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He then taught students the guitar in South Africa for the remainder of his career. Fourie formed a band with friends Johnny
Boshoff and Hennie Becker and played covers of John Mclaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra at The Branch Office club in Johannesburg. McLaughlin said of him: "Johnny Fourie is one
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in
Pretoria, and told his students about the Ellington audition: "This was the biggest test of my life. It was a make or break period. I could not read the notes and initially I was turned down, but when they heard me play they told me that they would like me to perform. I was very exhilarated, but
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After London, he returned to South Africa to go and practice the new style of jazz fusion, which began its growth during the 1970s. After this, he briefly settled in New York, where he worked with
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violinist at the Blue Boar Inn. He described the situation: "What I saw in Soho forced me to leave in
November on a boat destined for London with my wife and baby and about two hundred Rand".
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In 1961, Fourie took a boat to London. In the first two weeks, his money ran out and his wife was becoming desperate. Fourie then got his first gig playing with an
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had no ability to read music. I had two weeks to memorize four years of work. It was the moment of truth and I passed!"
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After this, Fourie become the resident guitarist for the esteemed jazz club, Ronnie Scott's. Here, he was exposed to
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music) bands, and he quickly gained recognition as a great guitarist in the
Johannesburg music scene of the 1950s.
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Johnny Fourie and his influence on the development of the jazz guitar in South Africa
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Beyond Memory: Recording the
History, Moments and Memories of South African Music
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At the age of 15, he left his parents' house in order to pursue his career in
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and Fourie wanted to imitate the sound of the musicians. After hearing the
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province of South Africa, his first passion for music came while watching
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101:. Following the end of apartheid, he became a professor of jazz at the
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by
Jonathan Crossley (first published in Rootz Magazine 2002)
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Jazz, Blues & Swing: Six
Decades of Music in South Africa
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A short while after this, Fourie auditioned for the
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148:of the greatest guitar players of our époque."
245:by Stefan Joubert (student of Johnny Fourie)
243:"Memories of a Guitar Master: Johnny Fourie"
144:, the famous British jazz/fusion guitarist.
93:fame, and worked in London with Ellington,
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216:; Master's thesis by Jonathan Crossley
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227:Johnny Fourie - a detailed biography
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201:, p. 151 (New Africa Books, 2007).
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62:playing. His first gigs were with
19:(1937 – 2007) was a South African
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259:South African jazz guitarists
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35:Growing up in the town of
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51:in 1949, he focused on
49:George Shearing Quintet
23:born in Postmas in the
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85:Ray Ellington Quartet
103:Technikon University
237:Mail & Guardian
193:Schadeberg, Jurgen
235:(20 August 2007,
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17:Jan Carel Fourie
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208:Further reading
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168:Mojapelo, Max.
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142:John McLaughlin
123:Freddie Hubbard
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131:Roland Kirk
119:René Thomas
95:Tubby Hayes
64:Boeremusiek
60:jazz guitar
253:Categories
152:References
111:Bill Evans
99:Roger Webb
53:jazz music
27:province.
127:Stan Getz
71:Afrikaans
31:Biography
233:Obituary
115:Jim Hall
41:Gauteng
39:in the
37:Benoni
133:and
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