A first ever – and most welcome – reissue for this landmark 1975 SA township jazz album. Curiously enough, for such an important recording, nobody – including producer Patric van Blerk – can remember who actually played on the session; the line-up printed above has been pieced together by experts, and the only nailed-on certainties are Kwela himself, and alto man Moeketsi. Perhaps that’s appropriate because the guitarist, who died in 2003 aged 66, was always a fleeting, enigmatic figure.

No matter, this is a ‘genre-defining record’, according to the press blurb, and for once, they’re not wrong. Kwela mixed the smooth virtuosity of Wes Montegomery and George Benson with home-grown marabi, an underground music made by black SA miners throughout the 20th century and associated with after-work drinking/partying culture. The LP comprises four Kwela originals, all of them strong compositions featuring his chugging, chunky rhythm and lead guitar; unselfishly, the composer allows his stellar sidemen to constantly shine. Catchy, muscular, energetic, joyous – and, incidentally, an influence on Paul Simon’s Graceland 11 years later – Black Beauty is a must-have for SA jazz lovers.