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Mannenberg - Dollar Brand's gem reissued for charity project.

Draft 16/6/26 

The original recording of the perhaps the most important South Africa (SA) jazz hit, Mannenberg has been off the market for a while. We have access to a copy of the master recording and the rights and can announce that as of 16th June 2026 we are making this available for streaming.

The recording was done by Vic Versvelt and produced by Rashid Valli in Cape Town in June 1974. 

On Piano, the master himself Abdullah Ibrahim aka Dollar Brand, on drums Monty Weber, on bass Paul Michaels. The Saxophone trio featured are Basil Coetzee, Robbie Jansen and Morris Goldberg. Basil on Tenor and the other two on alto sax. 

At the time of release there was a controversy about the credits published on the LP release omitting the third saxman, Morris Goldberg who some musicians and critics considered to have delivered the most inspired of the three sax solos. 

The proceeds of the re-release will after distribution charges be gathered by this record label and made available to a fund to support music education for residents of the Cape Town township of Manenberg. Details to be separately announced after release.

The song regarded by many as the alternative SA national anthem was also recognised in 1976 as an anthem to the struggle against apartheid. Published by Ekapa Music and composed by Brand, who Nelson Mandela referred to as "Our Mozart", Mannenberg is the quintessential Cape Jazz record.

The re-release is scheduled for Youth Day 16th June 2026 (but due to the passing of Brand the day before the distributors have suspended availability until 1st July 2026).

There have been many recorded versions of the song but none capture the magic of the original one take wonder, mostly due to the spontaneity of the unrehearsed take and the wonderful sound of the doctored upright piano perfectly harmonising together with tones of the three saxophones. This is the only known version with that piano and the those three brass players mentioned.

Link to the Music > https://orcd.co/ajboxbb

 

Paddy Lee-Thorp

Mountain Records

Updated 1/7/26



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