Phillip Kakaza Jazz
A brand-new Cosac Jazz Inn, in the heart of Yeoville, Johannesburg, promises to bring back some vibrancy to Rockey Street, an area doomed as a hideout for the “lost generation”. It’s a controversial street that, through the years, saw many such clubs fading away, leaving jazz enthusiasts floating around in search of quality jazz venues. The alternative homes were Kippies in Newtown and The Baseline in Melville.
The Cosac Jazz Inn now adds to that number and hopes to reinstate the culture of live jazz shows in Yeoville. It will also give an opportunity to budding musicians to perform alongside professional jazz gurus.
The venue is linked to the Children of Soweto Action Centre (Cosac), a music academy which was initiated by Sol Rachilo in 1977 and formally established in 1986.
Rachilo, a founder and director of Cosac – known to many as Bra Sol, Uncle Sol or Solra – has been steering the project on his own with only a few staff and support from patrons like Dr Nthato Motlana, Solomon “Sticks” Morewa and Adelaide Tambo.
The Jazz Inn, which is very close to Bra Sol’s heart, has an important history attached to it. After the 1976 student uprisings there was a lull in the townships of Soweto. The lack of recreational facilities, sports fields and the culture of learning lured many youngsters to crime and drug addiction.
Working as a professional social worker at the time, Bra Sol could not stand seeing the lives of these youngsters being wasted. Ditching his job as a social worker, he saw the arts as a form of rehabilitation for the children who were victims of apartheid. He left his job and embarked on this project full-time.
“I felt that I had to stop people calling our children the lost generation and was passionately moved to draw them into the social fabric and make them feel like part of the nation,” says Bra Sol.
His concept gave birth to Cosac, which developed from being just a music school to become a school of the arts, including formal training in fine art, photography and drama for the underpriviledged children of Soweto.
“At the initial stage President Nelson Mandela supported us and he continues to support us and I believe his blessing has made us grow. A few companies have also contributed to the project, but we need more support from local business people,” he says.
Soon Bra Sol will jet off to the United States to raise funds for the new club and build contacts with jazz musicians over there who will hopefully appear live at the Cosac Jazz Inn in the future.
“Besides live performances, there will also be afternoon music workshops held right through the week for interested parties,” he explains.
The Cosac Jazz Inn will run on a membership-card basis. Membership will cost R100 a year and each member will be entitled to free T-shirts featuring international stars like Billie Holiday.
The Cosac Jazz Inn opens in Rockey Street, Yeoville, Johannesburg, on Friday June 5