Makaya Ntshoko

Who is Makaya Ntshoko?

Makaya Ntshoko is a South African drummer.

He played with Dollar Brand's trio in 1958, and recorded in a sextet with Hugh Masekela and John Mehegan in 1959. He performed on the Jazz Epistles album, Jazz Epistle: Verse 1. After the breakup of the group Ntshoko founded his own group, the Jazz Giants, with Kippie Moeketsi, Dudu Pukwana, Gideon Nuxmalo, and Martin Mgijima. Ntshoko left South Africa in 1962, moving to Switzerland and playing with Johnny Gertze and Dollar Brand at the Club Africana in Zurich from 1963-65.

Following Brand's move to New York City, Ntshoko played in Copenhagen and recorded with Stuff Smith, Benny Bailey, Dexter Gordon, and Ben Webster. He embarked on a tour of the United States and the Bahamas in the early 1970s. He and Masekela recorded again in 1972. In 1974, he founded an ensemble, Makaya and the Tsotsis with Heinz Sauer, Bob Degen, and Isla Eckinger. Concomitantly he played in Nicra with Nick Evans and Radu Malfatti. In 1975, he appeared alongside Joe McPhee and Pepper Adams at the Willisau Jazz Festival. He collaborated with Mal Waldron. Little is known of Ntshoko's whereabouts in the 1980s. He played at the Montreux Jazz Festival with Stephan Kurmann in 1991.