Paul Hanmer is a South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n composer, pianist and one of its foremost jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 musicians.

In 1987 Hanmer moved to Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...

 where he formed Unofficial Language with drummer Ian Herman

Ian Herman

Ian Herman is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton and Richmond in the Australian Football League .-External links:* at Blueseum...

 and bassist Pete Sklair. The group has released two albums, Moves Moves and Primal Steps.

Influenced by Keith Jarrett

Keith Jarrett

Keith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...

, Hanmer has worked with artists including Grammy Award winner Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist....

, Hugh Masekela

Hugh Masekela

Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...

, Jonathan Butler

Jonathan Butler

Jonathan Butler is a singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music is often classified as R&B, jazz fusion or worship music.-Biography:...

, Pops Mohamed

Pops Mohamed

Ismael Mohamed-Jan is a respected South African multi-instrumentalist, jazz musician and producer.Born 10 December 1949 in Benoni, Gauteng Pops Mohamed's career in music was the logical outcome of an early exposure at Dorkay House to the likes of Abdullah Ibrahim and Kippie Moeketsi. He started...

, Sipho Gumede, and McCoy Mrubata.

Since 2003 Hanmer has also been composing works for classical performers: UnTsiki and Ntwazana (2003) for The Bow Project, a string quartet for the Sontonga Quartet, a wind quintet for the Mozart anniversary in 2006, a clarinet quintet for Robert Pickup, a suite of duets for double bass and cello for Leon Bosch, a piece for two tubas and drumkit for Anne Jelle Visser of the Zurich Opera, and two duets for violin and harp.

Solo discography

• Trains to Taung
  Trains to Taung
  Trains to Taung is the debut album of jazz pianist Paul Hanmer, containing a mixture of minimalist jazz and African umbaqanga sounds. Named for the home of Taung Child, the album was an immediate hit upon its release in 1997.-Track listing:...
  
  (1997)
• Window To Elsewhere (1998)
• Playola (2000)
• Naïvasha (2002)
• Water and Lights
  Water and lights
  Water and Lights is the fifth album by the jazz pianist Paul Hanmer. It is more reminiscent of Abdullah Ibrahim than Keith Jarrett especially with occasional guitar moments that evoke echoes of George Benson...
  
  (2004)

Interview

• "Pointless Breakfasts at Belem, Kensington, Johannesburg": Michael Blake interviews Paul Hanmer, 5 May 2005 in NewMusicSA Issue 5 & 6 (2006-2007), 1-7

See also

• Cape jazz
  Cape jazz
  Cape jazz is a genre of jazz, similar to the popular music style known as marabi, though more improvisational in character, which is performed in the very southern part of Africa...