Malcolm Jiyane

A generous sideman and bandleader, multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Jiyane stands at the vanguard of his prodigious generation of jazz musicians. Operating from the centre and the fringes of the South African jazz scene, the trombonist (and pianist) is an enigmatic yet charismatic galvaniser of his contemporaries, able to put them through their paces in his own compositions, while giving them enough room to interpret them anew.

Malcolm says he is a born performer but did not know about his hidden talents until his mentor Bra Johny went to the Benoni Kids Haven to perform for the street kids . “Something in me was touched by his melodies and I knew there was a musician in me.” This was just when Bra Johny was recruiting street kids and other disadvantaged youth to join the jazz music school he founded. Malcolm, who dropped out of school at grade 5, joined Bra Johny’s Academy in 1997 at 13, and started as a drummer. He also played the piano and eventually the trombone, which he had a special connection with.

“Music has changed my life. I feel complete when I am doing this and I believe this is what God wanted me to do . It saved me from crime and drugs on the streets. It’s my life.”, he says. His playing is very intense and it says a lot about his life journey. He preaches the ‘One Love Movement’.

Jiyane is nothing if not the product of astute mentorship from elders and peers alike. Given the late Mekoa's stature in South African jazz, trombonist Jonas Gwangwa (also late) would have been among regular visitors to the academy, imprinting on the young Jiyane not only the breadth of South African music traditions but also the science of how to lead musical ensembles without stifling individual contribution.

Malcolm has performed all over the world, including Germany, Sweden, Holland and the US. “This boy is the future Jonas Gwangwa,” said Bra Johny in an interview in 2005, and he’s well on his way.