Do we have a strategic plan for the Valley?
An urban planning crisis in the making
We speak to Alan Saffrey, international tourism consultant - PAGE 25
Are developers benefiting at the expense of residents? - PAGE 4
THE
FRANSCHHOEK
MONTH
February 2009
A business-to-market hub in print and web media
Alex van Heerden dies at 34
info@theMONTH.co.za www.theMONTH.co.za PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
By The Staff Reporter
Alex, left, “will be sadly missed” Jazz musicians and public figures paid tribute to the late Alex van Heerden, 34, a champion of Cape vernacular music and a renowned musician on local and international stages, at Solms-Delta wine farm on Saturday 17th January. Jazz icons lamented the death of Van Heerden, who was killed in a road accident on the N1 in Cape Town, as an “immense loss of a shining star”. A trumpeter, vocalist, accordionist, ethnic musician and producer, he had been playing professionally since 1992, performing with musicians including Robbie Jansen, Mac McKenzie and Hilton Schilder and had released several albums. Since 2007 he was employed by Solms-Delta to uncover, preserve and interpret the musical heritage of the region in a groundbreaking research project.
FEBRUARY 2009
Van Heerden’s passion for local music had gained him a devoted following in the Boland. On most weekends, he could be found playing traditional songs that farm workers had brought from the Karoo, Namaqualand and Cape Town, on the stoep of one of the members of his newly formed Delta Optel Band. Other workers would hear the music and gather, and a spontaneous party would begin. Van Heerden taught many youngsters in the Winelands to play the trumpet and formed a forty-member brass band at SolmsDelta, as well as the Delta Optel Band. In his work for the farm he interviewed musicians in the region including Freddie Simpson, Sybil Lackay, Quinton Fortuin and the Papier family, as well as others including boeremusiek legend Nico Carstens. The aim was to use this informa-
tion to establish a Cape Rural Music Centre, ‘Music van de Caab’, at Solms-Delta. This was to explore the origins of Cape music and the influences that had been made on it by European folksongs, the Khoekhoe and San musical traditions, and slave cultures from across India, Indonesia and Africa, as well as modern cross-cultural influences. The exhibitions and displays were in the design phase. Van Heerden started playing the trumpet as a teenager in his school marching band in order to avoid compulsory military training, and soon was playing jazz in the townships of Port Elizabeth. Frustrated, he moved to Cape Town and was initiated into the township/Cape jazz traditions while playing in the bands of Robbie Jansen, Winston Mankunku and others. During this time, he embraced the ethnic music of the rural Cape, with whom he could perform vastrap, langarm and church “koortjies” in the arid landscape of the Karoo and Namaqualand. These experiences led to the forming of his band Gramadoelas, who called themselves performers of “psychedelic vastrap”. “Vastrap is the ethnic music of the Afrikaans speakers of Southern Africa, and Gramadoelas breathe new life into this unique creole style,” wrote Van Heerden on his website www.frontierrogue.com. Mark Solms writes: “Alex’s death is a shocking loss to us all. Like us, he was inspired by the work done by David Kramer and others to ensure that the music of the rural Cape endures and assumes its rightful position in the history and culture of South Africa and the world. His amazing ability to connect with young people produced a surprisingly strong (and increasing) interest among the youth in the traditional Cape folk musical styles and he played a pivotal role in reviving, but also in further developing, these precious musical styles. In addition, he was deeply interested in the role played by Gospel musicians in the inner lives of the poor rural communities of the Cape Winelands. From a white, Afrikaans
www.themonth.co.za
background, Alex had a deep and sincere ability to connect with everyone, of all educational and economic levels and cultures, in a natural way, with an amazing, joyous and serene enthusiasm about the future of our country and its people.” The memorial ceremony was attended by about six hundred and fifty people who at once celebrated his life and mourned his passing. Spread out on the lawns of the estate with their families or sitting on chairs in the sun, they painted a picture of ethnic and cultural harmony that would not have been wasted on Alex. Musical items interjected the sombre speeches and served as a constant reminder that Alex lived life as a celebration and encouraged others to do the same. The memorial concluded with an open jam session where a number of well and lesser known musicians gave expression to their grief through music. “He leaves a gaping hole in the lives of us all at Solms-Delta, and he will be sadly missed by us forever.”
PAGE 1