Sankomota is an
Afro
The afro is a hair style created by combing out natural growth of afro-textured hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" '' Ebo ...
-
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
fusion band formed in 1976 in
Lesotho
Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...
. The band consisted of several members in its earliest years; Frank Leepa (guitarist, vocalist, arranger, composer), Moss Nkofo (drummer), Black Jesus (percussion), Moruti Selate (bass),
Tsepo Tshola (lead vocalist and composer), and Pitso Sera (guitar), among others. Sankomota was managed by Peter B. Scheider until 1979. Later, under the management of Leepa, Sankomota's career spanned out over two decades.
History
Frank Leepa, also known as the Captain, started the band in school, calling it Anti Antiques. The band later changed its name to Uhuru, meaning 'freedom' in
Swahili. However, due to the popularity of
Black Uhuru from Jamaica, under the advisement of Schneider, the band decided to change their name again in order to avoid confusion. The name 'Sankomota' was chosen due to its symbolism, meaning phantom or poltergeist in the
Sesotho language
Sotho (), also known as ''Sesotho'' (), Southern Sotho, or ''Sesotho sa Borwa'' is a Southern Bantu language spoken in Lesotho as its national language and South Africa where it is an official language.
Like all Bantu languages, Sesotho is ...
, as well as it being the name of a warrior from the
Basotho
The Sotho (), also known as the Basotho (), are a Sotho-Tswana ethnic group indigenous to Southern Africa. They primarily inhabit the regions of Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.
The ancestors of the Sotho people are believed to h ...
and
Bapedi
The Pedi or - also known as the Northern Sotho, Basotho ba Lebowa, bakgatla ba dithebe, Transvaal Colony, Transvaal Sotho, Marota, or Dikgoshi - are a Sotho-Tswana peoples, Sotho-Tswana ethnic group native to South Africa, Botswana, and Leso ...
people during the reign of
King Moshoeshoe. Sankomota was the first band to record an LP in Lesotho. They were recorded by Lloyd Ross and Warrick Sony of
Shifty Records on November 11, 1983. The album was self-titled, and it had nine tracks that collectively ran under 50 minutes long.
In 1991,
Tsepo Tshola, the band's lead singer, left to pursue a solo career. In 1996, on the way to
Cape Town
Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, the band suffered a road accident that killed unnamed members of the band.
Frank Leepa died on 27 November 2003
and Tshola died of COVID related complications on 15 July 2021.
Discography
* ''Sankomota'' (1983)
* ''Madhouse'' (1984)
* ''Dreams Do Come True'' (1987)
* ''The Writing on the Wall'' (1989)
* ''Exploration a New Phase'' (1991)
* ''The Best of 1981-1991'' (1995)
* ''Frankly Speaking'' (2001)
* ''After the Storm'' (2001)
* ''Ngwana Moshangane'' (2021)
* ''Piano For Kings'' (2022)
* ''Disatlo Bowa'' (2022)
* ''Change Marobalo'' ''Ep'' (2023)
* ''Pelo Yaka'' (2023)
References
* Born For Greatness, Biography of Frank Leepa
External links
Peter Schneider*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sankomota
1976 establishments in Lesotho
20th-century Lesotho musicians
Lesotho musical groups
Jazz fusion ensembles