[Dixielandjazz] Highlife

[John Farrell]

Arn claimed :

"The "social music" was called (in English) "Highlife" which used European
musical instruments (mainly brass) and certainly West European harmony and
melody as its basis. It bore a very stong relationship to West Indian
calypso music (as one would expect)."

I seem to recall that Highlife was the music originating in South African
slum townships played on penny whistles, guitars etc. Years ago a show was
put together featuring this kind of thing starring Miriam Mkeba (The Click
Girl) which opened in London to rapturous reviews. Not my cup of tea
however.

The British OKOM pianist Johnny Parker married one of the girls from the
show - Johnny had a wooden leg and lived on the top floor of a London
apartment block with no elevator!

John Farrell
http://homepages.tesco.net/~stridepiano/midifiles.htm