Jazz it out

Smoke J Lawrence (born Nico Lawrence) is a simple man, family man, husband to Leanne Lawrence for twenty six years, as well as father to daughter Kyler and son Kallen. “I was born in Durban. We stayed in Wentworth until I was three years old”, he told Jazz It Out. His two elder sisters are Barbara and Leah. When he started climbing on the couches and windowsills, his family moved to his grandfather’s farm in Nqabeni.

As a pastor’s family, they got used to residing in different places. He has fond memories of Langalibalele, a place that was crucial in his music development. “That is where my music skills were honed as I played guitar with my father as he preached on the street or at church. I would play a 3 string guitar as he played rhythm guitar”, he recalls. Today, he is proficient in playing the bass and electric guitars. He is always proud to tell his peers that his father was his very first music teacher. His mother sang all the time and constantly heard music playing in the house.

Smoke J Lawrence. Picture by Lucky Msimang

He remembers some artists and genres that bring memories of his high school years. “I really enjoyed Reggae as we were discovering ourselves, and it brought that consciousness”, he said. Eric Donaldson, Peter Tosh, Lucky Dube and Bob Marley were artists whose music he enjoyed. He was also influenced by Gospel music, artists like Andrae Crouch, Derek Nzimande, Benjamin Dube as he grew up in a Christian family. Soul music was another favourite of his, the likes of Aretha Franklin, The O’Jays, The Commodores and Percy Sledge. “That influence came from my mother”, he added.

That long and diverse list of genres further included Vusi Ximba, Dire Straits and Rolling Stones. When he was at Grade 4, he discovered the captivating world of 12 bar Blues through Bob Dylan’s “Meet Me in the Morning”. His passion for Blues deepened when his brother in law Shirleigh introduced him to the music of B B King and Eric Clapton through cassette tapes. At that stage, his love for soccer briefly overshadowed his musical pursuits.

A visit he made to a venerable Pavillion Music Shop in Durban, where he bought his first instrument, changed his life completely. The shop that was selling musical instruments was not like any other, it was a magical haven where soulful serenades of the Blues could mend broken hearts, rekindle passions, and answer the most profound of life’s questions. On that historic visit, he bumped into Blues artist Black Jack. Black Jack asked the young Smoke if he could play the Blues, and his response was a reluctant ‘yes’.

Smoke’s debut album Bluesman Baby

Black Jack made a positive impact in his life, and is eternally grateful to him and God for that. “I tell him all the time because he invested so much in me, especially from a mentorship perspective. He always gives me valuable advice”, he confesses. Whenever he is trying to make a musical move, he runs it by him and receives guidance on how to proceed. “Every song goes to him for approval or tweak”, he added.

Smoke likes the Blues for its authenticity. “You deliver the music uncompromisingly, raw and real. The instruments and the people feel it. The audience understands it because it’s about challenges we are facing or experiences we’ve been through, good or bad”, he explained. It’s the music that speaks to the soul, he firmly believes. “When our people were turned into slaves, we carried something that we genetically have, that is Call and Response. From war cries, strikes and even sports. There is a unifying power that creates resistance and strength”, he asserted.

Since turning professional, he has worked with a variety of musicians, locally and internationally. One of the major decisions he made in his life was to relocate from Durban to Johannesburg, with the blessing of his wife. “Leanne is the most important person I’ve met in my life. She is my pillar of strength, always supportive and a genuine friend”, he affirmed. The relocation was influenced by some setbacks in Durban, and felt a move to a new territory was necessary. Moving to the Golden City has been truly rewarding for the energetic and passionate creative.

His second album Stop Blaming the Blues

Some of the musicians he has shared the stage with locally include Dan Patiansky and The Black Cat Bones. Internationally, he has shared the stage with Charlie Love (US), Fiona Bayes (Australia), Vasti Jackson (US), Sarah Gee N Ramblin Matt (Spain), Yamil Jacobo (Argentina), Dik Banovich (France) and many others. He always incorporate his own sound and identity into the Blues. Some of his songs have the Maskandi flavour such as “Going to Nqabeni” and “Bluesman Baby”.

Smoke has released two albums, “Bluesman Baby” (2023) and “Stop Blaming the Blues” (2024). He has further released several singles and has been featured as a guitarist on a few projects. One of his latest releases is a tune “Once and Always”, which is a dedication to supporters of Orlando Pirates, his favourite soccer club. Together with his wife, they run a cross cultural movement through the Blues, taking local and international musicians to perform, interact and break bread with audiences and musicians of different ethnic backgrounds and cultures.

They also hosted the Motherland International Blues and Jazz Festival, held in Soweto in 2024. It created a platform for Blues artists who rarely get a chance to showcase their talent and exposure through their participation. The festival was 90% self-funded. It’s lineup of musicians included the likes of Kingdom Thobela (Eswatini), Owura Kay (Ghana), South African artists Themba Msomi, The Williams Family, and Ian King Msomi, to name but a few.

He did his first cross cultural international tour in 2019, hosted in Argentina. “I worked with an Argentinian band in a five city tour”, he recalls. Smoke also did live recording of two of his songs, “Educated Fool” and “Grooving in Edenvale”. The Yamil Jacobo Trio came back to South Africa with him where they embarked on a tour, taking the Blues to the townships. They performed in Katlehong, Soweto, Norwood, Fourways and ended in Durban. That was when the Smoke Train Blues Movement SA officially begun. When xenophobia raises its ugly head, he invites musicians from different African countries to promote unity and diversity. Currently, the Smoke Train Movement SA comprises of drummer Robert Domojan, bassist Lehlohonolo Ledwaba and Gabriel Stuurman on ivory keys.

Crowned the African King of the Blues by the Siphiwe Msimango Foundation in June 2023, Smoke continues to contribute to the Blues in Africa and is regarded as a cultural ambassador for the genre in the continent. His favourite South African musicians are Brenda Fassie, Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, Nathi and Big Zulu. Internationally, he would love to meet Buddy Guy. “He just turned 89 years old and has truly inspired me and my music”, he said. Smoke also likes B B King, Albert King, Freddie King and Albert Collins. All his social media accounts are Smoke J Lawrence. Visit his website www.smokejlawrence.com