Biography
Led by South African trombonist Malcolm Jiyane, the Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O merges jazz and traditional African music with strands of pop, funk, and R&B. That approach recalls the spirit of African musical legends such as Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim, and it first reached listeners on the 2021 release Umdali. The ensemble followed with True Story in 2024.
Jiyane’s personal history mirrors the band’s own path. Born in 1982 in Katlehong, a township in South Africa’s Gauteng Province, he faced early hardship when his mother placed him with relatives at age six. He soon dropped out of school and supported himself as a street parking attendant. At thirteen he encountered legendary trumpeter and music-school founder Bra Johnny Mekoa, who spotted his talent, arranged shelter at a local children’s home, and enrolled him at the Gauteng Music Academy. There Jiyane progressed rapidly, beginning on drums, shifting to piano, and ultimately settling on trombone.
In 2007 he assembled the Tree-O with fellow Gauteng Academy graduates drummer Kgorogile Makgatle and bassist Senzo Nxumalo. The group became regulars on Johannesburg’s lively club circuit. Jiyane also collaborated with Future History, GSand, and Plantation Miners, and he recorded alongside Herbie Tsoaeli and Tumi Mogorosi. He contributed key pieces to the soundtrack of the 2017 film UPRIZE!, which chronicles the 1976 Soweto student protests. Just as the Tree-O gained momentum, Nxumalo passed away, plunging Jiyane into a depression that nearly ended his musical work.
During this unsettled time, Jiyane’s daughter was born, an event that drew him back to performing. He assembled an expanded Tree-O lineup and issued his debut album Umdali in 2020, its cover bearing an image of his young child. Captured in two days of informal jamming, the record earned widespread praise and drew comparisons to the styles of Hugh Masekela and Miles Davis. Among its tracks was “Senzo seNkosi,” written in memory of his late bandmate.
Jiyane returned in 2024 with the Tree-O’s second album, True Story. More structured and story-driven than its predecessor, the record explicitly mined events from his own life.
Jiyane’s personal history mirrors the band’s own path. Born in 1982 in Katlehong, a township in South Africa’s Gauteng Province, he faced early hardship when his mother placed him with relatives at age six. He soon dropped out of school and supported himself as a street parking attendant. At thirteen he encountered legendary trumpeter and music-school founder Bra Johnny Mekoa, who spotted his talent, arranged shelter at a local children’s home, and enrolled him at the Gauteng Music Academy. There Jiyane progressed rapidly, beginning on drums, shifting to piano, and ultimately settling on trombone.
In 2007 he assembled the Tree-O with fellow Gauteng Academy graduates drummer Kgorogile Makgatle and bassist Senzo Nxumalo. The group became regulars on Johannesburg’s lively club circuit. Jiyane also collaborated with Future History, GSand, and Plantation Miners, and he recorded alongside Herbie Tsoaeli and Tumi Mogorosi. He contributed key pieces to the soundtrack of the 2017 film UPRIZE!, which chronicles the 1976 Soweto student protests. Just as the Tree-O gained momentum, Nxumalo passed away, plunging Jiyane into a depression that nearly ended his musical work.
During this unsettled time, Jiyane’s daughter was born, an event that drew him back to performing. He assembled an expanded Tree-O lineup and issued his debut album Umdali in 2020, its cover bearing an image of his young child. Captured in two days of informal jamming, the record earned widespread praise and drew comparisons to the styles of Hugh Masekela and Miles Davis. Among its tracks was “Senzo seNkosi,” written in memory of his late bandmate.
Jiyane returned in 2024 with the Tree-O’s second album, True Story. More structured and story-driven than its predecessor, the record explicitly mined events from his own life.
Albums
Singles
