met in Cape Town in 1976. After gigging together in the early '80s, they joined forces to create Nkomo Records as a means to release independent music without the heavy-handed control of a major label. This is the story of ...

Multiple Reviews

Two Tenors South Africa Style

by Chris May
November 28, 2023

The latest batch of albums from Canada's We Are Busy Bodies label, which specialises in vinyl reissues of South African jazz, spotlights saxophonists Winston Mankunku Ngozi and Mike Makhalemele, separately and together, on three discs originally released in 1975 and 1976. Ngozi and Makhalemele both opted to remain in South Africa during the apartheid era, thus missing out on an international career. Each player, now passed, deserved wider recognition, Ngozi as a post-John Coltrane stylist, Makhalemele for soul jazz. Historical ...

Radio & Podcasts

Those Who Remained Behind, Part 1

by Seton Hawkins
October 22, 2018

Many Jazz artists leave South Africa for exile in the 1960s and 1970s, but many remain behind, facing horrifying working conditions and oppression. In these two episodes, we'll explore their music and their efforts to resist apartheid within South Africa. Playlist Chris McGregor and the Castle Lager Big Band “Now" from Jazz/The African Sound (Jazzman Records) 1:59 Mahotella Queens “Umkhovu" from Next Stop...Soweto (Strut Records) 9:40 Amakhosi “Easy Way" from The Best of Accordion and Sax Jives (Gallo ...

Interview

Yakhal' Inkomo: A South African Masterpiece at Fifty

by Seton Hawkins
June 22, 2018

On July 23, 1968, a now-legendary recording session took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, one that would ultimately prove a defining moment in the country's Jazz history and development. Led by tenor saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi, a quartet that included pianist Lionel Pillay, bassist Agrippa Magwaza, and drummer Early Mabuza would record the album Yakhal' Inkomo. Comprising two originals of Mankunku's--the title track “Yakhal' Inkomo" and “Dedication (For Daddy Trane and Brother Shorter)"--as well as John Coltrane's “Bessie's Blues" and ...

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Album Review

Winston Mankunku Ngozi: Abantwana Be Afrika

Read "Abantwana Be Afrika" reviewed by AAJ Staff

by AAJ Staff
December 25, 2003

While legions of South African jazz artists left the country in the '60s to escape apartheid, saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi stayed home, and he paid a heavy price for his choice. Expatriates like Abdullah Ibrahim and Hugh Masekela circulated within American and European jazz communities, earning exposure and recognition. Mankunku labored under a regime which restricted his personal and musical freedom, sometimes performing under a pseudonym or behind a curtain. But his 1968 record Yakhal' Inkomo stands as one of ...

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African Jazz

South Africa: Sheer Sound

by AAJ Staff
December 22, 2003

By far South Africa's biggest and most influential jazz record label, Sheer Sound has made a point of documenting both veterans and up-and-comers from all over the country and beyond. From traditional African sounds to modern folk music, from chill-out jazz to the avant-garde, the label has made its mark. Recent highlights from the label include Zim Ngqawana's uncompromising Vadzimu , a virtual tunnel through South African musical history; and Hotep Idris Galeta's Malay Tone Poem , a tight post-bop ...

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Album Review

Winston Mankunku Ngozi: Molo Africa

Read "Molo Africa" reviewed by Javier AQ Ortiz

by Javier AQ Ortiz
July 25, 2002

Quick and to the Point : Burning Down the House!.

Winston Mankunku Ngozi had no blowing restrictions on this date, that’s for sure! Although there are only seven compositions in this Ngozi production, there is enough in all of the cuts to please and fill anyone’s appetite in this fantastic oeuvre that varies itself repeatedly keeping you attentive at large. Bottom line is, you must get this one.

“Khanya” has a hyphenated identity where African jazz ...