LEFT TO RIGHT Barney Rachabane (alto), Dennis Mpale (drums), Tete Mbambisa (piano), Ti…, 1964 (photo)

LEFT TO RIGHT Barney Rachabane (alto), Dennis Mpale (drums), Tete Mbambisa (piano), Timmy Kwebulana (bass); Room at the Top, Strand Street, Cape Town; 1964. The murals at this venue were created by Ray Berman. Two things are striking about this image: trumpeter Dennis Mpale, playing drums, has swopped roles with drummer Timmy Kwebulana, playing bass (he toured with Victor Ntoni for the Japan performances of Meropa). Also, Tete Mbambisa sitting on a very makeshift piano stool tells a story of challenges of a different kind. Ian Huntley recalls that the particular piano featured in this image had one fairly important key that simply did not work. The genius that was Tete Mbambisa improvised around his found circumstances.