The South African All-Stars Tony Cedras
The South African All-Stars Member Bios Tony Cedras BORN in Elsies River, Cape Town in 1952, Tony Cedras is a sought after session player who has toured the world as part of the Gracelands show band, and before that, as a member of Amandla cultural ensemble in exile. Cedras' first musical experiences were in the local church choir, singing and also playing accordion. He soon progressed to trumpet, taking in the local jazz scene, as well as the American jazz influences prominent in South Africa at that time. Cedras became a key session player in the Cape jazz circuit, working with artists such as Jonathan Butler, tenor saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi, altoist Robbie Jansen, flautist/guitarist Russel Herman, and bassist Basil Moses. The Estudio project, together with Robbie Jansen and others was acknowledged as a highlight of this period. After touring inside South Africa, Cedras relocated to Gaborone, in the neighbouring state of Botswana in the early 1980's. At that stage, Botswana was a home-away-from-home for many exiles, and it was here that he met trombonist/bandleader Jonas Gwangwa. Gwangwa was the musical director of the Amandla ensemble of the ANC, which Cedras joined, travelling not only in Africa, but also in Europe, Canada and Brazil. While working with Amandla, Cedras spent time in London, where he made contact with other South African artists who were part of the ex-patriot South African music scene. He moved there in 1985, and soon formed the group Kintone, a band which "explored the common musical ground between its West Indian and South African membership".
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