Out now on Matsuli Music - Zulu Guitar Blues: Cowboys, Troubadours and Jilted Lovers 1950-1965

Zulu Guitar’s Pioneering Tricksters

Cowboys, Troubadours and Jilted Lovers (1950-1965) is the sub-title of Matsuli’s brand new Zulu Guitar Blues compilation. We release this on 16 May and pre-orders are now open at this link: https://matsulimusic.bandcamp.com/album/zulu-guitar-blues

Before this compilation, there has been no window for appreciating the diversely beautiful roots of Zulu Guitar Music that emerged in South Africa’s shellac recording boom post 1950. Story-tellers and master musicians appropriated outlaw personae, re-purposed country and western, Hawaiian and other styles, in ways that stretch and challenge our notion of “the Zulu guitar”. Translations in the liner notes offer us glimpses of pugnacity, melancholy and heartache, all coloured by the paternalism that circumscribed the singers’ apartheid-dominated lives

Upon listening to them, Joe Boyd retorted: "Amazing! Like stumbling on a treasure-trove of unheard Charlie Patton and Blind Willie McTell 78s, but imbued with the spirit of Mahlathini and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

It's a single 180g vinyl LP with 18 tracks (25 on download via bandcamp) housed in a full colour gatefold. With rare photographs, an essay and song translations this package should delight anyone with a passing interest in deep music from South Africa.

Black Soul finally reissued by Matsuli Music

 

Lost for over 50 years, Black Soul by The Anchors—where Memphis soul collides with township jazz—is finally back! Remastered from the original 1972 pressing, this afro-rock gem laid the foundation for South Africa’s afro-fusion revolution. 

Black Soul from 1972 is the third and last known album by The Anchors, a soul group originally formed in Johannesburg's Alexandra township in 1968. Their first two albums, Soul Upstairs from 1969 and Everything from 1971, were issued on Teal's City Special label alongside other prominent South African soul groups of the era like The Beaters, The Movers and The Flaming Souls.

On Black Soul, The Anchors undergo a notable shift, moving away from their early Memphis soul influences towards a pioneering African-driven sound. These changes laid the foundations for an emerging afro-fusion scene in the years to come from groups like Batsumi, The Drive and Harari.

Black Soul features a who's who of intergenerational musicians from great South African bands over the decades. In addition to Zacks Nkosi, the renowned bandleader of the Jazz Maniacs and long-time member of the African Swingsters in the 1940s and 50s, this album includes kwela star Little Kid Lex Hendricks, known for his Columbia recordings of the late 1950s; as well as Zack's son Jabu Nkosi who would go on to play with The Drive, Roots and Sakhile; and Banza Kgasoane later a member of The Beaters, Harari and then Mango Groove.

Now remastered for its first release since the original 1972 pressing, this lost gem offers a revealing glimpse into the evolution of South African music during a transformative era.

ALBUM CREDITS
Zacks Nkosi (Sax), Patrick Jabu Nkosi (Organ and Flute), Anderson Nkosi (Lead Guitar), Given Sabela (Bass Guitar), Kid Lex Hendrix (Sax), Banza Kgasoane (Trumpet), Peter Morake (Drums), Hamilton Nzimande (Musical Director). Original LP issued in South Africa on GRC’s CBS label (LAB 4037) in 1972. Produced for reissue by Chris Albertyn and Matt Temple at Matsuli Music, and Siemon Allen at Flatinternational. Original vinyl sourced from the Flatinternational Archive. Artwork restoration and design by Siemon Allen. Audio restoration, mastering and lacquers by Frank Merritt at The Carvery. Manufactured at Pallas, Germany.

MATSULI MUSIC
Matt Temple and Chris Albertyn established Matsuli Music in 2010. Since then the label has released close to 30 albums, with newly commissioned liner notes, archival photography, and remastered audio from the best available sources. In addition to historic recordings from the late 1960s and 1970s Matsuli also explores future classics from contemporary artists such as Derek Gripper, The Brother Moves On and the Kyle Shepherd Trio.

Black Soul is available on vinyl and all digital platforms from 7 March. Vinyl direct from matsulimusic.bandcamp.com and distributed globally by Honest Jons Records. South African distribution by Matsuli Music.

NEW RELEASES! Kyle Shepherd Trio // Ballaké Sissoko & Derek Gripper

 

MM127 – BALLAKÉ SISSOKO &  DEREK GRIPPER 
A new African string theory from masters of the kora and classical guitar

“The musical exchange between Sissoko’s kora and Gripper’s guitar represents a meeting of minds at the pinnacle of their craft.” – ANO SHUMBA, MUSIC IN AFRICA 

MM128 – THE KYLE SHEPHERD TRIO - A DANCE MORE SWEETLY PLAYED
Reaching beyond the South African jazz tradition

“To hear one of South Africa's foremost pianists play with intention, freedom and enjoyment, in the tradition and beyond it, is above all a gift to the listener." - NGWAK0 MALAKALAKA, BROADCASTER

 MATSULI MUSIC WEBSTORE

We've been busy! Releases since 2020

 

Since the last posting here in 2020 (Spring) we've released eight albums! Check them out at our online store HERE: https://matsulimusic.bandcamp.com/

MM126 – ALLEN KWELA’S BLACK BEAUTY (2023) 

Genre-defining 1975 township jazz from South African pioneers

MM125 – VARIOUS ARTISTS ONE NIGHT IN PELICAN (2021)

The afro modern sounds of Soweto’s first nightclub

MM124 – KYLE SHEPHERD’S AFTER THE NIGHT THE DAY WILL SURELY COME (2021)

Uniquely South African solo piano contemplation on the human spirit in lockdown 

MM123 – THE BROTHER MOVES ON’S TOLIKA MTOLIKI (2021)

Interpreting the before and beyond of the South African sonic

MM122 – GIDEON NXUMALO’S GIDEON PLAYS (2021)

The most sought-after LP in the South African jazz canon

MM121 – SPIRITS REJOICE AFRICAN SPACES (2021)

The South African response to Chick Corea’s Return to Forever and Miles’ On the Corner

MM120 – HARARI RUFARO/HAPPINESS (2021) & MM119 – THE BEATERS HARARI (2021)

The two albums marking the watershed of Harari’s evolution from Soweto soul (as The

Beaters) to the afro-centric rock and funk that brought them fame and changed South

Africa’s musical landscape forever.

Ibrahim Khalil Shihab's Spring reissued

 

Cape Jazz Classic blooms again 

South Africa’s lost jazz history contains many an overlooked classic. But even within that hidden tradition, there are few albums that suffered such an unlucky fate as Spring, the monumental 1968 debut album by pianist Ibrahim Khalil Shihab, formerly Chris Schilder. 

Though Shihab was only twenty-two when Spring was recorded, he was already a lynchpin of the Cape Town scene, and the album was to be his first major statement as leader and composer. It is a magnum opus gilded by the presence of the upcoming saxophonist Winston ‘Mankunku’ Ngozi, who was soon to find huge acclaim with the hit album Yakhal’ Inkomo. 

Three months of touring southern Africa in 1968 honed the band to the point that this entire album was recorded within the just two hours of allocated studio time. This album was repressed just once before the master tapes were destroyed by an ignorant record company executive. While it has remained out of print since then, the album was ‘kept alive’ as an ‘add-on’ to a 1996 CD of Mankunku’s Yakhal’ Inkomo. As a result, many modern jazz lovers still incorrectly believe these five compositions come from Yakhal’ Inkomo.

With this edition of Spring, Matsuli Music corrects an historic wrong. This edition of Shihab’s stunning debut, produced with the blessing of the man himself, is the first time it has been properly available in over forty years, and the first time it has ever been available outside South Africa. Restored and presented with new liner notes by Valmont Layne, Spring can now be seen for what it is: a peerless masterwork of Cape Jazz, blessed by the presence of the great Mankunku, but truly animated by the subtle vision and original musical spirit of its creator, Ibrahim Khalil Shihab. 

Available now at: www.matsulimusic.com

 

Dudu Pukwana + Zorro Five + Busi Mhlongo OUT NOW ON VINYL & DIGITAL

Matsuli Music is please to announce the release of three new albums: Dudu Pukwana's debut album from 1969, Zorro Five's mod obscurity from 1970 and for the first time on vinyl Urban Zulu from Busi Mhlongo.

These are available for purchase here: www.matsulimusic.com

You can also listen to the albums on most digital platforms from today!

Hugh Masekela Live in Lesotho Available Now

Our vinyl reissue of Hugh Masekela's legendary frontline concert is available here: www.matsulimusic.com

Moses Taiwa Molelekwa's Genes and Spirits available now for pre-orders

Genre-busting South African jazz meets kwaito meets Cuba (Chucho Valdez), Brazil (Flora Purim, Cameroon (Brice Wassy) and Bristol (drum 'n' bass). 

​

"Think Robert Glasper - only ten years earlier"

Gwen Ansell

"Helped define the new cool"

The Guardian

Deluxe double gatefold LP with new photographs, new liners and an exclusive track.

Available now from matsulimusic.com

Ten and Counting with Witchdoctor's Son from Okay Temiz and Johnny Dyani

Matsuli Music is proud to be releasing another forgotten gem of the South African jazz diaspora – the 1976 Istanbul session featuring Johnny Dyani and Okay Temiz fusing deep roots and new routes, integrating folklore and rhythm within an experimental, avant-garde vision of love and life.

Remastered by Frank Merrit at the Carvery, Witchdoctor’s Son is presented as a deluxe gatefold sleeve including new liner notes by Francis Gooding uncovering more of Dyani’s creative collaborations with Temiz. Also included are previously unpublished photographs by Hank O’Neal.

Available for the first time since Yonca Records originally released only 1000 copies in Turkey, this album has remained an elusive and sought after landmark in South African exile Johnny Dyani’s discography.

The recording captures a complex, funky and musically together exploration of folk themes, jazz messages and popular directions. After many years together discovering both South African and Turkish sources, Temiz and Dyani were intimately versed in each other’s traditions. Side one features material arranged by Temiz, and the second has material arranged and composed by Dyani – including a stunning arrangement of Don Cherry’s Elhamdulilhah Marimba with Dyani on piano and voice.


PURCHASE LINK

180gram vinyl with remastered sound, new sleeve-notes and unseen photographs in a deluxe gatefold edition

Release date: 18 September

Pacific Express 1976 debut Black Fire remastered, repackaged and reissued

Matsuli Music is proud to announce the re-issue of Black Fire, the 1976 debut album of legendary Cape Town jazz funk band Pacific Express. The band was home to jazz musicians Chris Schilder, and Basil ‘Manenberg’ Coetzee as well as fusion and soul musicians Robbie Jansen, Issy Ariefdien, Paul Abrahams, Jack Momple and Zayn Adam.
This album is hard evidence of that 1976 musical moment in which Pacific Express forged an entirely new South African sound and musical identity out of what was ‘Cape Town Jazz’, Latin, R&B, soul, pop and fusion. 

From the political heat of 1976 come the militant, upbeat and irresistible funk tracks Black Fire and Brother - where singer Zayn Adam calls out for hope and optimism in spite of present difficulties. The pace moves down a gear for heart-felt ballads and Latin-tinged jazz instrumentals. Group leader Chris Schilder, after his deep jazz beginnings with Winston Mankunku Ngozi and the cream of Cape Town’s jazz crop had already spent some time with seminal black fusion group The Drive in the early seventies. Black Fire lays down a fusion of jazz funk and soul that was later picked up on and developed by Spirits Rejoice and others.

Black Fire presents the core repertoire that made Pacific Express the resident band sensation they became at the Sherwood Lounge in Manenberg, Cape Town in the mid-seventies. The ‘coloured’ township of Manenberg – about 20km away from Cape Town’s city centre, and cut off from the black settlements of Gugulethu and Nyanga by a railway track – had been officially established in 1966, based on the apartheid regime’s belief that what they defined as different “racial groups” could not live harmoniously together. Residents had been forcibly removed from and ‘relocated’ from the various suburbs now being allocated to ‘white’ people. Manenberg and surrounds were “quite a rough place” reflects Chris Schilder (now Ebhrahim Kalil Shihab).  “But the Sherwood Lounge was located close to the highway, so people could come in without getting mixed up in whatever was a happening on the streets. And once we opened – people flocked.”

Matsuli Music is proud to add the debut album of this Cape Town ‘supergroup’ among our growing catalogue of high-quality re-issues of classic South African afro-jazz on vinyl. New liner notes from acclaimed jazz historian Gwen Ansel claim this album as the first successful confluence of multiple styles delivering a uniquely South African but also globally accessible new musical expression.

Officially released on 1 June 2017