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The Long Journey Home
Zakes Gwaze guitar
Matt Dacso tenor saxophone
Makhwenkwe drums
Brian Nyakurukwa bass
Lekofi Sejeso electric piano
Trans-Kalahari Quintet’s THE LONG JOURNEY HOME, the latest release from Ansonica Records, is a cross-continental exploration of jazz, funk, and South African cultural traditions. Saxophonist and composer Matthew Dacso met his bandmates while serving in Botswana as a doctor. Now, he proudly presents this unique musical fusion to audiences around the world.
The album begins with Pulse of the Kalahari, a jubilant performance featuring a saxophone duet (with Dacso on the tenor sax), supported by a rhythm section. Dacso’s thesis for this album is that music is our common human language, and this piece tells listeners of all backgrounds the same thing: get up and dance! Next comes Wander, which kicks off with a vamping electric piano before launching into a jazzy saxophone head. All the while, drummer Arthur “Makhwengwe” Mengwe is cooking up a sophisticated syncopated beat. Later in the album we hear Tune for Miriam, which starts out with an electric bass line before settling comfortably into a laid back funk groove. Sunday Breeze is a swinging jazz tune in which Dacso and his band take turns showing off their effortlessly-cool improv chops. The album closes with Otse Jive, an elated number that transports listeners to an outdoor festival on a sunny Botswana Sunday afternoon.
Regardless of where in the world you call “home,” THE LONG JOURNEY HOME offers the unrivaled contentment of arriving there. TKQ’s colorful and electric compositions, paired with skillful and unrestrained performances from his band, transcend borders to share the beauty of Botswana with the whole human family.
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Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Composer | Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Pulse of the Kalahari | Matt Dacso, arr. Matt Dacso | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion | 2:56 |
| 02 | Wander | Zakes Gwaze, arr. Matt Dacso | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion | 4:12 |
| 03 | Khola | Zakes Gwaze, arr. Zakes Gwaze | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion | 4:52 |
| 04 | Lobola | Matt Dacso, arr. Matt Dacso | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion; Andrew Lienhard, piano; John Metcalfe, percussion | 5:17 |
| 05 | Hikoloko | Zakes Gwaze, arr. Zakes Gwaze | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion | 5:20 |
| 06 | Tune for Miriam | Matt Dacso, arr. Matt Dacso | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion | 4:14 |
| 07 | Sunday Breeze | Matt Dacso, arr. Matt Dacso | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion; Andrew Lienhard, piano | 5:00 |
| 08 | Zakes' Feelings | Zakes Gwaze, arr. Zakes Gwaze | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion | 6:01 |
| 09 | Naledi | John Selolwane, arr. John Selolwane | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion; Lamech Nwako, electric piano; Andrew Lienhard, piano | 5:35 |
| 10 | No Longer Strangers | Matt Dacso, arr. Matt Dacso | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion; John Selolwane, lead guitar | 5:23 |
| 11 | Early Love | Zakes Gwaze, arr. Zakes Gwaze | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, soprano saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion | 5:44 |
| 12 | Now's the Time | Matt Dacso, arr. Matt Dacso | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion | 5:52 |
| 13 | Funkganga | Matt Dacso, arr. Matt Dacso | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion; Andrew Lienhard, piano; John Metcalfe, percussion | 5:11 |
| 14 | Otse Jive | Matt Dacso, arr. Matt Dacso | Matt Dacso, tenor saxophone; Zakes Gwaze, guitar; Brian Nyakurukwa, bass; Lekofi Sejeso, electric piano; Andrew Chinganga, alto saxophone; Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe, drums; Dingalo Mpolaise, percussion | 3:37 |
PULSE OF THE KALAHARI
Feat. Andrew Chinganga alto saxophone
KHOLA
Feat. Andrew Chinganga alto saxophone
LOBOLA
Feat. Andrew Lienhard piano
John Metcalfe percussion
SUNDAY BREEZE
Feat. Andrew Lienhard piano
ZAKES’ FEELINGS
Feat. Lamech Nwako electric piano
Andrew Lienhard piano
EARLY LOVE
Feat. Andrew Chinganga soprano saxophone
FUNKGANGA
Feat. Andrew Lienhard piano
John Metcalfe percussion
OTSE JIVE
Feat. Andrew Chinganga alto saxophone
Recorded at Botswanacraft Studio in Gaborone, Botswana, except tracks 4, 7, 8, 13: recorded at Tracks Studios in Gaborone, Botswana. All tracks mixed at Wire Road Studios in Houston TX
Cover photos Khwezi Nsibande
RECORDING DATES
March 2019 — Tracks 1, 5, 6, 11, 14
June 2017 — Tracks 2, 3, 9, 10, 12,
March 2013 — Tracks 4, 7, 8, 13
Recording Session Producer Matt Dacso
Mixing Andy Bradley
RECORDING SESSION ENGINEERS
David “Skizo” Molosi (on tracks 4, 7, 8, 13), Maleho Makgothi & Kopano “Berry Bone” Boduwe (all other tracks)
Executive Producer Bob Lord
Executive A&R Sam Renshaw
A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Morgan Santos
VP, Audio Production Jeff LeRoy
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
Mastering Shaun Michaud
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Patrick Niland, Sara Warner
Artist Information
Trans-Kalahari Quintet
The TRANS-KALAHARI QUINTET (TKQ) is an instrumental Afro-jazz ensemble comprised of musicians from the United States, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The band was formed as a quintet by Arthur “Makhwenkwe” Mengwe in 2010, but has steadily added regular members and featured artists over the past decade of collaborative work.
Notes
HOME IS WHERE YOU MAKE IT.
It’s where your people are. It’s what gives you a sense of peace in an inconsistent and unpredictable world. Home is a feeling more than a place – it is a state of being, a sense of self, a unifying force of connectedness. Our journey home starts with music and ends with family. It’s the sound of our beautiful country of Botswana; the rhythms and chords that you might hear on an outdoor stage on a Sunday afternoon; the smiles and laughs as the crowd takes to the dance floor and glides to the beat. It brings us together in spite of oceans and man-made arbitrary border lines. This music is our common language – IT IS OUR LONG JOURNEY HOME. Join us.
We would like to acknowledge our friends and families for supporting us for all of these years. Ollie, Kevin, Khaya, and the staff from Botswanacraft, thank you for the space to record and play our music (and the excellent meals!). Skizo, Lex, and Berry – thanks for using your recording skills to breathe life into this music. Andy, this project would be nowhere without your phenomenal ear and your unparalleled mixing skills. To those who are no longer with us, Elliot, Malombo, Shabane, and too many others, robala ka kagiso. Finally, to all of the jazz artists in Botswana who have encouraged and inspired us over the years, we are forever grateful.
