Soweto native Jabu Khanyile, a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, fronts the eight-piece ensemble Bayete, merging distinctly South African rhythmic foundations with jazz's emphasis on improvisation and expressive range. A sweeping personnel shift in 1993 left only Khanyile from the original roster, yet Bayete has sustained its position among the most highly regarded acts in South African music. The title track from their 1994 album MmaloWe earned the South African Music Award for Song of the Year, which in turn brought Khanyile the Best Male Performer designation and producer Thapelo Kgome—who had previously supported Paul Simon on Graceland—the Best Producer accolade.
Music became Khanyile's refuge after losing his mother in his teens and growing up with a playboy father whose passion for mbube led to weekly impromptu a cappella gatherings; those experiences encouraged the young Khanyile to master guitar and drums independently. He departed school at fourteen for work at a bottling plant, but soon entered his older brother's group, the Editions. When several members quit months later, Khanyile assembled new players, and the band's vibrant sound quickly elevated the Editions to the forefront of Soweto acts. Just as a recording contract arrived and debut sessions approached, exile removed multiple musicians, forcing another reorganization.
The Editions' first single, "Izinvembezi (My Tears)," proved a major commercial success, moving more than 150,000 copies across South Africa. The group nevertheless collapsed before completing a second album. Khanyile subsequently brought Bayete into the Movers, where their opening release, "Inhlonipho," registered as a hit until internal tensions prompted his departure. He then launched Bayete as his own project, delivering the debut album Mbombela in 1987 and, three years later, the follow-up Harayeng Haye, which featured the anthemic single "Mbube."
