Cousin Wash & Ndiko - 1971 - Cousin Wash the Story Teller & Ndiko the Musician

Cousin Wash & Ndiko

1971

The Environmental Studies Project presents Cousin Wash the Story Teller & Ndiko the Musician

01. Adam's Innocence

02. How My Black Sway-Back Pony Became Sway-Back

03. The Butterfly Trees

04. Dory Miller

Recorded At – Lincoln Intermediate School, Berkeley, CA

Bass – Bill

Electric Bass – Kent

Flute – Splunky

Flute, Percussion – Kenneth Nash

Percussion – Hassan

Piano, Percussion – Ndiko

Soprano Saxophone – Splunky

Vibraphone – Ron

Recorded at Lincoln Intermediate School Berkeley, California, March 25 & 26, 1971.

The Enigmatic Legacy of The Environmental Studies Project Presents Cousin Wash The Story Teller & Ndiko The Musician (1971)

In 1971, a rare and obscure private pressing emerged from the vibrant countercultural jazz scene of the United States: The Environmental Studies Project Presents Cousin Wash The Story Teller & Ndiko The Musician. This album, a collaboration between Cousin Wash and Ndikho Xaba, remains one of the most elusive artifacts of South African expatriate music and spiritual jazz. Self-released on the Berco label in a limited run—likely fewer than 500 copies—it has since become a collector’s treasure, with one copy reportedly selling for $595.29 USD in 2022. Beyond its rarity, the album represents a fascinating intersection of storytelling, avant-garde jazz, and the socio-political currents of its time, reflecting the creative defiance of Ndikho Xaba, a South African exile, and his collaborator, the lesser-documented Cousin Wash.

Ndikho Xaba’s journey to this album is a story of resilience and reinvention. Born in 1934 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Xaba grew up in a musically rich but politically oppressive environment under apartheid. A self-taught musician who began with the penny whistle, he became involved with the African National Congress (ANC), which drew the attention of the apartheid regime’s Special Branch. Facing increasing danger, Xaba went into internal exile within South Africa before leaving the country in 1964 as part of the cast of Sponono, a play by Alan Paton that briefly ran on Broadway. Choosing to remain in the U.S. rather than return to apartheid’s grip, Xaba embarked on a 34-year exile, during which he immersed himself in America’s radical jazz underground.

By 1971, Xaba had settled in San Francisco, a hub of the spiritual jazz movement, where he connected with luminaries like Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and Sun Ra. It was here that he met Nomusa, his wife and collaborator, and formed musical partnerships that blended African traditions with the avant-garde and Black Power ideologies of the era. That same year, Xaba released Ndikho Xaba and The Natives, a groundbreaking LP that fused South African rhythms with American free jazz, featuring musicians like Plunky Nkabinde (later of Oneness of Juju) and Lon Moshe. Around this time, he also collaborated with Cousin Wash on The Environmental Studies Project, a project that remains shrouded in mystery due to its scarcity and lack of widespread documentation.

Little is known about Cousin Wash, who is credited as “The Story Teller” on the album. The title suggests a division of roles—Wash as the narrative voice and Xaba as “The Musician”—hinting at a multimedia or conceptual work that paired spoken word with Xaba’s innovative instrumentation. Xaba was known for crafting his own instruments, such as a horn made from giant tubular seaweed, which he used to haunting effect on Ndikho Xaba and The Natives. It’s plausible that similar experimental elements appeared on this album, though without access to the recording itself, this remains an educated inference. The involvement of other musicians—possibly including Bill (bass), Ken Shabala (electric bass), Kenneth Nash (flute and percussion), Plunky Nkabinde (flute and soprano saxophone), Hassan (percussion), and Lon Moshe (vibraphone), as listed in some sources—suggests a collective effort akin to Xaba’s other 1971 project.

The album’s title, The Environmental Studies Project Presents Cousin Wash The Story Teller & Ndiko The Musician, evokes themes of ecological awareness and cultural storytelling, aligning with the countercultural ethos of the early 1970s. This was a period when environmentalism was gaining traction alongside movements for racial and social justice, and Xaba’s work often bridged these concerns. His music was never purely aesthetic; it was a vehicle for resistance, connecting the anti-apartheid struggle with the Black Power movement. The “Environmental Studies Project” framing could indicate a pedagogical intent, perhaps aimed at educating listeners about African heritage or environmental consciousness through art. However, without liner notes or surviving commentary from Xaba or Wash, this interpretation remains speculative.

Musically, the album likely embodied the spiritual jazz aesthetic Xaba championed—layered percussion, improvisational freedom, and a fusion of African and American influences. Collectors and enthusiasts describe it as a “spiritual jazz” work, a label supported by its high market value and the precedent set by Ndikho Xaba and The Natives. That album featured tracks like “Nomusa,” a tribute to his wife with a slow Afro-Latin groove, and “Makhosi,” a tone poem evoking ancestral history. The Environmental Studies Project may have followed a similar path, with Cousin Wash’s storytelling providing a narrative thread to Xaba’s sonic explorations. The rarity of the pressing, however, means few have heard it, leaving its exact sound and structure a matter of conjecture.

The album’s obscurity raises questions about its production and distribution. Private pressings like this one were often funded by the artists themselves, with limited runs reflecting financial constraints or a deliberate choice to target a niche audience—perhaps Xaba’s fellow exiles, jazz aficionados, or activists. Its survival as a vinyl relic, traded among collectors on platforms like Discogs, underscores its cult status but also highlights a broader issue: the marginalization of Black avant-garde artists in mainstream music narratives. While Xaba’s contemporaries like Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba achieved commercial success, Xaba’s commitment to the underground kept him on the fringes, his work preserved more by chance than design.

Critically examining this album challenges the establishment narrative that often prioritizes polished, widely distributed records over raw, independent efforts. The Environmental Studies Project embodies a DIY ethos and a refusal to conform, qualities that resonate with Xaba’s life story. Its high resale value today—far exceeding the cost of many mainstream jazz LPs from the era—suggests a belated recognition of its worth, yet this appreciation remains confined to a small circle of collectors rather than a broader public. This disparity invites reflection on whose stories and sounds are canonized and why.

In the context of Xaba’s career, this 1971 collaboration with Cousin Wash stands as a testament to his versatility and vision. It complements Ndikho Xaba and The Natives by showcasing his ability to meld music with other art forms, like storytelling, and to collaborate with figures outside the typical jazz pantheon. Though less documented, it shares the revolutionary spirit of his better-known work, linking African diasporic traditions with the radical currents of its time. For Xaba, music was a lifeline—an expression of exile, identity, and hope—and this album, however obscure, is a vital piece of that legacy.

Ultimately, The Environmental Studies Project Presents Cousin Wash The Story Teller & Ndiko The Musician is more than a rare vinyl; it’s a whisper from a turbulent era, preserved in grooves that few have heard but many now seek. Its scarcity fuels its mystique, but its true value lies in what it represents: a defiant, creative act by two artists navigating the margins of a world in flux. As with much of Xaba’s output, it demands we listen beyond the mainstream, to the voices that history nearly silenced.