Q & A
Acclaimed jazz musician Don Laka recently launched his new album Supernova, his second recording as a solo artist. Playing solo allows him to be more experimental on acoustics. The name, Supernova, reflects Laka’s growing interest in cosmology. His first album, Destiny, was released internationally and led him to perform at the premier London jazz venue, Ronnie Scotts. At home, Destiny reached gold and platinum.
Born in Mamelodi, Pretoria, to a life surrounded by the sounds of guitars and pennywhistles, it wasn’t long before Laka was learning to play guitar on an instrument fashioned out of an oil can, a piece of wood and fishing line.
What led you into music?
I come from Mamelodi, where jazz is very popular. I also come from a musical family, and also a church family where everyone played some instrument.
What kind of musician has influenced you most in your career?
That is difficult because of the genre of music I like. Phillip Tabane and Abdullah Ibrahim played a major role. But I listen to all types of music, Salif Keita, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock etcetera.
If you came back in another life, what would you like to come back as?
As president of this country. In that position, you have got power and can change people’s lives for the better.
What other talents do you think you have besides music?
I still have to discover it. Perhaps I would be good as an amateur photographer or an amateur boxer.
What is your favourite city?
Frankfurt, in Germany. It’s very cosmopolitan and has lots happening. It is also the place where I had my first performance in Europe and it was well appreciated.
What next can we expect from you?
I will be bringing out more albums. I believe music is one of the few things that have rejuvenated South Africa. Destiny is the only jazz record to have reached gold and platinum in this country.
What is your favourite dish?
Curry and rice, of course. I like hot
food. I developed the taste for it when I played with a band comprising Indians and coloureds in Laudium, Pretoria, in the Seventies. I don’t cook it, my wife does.
What has been the most embarrassing moment of your career?
One day, when I was on stage, I forgot the key to one of my most popular songs. I had announced the song and the band knew it. My guitarist had to come and tell me how it ran in front of a live audience.
Don Laka spoke to Wiseman Sadomba