Black Disco

Black Disco were a South African Afro-jazz/funk band that released three albums on The Sun (الشمس) label between 1975 and 1976. The band’s second album, Night Express, has gained a cult audience since its 2016 reissue on Matsuli Music. Included in the lineup was Dollar Brand saxist Basil Coetzee, who played concurrently in Pacific Express.

Members: Pops Mohamed (organ, guitar), Sipho Gumede (bass), Basil Coetzee (flute, tenor saxophone), Peter Morake (drums), Monty Weber (drums, bongos), Richard Peters (bass)

The core of Coetzee, Pops Mohamed, and Sipho Gumede followed up Black Disco with the jazz sextet Movement in the City. Gumede simultaneously appeared in the jazz-funk septet Spirits Rejoice and later emerged in Sakhile. Mohamed became a prolific solo artist during the 1990s. Meanwhile, Monty Weber played on several late-’70s albums by Dollar Brand.

Discography:

• Black Disco (1975)
• Night Express (1976)
• Black Disco 3 (1976)