Piano Afrika 2 - Isak Roux Honky Tonk Solo

Honky Tonk Solo represents an extension of certain themes and musical styles earlier explored in Piano Afrika (2001). Imagine the smoke-dimmed atmosphere of saloon bars and pubs at the turn of the 19th century, with fortune-hunters chatting, gambling or sometimes brooding alone, accompanied by the sounds of mechanical pianos or the bouncing rhythms of the saloon uprights. Imagine the excited expectation - or silent disappointment - of the South African gold rush era, and the music that became part of its spirit.

In this album Isak Roux recreates this and the later jazz age, incorporating melodies from traditional Cape-Malay and Afrikaans folk songs, in styles as authentic now as they were then: honky tonk, ragtime, stride.

Roux recorded this selection in his own lounge on an appropriately tuned 1938 Schiedmayer piano. The fact that the mixing took place without electronic intrusion adds to the intimate, non-commercial quality of this collection.

Piano Afrika 2

first released 2002