Blackey Tempi

ABOUT

Reginald ‘blackey’Tempi is the leader of five piece band he plays trumpet and flugelhorn as well as

singing.blackie as he is known to his friends,started playing in 1977,having left school after Soweto

uprising of 1976.

He is largely self taught although he join Jazz Workshop in 1979 to further his studies.in 1982 he

started his first band The Black-keys playing around cape town.

In 1983 he joined the band ‘FEVER’ they played mainly cover versions of the music of the day

played regularly in cape town and joburg night spots.

Between 1992 and 1995 played with numerous band in and around CapeTown.

In 1995 he toured Namibia for three months with the musical ‘’AFRICAN FOLLIES’’

On his return he moved north to Gauteng to play with a wide variety of other bands.

And in 1998 returned to Cape town to further his studies at University of Cape Town he enroll for

(P.D.M.) performers diploma in music.majoring in Jazz music a three year course regrettably he

was forced to leave the institution because of financial constraints. (in a final year)

During this period, Blackie had been playing with an eight piece big band called ‘Thandanani’ wich

means (Love one another) wich still performs today playing original African music, but he felt that

there was a need to create a more commercial bands to appeal to a broader audience in the clubs

and restaurants.

In 2000 he formed two bands the ‘THE BROTHERHOOD’ for Jazz standards and Jazz fusion smooth

Jazz, ‘TOWNSHIP CONNECTION’for African Jazz classics/afro pop/kwaito/kwasa kwasa/house

music. Both bands are well suited to laid back background music but are able to turn up tempo

when required. Blackie recorded with WINSTON MANKUNKU NGOZI in a award winner album

MOLO AFRICA. and also contributed to ERROL DYERS album KOU KOU WA. in 2002 Blackie was

invited by the Canadian and south African embassies to perform in Saudi Arabia.

In2003 he got contracted to BARNYARD theatres for a show called DIAMONDS AND DUST a feel

good show. The show is about the history of south African music in fact the show used one of his

bands. The show is touring the world it’s been in Netherlands,

france,Belgium,Denmark,Bahrain,dubai,Germany, the show is still touring in june 2013 is going

back to dubai and then USA.

Beside the diamonds and dust show he did other shows like BUDDY HOLLY STORY,BOOGGIE

WONDERLAND music of the 80s,SUMMER OF LOVE 60s music a tribute to THE

BEATTLES,CREEDANCE CLEAR WATER REVIVALS and other bands of that era HOT CHOCOLATE a

history of R & B music in America

In2006. Blackie was instrumental in the formation of the VULINDLELA JAZZ SOCIETY and was the

appointed organiser of the iJazz Ekasi concept; The project’s main aim was to make live music

PROFILE FEZEKILE,REGINALD (BLACKEY)TEMPI

accessible to people in the townships. The success of this initiative is exemplified by the

engagement of the VULINDLELA JAZZ SOCIETY by the western cape Department of Social

Development at a Gala Dinner hosted by themselves in May ,2008.

In 2009 he started to host tourists in his house which he still do, (Jazz safari dinner)

Currently he registered N P O for music education programme GUGULETHU MUSIC ACADEMY

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