New Remix Feat. Errol Dyers

The late Errol Dyers contributed substantially to the album called, Musical Democracy by The Cape Jazz Band (CJB) project.  He played guitar on numerous other albums, including those of Basil Coetzee and Robbie Jansen. However his work on the CJB release may have been the last album he worked on before his untimely passing on 21 July, two years ago.

Errol Dyers (c) Songwrights Publishers

One of the songs on that album is a song brought by Stephen Erasmus to the songwriting session.  He called to ABREM. The others at that session were band leader and drummer Jack Momple, Ramon Alexander on keyboards, Stephen on bass and Errol on acoustic guitar.

Link to a clip of the songwriting session -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvJfcnLHOIw

It was a bluesy down tempo track with a Gospel feel to start with, which the quartet jazzed up a bit in the re-arrangement, as the day when on.

Stephen Erasmus (c) Songwrights Publishers

Stephen did not initially tell us what ABREM meant. Only when we got to the recording at Milestone Studios, did he say that those are the initials of Alex (van Heerden), Basil (Coetzee), Robbie (Jansen), Ezra (Ngcukana) and (Winston) Mankunku, all departed friends.


The first arrangement of the song featured a moody drum intro of several bars long from Jack and then the band came in.  The song lasted for nearly 9 minutes of groove, solos and repeated heads.



At the studio Errol swopped to his electric guitar and did a short rehearsal of the beginning of the song as a sound check of sorts. Engineer, Murray Anderson happened to recorded it and I later decided it should become the intro to the song.

Once on the electric guitar, Errol made the song his own, being the strongest melody instrument.  During the take of the bass, Stephen sang along as a guide. Not all the lyrics were there yet, which was not necessary for a guide.

L to R, Errol, Stephen and Ramon - 26th July 2012 - Milestone Studios
(c) Songwrights Publishers.

Murray, who did the final mix and co-produced the album with me, came up with a mix including Stephen's vocal guide and we decided to go with that version on the album. Although it fitted the album package, I felt it did not realise it's full potential and should feature Errol more to do so.

Not long after Errol's passing Allou April suggested we do a tribute track, but it did not come off. I later thought we should re-do the ABREM track. Murray did the re-mix and edit, turning it into a blues guitar instrumental. We cut the track down to almost half its original length and pushed up the guitar a bit, as well as a few other changes to the geography.

To honour the memory of Errol we have re-named the new version of the cut, ABREM (Departed Friends), and will release it shortly before the anniversary of his passing.

Download link - https://music.apple.com/jp/album/a-b-r-e-m-departed-friends-single/1464991020?l=en

Download link to the CJB album - https://music.apple.com/jp/album/musical-democracy/686872386?l=en




Paddy Lee-Thorp, June 2019