Pops Mohamed

South African jazz musician

Pops Mohamed (born Ismail Mohamed-Jan) is a South African multi-instrumentalist, jazz musician and producer.

Born in Benoni, Gauteng, Pops Mohamed had a career in music that was the logical outcome of an early exposure at Dorkay House to the likes of Abdullah Ibrahim and Kippie Moeketsi. Mohamed's father was a Muslim of Portuguese and Indian heritage and his mother was of Xhosa and Khoisan heritage.^[1] He grew up in the Indian community of Johannesburg. He started his first band The Valiants, at the age of 14. Known by fans as the "Minister of Music",^[2] he plays a wide variety of instruments:^[3]^[4] African mouth bow, bird whistle, berimbau, didgeridoo, guitar, keyboard, kora, and the thumb piano. He is also known for his wide range of musical styles which include kwela, pop, and soul.^[5] He produced Finding One's Self, the late Moses Taiwa Molelekwa's award-winning album. Pops has received a lifetime achievement award in 2023 pops is also known for visiting a wide number of countries

Pops has also performed regularly with and sits on the board of the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra Company

Pops has 3 children,7 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren

Discography

Kalamazoo - 1991
Sophiatown Society - 1992 (with Morris Goldberg)
Ancestral Healing - 1995
How Far Have We Come - 1996
Music With No Name - 1996
Society Vibes - 1997 (with McCoy Mrubatha)
Timeless - 1997
Millennium Experience - 2000 (with Zena Edwards)
Pops Mohamed Meets "The LondonSound Collective" - 1999
Africa Meltdown - 2001
Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow - 2002
Mood Africa - 2005

References

^ "Pops Mohamed", The Orbit.
^ culturebase.net Archived 16 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine
^ Hawkins, Seton. "Kalamazoo - Kalamazoo 2". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
^ Jacobson, Nils (22 December 2003). "South Africa: Sheer Sound". All About Jazz. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
^ "Pops Mohamed Biography". Sheer Sound. Archived August 7, 2005, at the Wayback Machine