Family, friends and fellow musicians gathered to pay their last respects to world renowned trumpeter and flugelhornist, Fezile Feya Faku in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. Faku passed away at the age of 63 while touring in Switzerland.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Gift Ngqondi expressed mixed emotions as they are happy with the support after his passing but are saddened by the fact that he had more support abroad than in his home country.
“One of the things we have not done as South Africans is to appreciate Feya as a world-renowned trumpeter because most of the time Feya has been traveling across the globe. Whether he is attending the North Sea Jazz Festival, whether he was in Switzerland, or Norway and these are the places that Feya has performed than any other place in South Africa ”
His friends described him as soft-spoken and kind-hearted. They say he expressed his heart through his horn.
He was also described as a mentor who has left a great legacy.
McCoy Mrubata, a saxophonist and band leader says, “The trumpet was like his second voice. He was very melodic and he had technique, but he could be very very soulful, you know, I used to enjoy his trumpet playing.”
Having lived and taught in Switzerland, Faku toured that region extensively. This was also where he recovered from a diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy, a facial paralysis that rendered him unable to play his trumpet for at least three years.
After his recovery, he resumed his tour in Switzerland, where he played his last song. He is said to have passed away peacefully in the very country he had grown to love.
Veit Arlt, an African music curator, in Switzerland, explains, “He was in an extremely serene environment. It was his preferred room where he usually stayed when he came to Basile. It was a hot night, the window was open, he had the birds singing outside insects humming and the wind playing the leaves.”
To his family, he was more than a musician. He was a father, a devoted husband, a caring brother, and, above all, a true role model.
“Today, he has left a legacy because one of his sons is a world-renowned flutist and one of his sons is also a trumpeter. So this is the legacy that uFeya has left,” says Gift Ngqondi, the family spokesperson.
Before his passing, he was exploring the idea of starting a music program in New Brighton schools to help nurture musical talent in the community.
The Faku family expressed their gratitude for the outpouring of support from the public.
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