He toured with several older musicians, including the Jazz Maniacs, a top South African orchestra, in the mid-1940s.
The duo formed the Jazz Epistles, along with Moeketsi, trombone player Jonas Gwangwa and trumpeter Hugh Masekela.
Scholar Christopher Merz describes them as quickly becoming the "most highly-regarded jazz group in the country", and remaining so until Brand left for exile in 1962.
[5] 'General' Duze, a guitarist for the Manhattan Brothers, stated in 1987 that the band developed a unique, rather than imitative, sound during Davashe's tenure.
"Lovely Lies" became the first South African record to chart on the United States Billboard Hot 100.