Mogauwane Mahloele is a master musician and teacher who lives and works in the Philadelphia area. I have known him since about 1994 and have had the pleasure of working with him on numerous art projects over the years. What struck me about him and continues to stand out for me is his commitment and conviction to his work. He is one of the most intensely serious artists that I know. He sees himself at work not only for himself as an individual, but also for his people and by extension for my people as well.
  He is a master drummer in the Ba-Pedi tradition of South Africa. The Ba-Pedi are one of the lesser known clans of southern Africa. Americans are aware of the Zulu and the Xhosa, yet the Ba-Pedi clan`s number total into the millions. To become a master drummer in the motherland, is to be an incredibly skilled drummer of course, but one must also become an instrument maker; a woodsman, a carver, a sculptor, a painter, a vocalist, a dancer and an actor. These diverse skills inform the music and thus the life of Mogauwane Mahloele.
  As a traditionally trained African artist Mogauwane brings various disciplines and insights to the American experience. But, what also sets him apart from many African based percussionists, is the South African traditions of improvisation. With a history of sophisticated improvisers and instrumentalists, South African musicians have extended the vocabularies of Jazz and international popular music. This puts them in the precarious predicament of simultaneously being traditional artists and modern artists.

Homer Jackson
Artist, Writer & Teacher
Philadelphia, PA