1981–89 – Dave Kibel
Dave Kibel and I were both originally from Bulawayo, and our friendship went all the way back to childhood. We grew up as friends and neighbours, although it was only later, when our paths crossed again in Cape Town, that music became such an important part of our relationship.
Dave was a classically trained pianist and bassoonist and an extraordinarily gifted musician. I was always amazed by his ability to sit down at a piano or keyboard and seemingly create beautiful melodies and improvisations out of nowhere.
Between 1981 and 1983, we spent countless hours making music together in the living room of my home. With a tape recorder constantly running, we would experiment with ideas, improvise and gradually develop them into compositions. There was no particular plan or commercial ambition — much of it was simply two old friends enjoying the freedom of creating music together.
We didn't have a drummer, so we relied on a drum machine or metronome to provide the rhythm while Dave played keyboards and I played bass. By today's standards the recording setup was extremely basic, but fortunately I kept the tapes.
The Recordings
Below are some of the many pieces Dave and I recorded during those sessions. Some are complete musical ideas, while others are short improvisations, fragments and experiments captured as they happened.
Listening to them again after all these years takes me straight back to those evenings — Dave at the keyboard, me on bass, the tape recorder running, and neither of us knowing quite where the music was going to take us.
Dave remained part of my musical world throughout my years in Cape Town, and we would play together again on other occasions. But these early home recordings remain particularly special to me because they capture the spontaneity and musical connection of two childhood friends simply making music together.
