Jazz it out

He was raised in a pastor’s house from a family that is very musical.  He describes his father’s voice as one of the most powerful he has ever heard and thinks his mother has a unique approach to music.  As a young child, he would listen to his parents sing duets and would imitate them.  When he left his hometown, he initially wanted to pursue a career in acting.  However, his brother advised him to learn music which would enable him to do film scoring.

Gally Ngoveni. Picture by Palesa Radebe

Multi instrumentalist, singer, song writer and performer Gally Ngoveni was born at Gawula village in Giyani, Limpopo.  He is the fourth child of Dr S E and Mrs H E Ngoveni.  His siblings are sisters Nyikani, Amukelani, El Shaddai and brother Vutomi.  He plays electric bass, upright bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, percussions, drums, marimba and vibraphone with proficiency.  “My brother plays electric guitar and is learning violin.  My three sisters have beautiful singing voices”, he told Jazz It Out.

As a young man, one of his responsibilities was herding livestock.  The family of the well respected pastor in Giyani would always sing together which made them very close.  His interest in music began one New Year’s eve when some choristers were late for the service and his mother asked him if he could lead in a song while waiting for their arrival.  “It was an amazing experience and I decided to sing on a daily basis”, he recalls.  He also began to play some church hymns on the keyboard which he found very fascinating.

Outside church, he was enjoying the music of Bryan Adams, Michael Jackson, DMX, Jeff Maluleke, James Blunt and Elvis Presley.  After finishing high school, Gally decided to leave for Pretoria with a career in acting as his primary goal.  “I wanted to star in films and create music that would be the soundtrack for such movies”, he said.  His brother Vutomi advised him to take music more seriously which would help with film scoring.  He is very grateful to for the support of his parents and siblings in this important chapter in his life.

His debut album Swiganga

In 2007, he registered for music lessons at The Vusi Mahlasela Foundation.  “That’s when I started playing bass guitar although my initial plan was to learn piano and music theory”, he said.  He also studied music through the University of South Africa (UNISA).  One of the musicians who played a critical role as mentor and coach in his career in renowned guitarist Selaelo Selota whom he performs with regularly.  Selota and his ensemble are known for electrifying performances that always send audiences in a frenzy.

While studying at The Vusi Mahlasela Foundation, Gally joined The Exclusive as its bassist.  “It was my very first experience of playing bass in a band setting”, he recalls.  The second group that he joined was Jazz Revolution which played Gospel music that was fused with Jazz.  He was the group’s pianist and jazz was a completely new experience which he found fulfilling.  SOCA is another group he joined which comprised of individuals that were teaching music at School Of Creative Arts. Most of SOCA members would later be part of Quest where Gally was a bassist and vocalist.

His debut album titled “Swiganga” was released in 2013.  “This was an album with a shoestring budget where I played all the instruments and did vocals”, he said.  It was made possible with the help of his friend Aubrey Makamu and sisters Amukelani and El Shaddai who funded its print and release.  The message he conveyed through the recording was that music can still be produced irrespective of who is part of its creation.  Songs were deliberately meant to uplift.  “Swiganga” means an uphill battle that can be conquered if one is focused.

His second album The Echoes of Magobe

In 2018, he won The Emirates Pursuit of Jazz competition which he found extremely tight and got to perform at the famous Blue Note Jazz Club.  He won the competition together with trombonist Siya Charles whom he describes as one of the most unique and gifted musicians, currently residing in New York.  In that year, Gally released the single “Mhani Ntsongo” which means my mother’s younger sister or the wife to my father’s younger brother in XiTsonga.

“The Echoes of Magobe” is his second album that was released in 2022.  It is a project he put together to reflect the story of his life.  He grew up next to the river called Magobe which is between 400 and 500 metres from his father’s house.  “I spent most of childhood in that river and would imagine doing things I do today as a youngster sitting on the bank of that river”, he explained.  He would daydream about making music and movies while the water was flowing.  The entire album is dedicated to Magobe river.

For him to survive in the industry, it’s important to work with different musicians. He finds the whole experience exciting and tricky at the same time.  The music audience is very diverse with different expectations.  Being versatile is not easy by his own admission but is always ready to find new ways every time he meets new people.  Once musicians know what it expected of them, things become a bit easier.  “Those who find it difficult are not doing it right”, he asserted.

Gally wants to work with more musicians, make more collaborations and make movies going forward.  Locally, his favourite musicians are Msaki, Tshepo Tsotetsi, Tshepo Monareng, Thapelo Khumisi, Sam Ibeh, Selaelo Selota, Leagan Starchild, Pops Mohamed, Mpumi Dhlamini, Gontse Makhene, and Peter Djamba.  Internationally, his favourite musicians are Joe Zawinul, The Weeknd, Paco Sery, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Karo Ndoite, Jaco Pastorius, Oscar Peterson.  “I am fan of bass players Étienne M’Bappe, Richard Bona, Victor Bailey, Linely Marthe and Victor Wooten”, he concluded.

He has played with Jeff Maluleke (SA), Bholoja (Eswatini), Waje (Nigeria), Femi Koya (Nigeria), Pops Mohamed (SA), Msaki (SA), Velemseni (Eswatini), Mbuso Khoza (SA), Selaelo Selota (SA) and many more. His versatility saw him play the role of actor and dancer in plays “The Urgency”, “Champion” and “The Noble Man”.  When he is not composing, recording and performing, he enjoys dancing and is into martial arts.  His Facebook Page is Gally Ngoveni.  Follow him on Instagram @gallymusic and Gally Ngoveni on Tik Tok.